Wilson deceives Sharks fans once more...

It'll take more than the annual "Shark for a day" fantasy camp to calm down angered Sharks fans this this time around.

Reader and Sharks fan Brian Smith has these comments on the Sharks' current disappointing offseason and Doug Wilson's promised "changes"

It's a funny thing here the Sharks are already in PR mode after failing to sign Sheldon Souray. Tonight on their website, the radio broadcaster talks about how things are going well this off season, with our draft choices and players working out. And excuse after excuse about why the Sharks haven't signed anyone in free agency. Funny they didn't mention anything about the Doug Wilson comment after we got beat in the playoffs again. At that time Doug Wilson said "Changes would be made." and that "he just won't sit around doing nothing till september."
Hmmm funny thing it looks like the Sharks have done NOTHING, which is typical year in and year out with them now.

It's kinda funny every year we get the same speech at the start of the Season the Sharks are committed to winning the cup this (put in any year) season. Yet every year they fail come free agency time they do nothing except talk their way around it, then they raise ticket prices to stay more competitive, lose 4 players sign no one, and then try and convince everyone they are better than they were last season.
It's kind of comical that people actually buy into that, because its the same song and dance every year.

Right now there are NO free agents worth any value left on the market and Sharks management will most likely spin it by saying "Oh we tried, and had offers on the table."
But in the end losers try, winners succeed. 5 years at 27 Million for Souray is cheap, but the Sharks won't do contracts of over 3 years length, so I guess its no wonder they struck out once again come free agency time. But hey they raised our ticket prices, now they are putting out a new logo so we have to buy more merchandise, thank god management is so concerned about winning the cup. Their Actions speak a lot louder then there hollow words.

You're absolutely right, the Sharks were HEAVY free-agent favourites heading into the summer, but failed to pursue guys like Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and perhaps most "shockingly", Sheldon Souray to join the Sharks' ranks.
I think Wilson's comment was far too rash and blunt, he had no idea if changes were to be made and if Drury or Souray wanted to come to California, come on, he was basing his words on the rumours that were circulating around at the time, how could he have known first-hand that either one of them was interested in signing with the Sharks?
He couldn't, pure speculation on his part, and he made a terrible mistake with his fan base by promising them something (or rather someone) they haven't gotten so far (but hey, a trade could always be in the works)

That speech is basic "protocol", name me one team that's committed to losing and not winning the Cup.
No team heads into a new season with that approach, but this is exactly what separates the pretenders from the contenders, for example, the Capitals can walk into a new season and say "we are committed to winning the Cup" while Wilson can say the same to his media.
In this case, Wilson has a better team to back his claims up with while Caps GM George McPhee doesn't.

The Sharks have come up empty handed via free-agency, but look at their roster now, they've developped most of their core talent like Patrick Marleau, Jonathan Cheechoo, Matt Carle, Evgeni Nabokov to name a few and they made a HUGE splash acquiring Joe Thornton last season.
So maybe fans should look more to clever draft choices rather than big name free-agents to improve the team, based on what the Sharks have done with their young talent so far.

Anyone remember Brad Stuart? He's turned out to be fine defenceman...thanks to yours truly
.
They have Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Patrick Rissmiller and Joe Pavelski shaping up to become a quality pack of players in a few years, it's all from within, and that's the way Wilson should go, and stop mesmerizing his fans by foolish and vague claims that he'll make changes by making splashes in free-agency, since it obviously never happens.

You tell me if this is how the Sharks should go on improving their team, since I don't see it happening realistically any other way.

--BBR