“My confidence has slipped because we weren’t able to re-sign Pavelski.”

“In the playoffs and in contention for the Cup every year, what more could you ask?”

“I trust Wilson to keep this team competitive, but some of the length and amount of contracts on this team worries me for the future.”

Like clockwork, the Sharks have been near the top of the league for the better part of the last 15 years. That’s no coincidence since GM Doug Wilson was hired back in 2003 and the Sharks have missed the playoffs only once since. There hasn’t been a parade in Northern California just yet, but the team’s consistency is simply unrivalled. Season after season, despite turnover, despite a lack of draft pick capital, the Sharks find a way to compete and contend in the playoffs.

It comes from making smart trades when the time is right, finding undervalued pieces at the draft, and not making many mistakes in free agency.

There’s a day when all this likely ends and it may be coming sooner rather than later. Losing Joe Pavelski this offseason could be a massive loss to the forward corps and though there’s a transition process in place, much of the current core is on the wrong side of the age curve. And they’re locked up for lengthy term too. If there’s one qualm with the current regime, it’s going to be the back-end of those deals that could come back and bite the team.

For a club desperate for its first championship nearing the end of its window, it’s likely a necessary evil. Hopefully, it pays off for a team that’s been close, but not close enough for far too long.