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San Jose Sharks
Overall: 30
Title track: 64
Ownership: 33
Coaching: 43
Players: 31
Fan relations: 20
Affordability: 80
Stadium experience: 37
Bang for the buck: 31
Change from last year: +58
Few things overhaul our Ultimate Standings like a long and unexpected playoff run. Take the sixth-seeded Sharks, who surged to their first appearance in the Stanley Cup finals last spring before losing to the Penguins. The Sharks skyrocketed 58 points in our standings, the highest leap of any of the 122 teams in our survey. That followed a 57-point free fall the previous year when they failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons. If you're a low-risk investor, keep the Sharks out of your portfolio.
What's good
A veteran team led by Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton and rising star Tomas Hertl surged 78 points to No. 31 in Players, and the popularity extended beyond the ice. Take defenseman Brent Burns, a finalist for ESPN's 2016 Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award for his work with Defending the Blue Line, which aids the families of military members. A similar spike came in coaching (up 69 points), as fans were happy to say goodbye to Todd McLellan in favor of Peter DeBoer, who worked wonders in his first season behind the bench. It was only a year ago that majority owner Hasso Plattner was feeling heat for retaining general manager Doug Wilson, but a 52-point jump in ownership and a 35-point vault in title track makes that a distant memory.
What's bad
Their lowest ranking is in affordability, but the Sharks might be getting a bad rap. The average ticket price of $54.68 is almost $8 below the NHL average, and no one is saying that living in Silicon Valley is cheap. Parking, however, will set you back $21. SAP Center opened in 1993 but is already one of the oldest facilities in the NHL. When asked if they have "a great stadium," Shark Tank patrons had a lukewarm response, ranking in the middle of the pack among NHL teams.
What's new
Fan relations had dipped to 80th last season before a 60-point bounce-back this season. Sharks vice president Scott Emmert says the club doubled the size of its digital media department, which handled website and social media channels. One well-received idea was "The Deep," an in-house all-access production that chronicled the ups and downs of what ended up as a very eventful season. Episodes can be found on the Sharks' website and on YouTube. The main concern this season is to avoid the filming of a playoff hangover.
Next: Chicago Blackhawks | Full rankings