"This isn't the same team that it's been in the past," he said. "We've got a whole bunch of new bodies, a whole different cast of characters, a whole different identity, in my mind, a whole different coaching staff. The core guys are still the same, but the core guys here are great. … They're not the problem. It was filling in behind them. We've got those type of people here now, and I think the guys at the top feel that and are feeding off it."
The core group delivered in Game 7, providing more evidence that this is a new team, a new era in the Bay area.
"That's what we're supposed to do; we're supposed to go out there and lead this team and contribute offensively," said forward Logan Couture, who had a goal and two assists. "We did what we're supposed to do, I guess."
Marleau, the longest-tenured of the Sharks, had a goal and an assist. Thornton, so often a lightning rod during turbulent times, had a goal and assist. Pavelski, the captain, scored the game's first goal and has nine in the playoffs; he's tied for the League lead with Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Couture, a rookie in 2010, finished the seven games against Nashville with 11 points, a single-series franchise record.
That is the leadership core referenced by DeBoer. That core led the way in Game 7, but it had help from what is probably the deepest Sharks team in a decade.