Dany Heatley helps sharpen the Sharks’ bite

Doug Wilson didn’t break up the San Jose Sharks after his Presidents’ Trophy-winning team was upset by the Ducks in the first round of the playoffs last spring, though he heard demands for a complete overhaul.

Instead, he adhered to the philosophy that guided him through a successful NHL career and has been his touchstone since he became the Sharks’ general manager in 2003.

“It’s not what happens to you in life,” he said, “it’s what you do with what happens.”

After the Sharks set club records with 53 wins and 117 points but were beaten by the eighth-seeded Ducks -- the fourth season in a row San Jose didn’t get past the second round -- Wilson made one big move, acquiring Dany Heatley from Ottawa for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a second-round draft pick.

Heatley has combined with Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton to form a dominant first line. Wilson’s smaller moves, made through free agency, also have worked. Centers Manny Malhotra and Scott Nichol are among the NHL’s faceoff leaders and, along with winger Jed Ortmeyer, bring grit to a lineup that relied too much on pure skill.

The Sharks, who routed Calgary, 9-1, on Monday and will face the Kings tonight at Staples Center, are on pace to match the point total they piled up last season but what really matters is how they fare in the playoffs. Wilson wouldn’t discuss the loss to the Ducks, calling it “history.” Some key players were injured, though he wouldn’t specify who and said that’s not an excuse.

He believes players and Coach Todd McLellan have learned from that setback and have the means to do something about it.

“We’ve made some changes in personnel, but it’s also the maturity of our team,” Wilson said.

“It’s Todd’s second year and having Danny Boyle and Rob Blake be in their second year here and adding a blue-collar element to our team with the Malhotras and Nichols and Ortmeyers and just the growth and experience of a lot of our players. It’s just a growth period that our team is going through, and every day just trying to get better.”

That growth included Thornton’s decision to lead a large group of veterans back to San Jose early last summer to train for this season.

“Joe’s in the best shape of his life. He’s playing the way that Todd wants him to play in all areas of the rink, as is Patty and Dany Heatley,” Wilson said. “So I think it’s the maturing of our guys coming into their prime. You can call it experiential learning, I guess.

“A lot of top players in the league and a lot of top teams, you have to go through that to become what you are. We’re a hockey team that’s just looking forward to getting better every day and looking forward to whatever challenges come our way. It’s simple.”

Not quite. When winger Devin Setoguchi scored twice against Edmonton on Saturday he ended a six-game streak in which no forward but Thornton, Marleau or Heatley had scored. The Sharks were 3-2-1 in that span, which seems to hint secondary scoring might be a problem. Wilson downplayed that notion.

“Ryane Clowe is a goal scorer. Joe Pavelski puts up numbers. We’ve been winning games,” he said. “You’re not asking these guys to do something they haven’t done before.”

Except to win a few playoff rounds, which won’t be easy in the stacked West.

“It’s probably the highest level of parity we’ve had in this league. It’s an elevated level, and every game is going to be a tough game, and that’s a good thing,” Wilson said. “And our team is just finding different ways on different days to win and has a pretty healthy bounce-back to it. That’s all we’re looking at -- how you get better every day, because we have to in this league.”

Slap shots

Kudos to Nashville Predators General Manager David Poile for extending the contracts of Coach Barry Trotz and his staff through next season and adding an option for 2011-12. Trotz has coached the team since its 1998 debut and has somehow kept this small, budget-squeezed team competitive.

The Boston Bruins’ three games in California last week were their last outside the Eastern time zone -- and they’re not the only team with a cushy schedule. The Buffalo Sabres’ last game outside their own time zone is Monday, the New York Rangers’ last game outside Eastern time is Feb. 2 against the Kings at Staples Center, the Pittsburgh Penguins played their last game outside Eastern time Saturday, and Tampa Bay played its last game outside its time zone on Dec. 18.

The NHL will impose an Olympic trade freeze that will start at noon PST on Feb. 12 and end at 8:59 p.m. PST on Feb. 28. The trade deadline is noon PST on March 3.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

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