Bold Personnel Changes Have Resulted in More Confidence for Sharks

No one can accuse the San Jose Sharks of being shy when it comes to making changes. Clear out a few coaches over the years? Sure.

Blow out a general manager? Not a problem. And as for the question of whether to move out players, well that’s the whole story this time around.

The Sharks, 4-2 winners over the Ducks at the Pond Sunday, have timed their rise in the standings with two key deals and the return of a character player, or maybe just a character.

“You start believing in yourselves and that’s something that’s kind of going around right now,” said assistant coach Roy Sommer. “You start doing the little things right, like chipping the pucks out and [Mike Vernon] coming up with the big saves like he did.”

San Jose (14-18-4, 32 points) has wedged itself between the Ducks and Kings in the Pacific Division standings with the help of several veterans who were not on the scene at the start of the season.

In comes Mike Ricci (Nov. 20 from Colorado) and John MacLean (Dec. 7 from New Jersey). Out goes Doug Bodger, Dody Wood, Shean Donovan and draft picks.

With those quick moves, Sharks GM Dean Lombardi puts some positive energy and experience in his dressing room and reduces some of the calls for his head.

In addition, Al Iafrate has come back to give the Sharks more depth on the blueline. Iafrate returned Dec. 1 after missing the final 30 games of last season and the first 28 of this season recovering from back surgery.

The Sharks are 5-1-1 with Iafrate, nicknamed “the Planet” for his ability to go off in his own world once in a while. But he’s been all-world for the Sharks in seven games, playing a strong positional game and using his hard shot to create chances.

“It just took a couple of trades and a couple of certain things to get everybody going together,” said defensive partner Mike Rathje. “Al’s a fun player. When you can give your partner the puck and he can take it out of the zone and make a play, that’s something.”

It’s called momentum and the San Jose Sharks have it.

“We are on a seven-game unbeaten streak and it’s pretty obvious what is working,” said Vernon, who came in a trade with Detroit over the summer. “We’ve made a lot of changes and moved players who weren’t playing the system.

“Now we are working hard and playing our system.”

That wasn’t the case in October, which the Sharks closed with a 5-3 loss to Chicago. Record for the month: 4-9-0.

But thanks to some trades and good timing, there’s a new tune coming out of the Sharks’ dressing room.