After getting swept out of the Western Conference Finals, the Sharks signed the goalie that beat them. It might not be enough to make them the Cup favorites, but there’s no reason to expect a dropoff.

• Overview:
After years of postseason failures, the Sharks are banking on a goalie change – and the continued progress of their youth – to build on a run to the Western Conference Final. General manager Doug Wilson pounced on Niemi in September when the cap-constrained Blackhawks were unable to re-sign their No. 1 goalie. It was a best-case scenario after Wilson chose not to re-sign Nabokov and made the unproven Niittymaki his first signing in free agency. Ultimately, the Sharks will go as far as their star skaters — Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley and Dan Boyle – can take them. In other words, there’s plenty to look forward to.

• What they're missing:
The experience and leadership of Blake and Malhotra won’t be easy to replace. Others must step up, both in the locker room and on the ice. The biggest question mark is whether kids like Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Jason Demers and Marc-Edouard Vlasic can build on their breakout seasons. It’ll either be too much to ask, or just what the doctor ordered for a team that seemed a step behind the Blackhawks in May.

• Players to watch in camp:
Niemi would seem to have the upper hand on Niittymaki for the No. 1 goalie mantle. Each will use training camp to state his case. In a battle that will play out behind closed doors, Boyle is the favorite to inherit the captain’s “C” from the now-retired Blake.

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