The San Jose Sharks are the NHL's ultimate tease. They are regular-season dynamos and post-season floppers, with this year's President's Trophy win and a first-round exit the latest example.

Sharks GM Doug Wilson promised a seismic change to the roster this off-season, noting that what they've tried in Silicon Valley hasn't been good enough.

So far, the promise looks iffy, and the teal-clad fans are getting mighty anxious and mighty impatient. "Let's go, already!"

Wilson has assembled an enormous amount of talent, some of the biggest names in hockey Joe Thornton, Dan Boyle, Patrick Marleau, Rob Blake, etc. And the Sharks are nudged right up against the NHL's salary cap ($56.8 million), with barely enough money left to fill out the roster this off season.

Yet the asking price to move any player off the roster is extraordinarily high. Talking to GMs around the league, the Sharks are said to overvalue their players more than any club in the NHL.

The asking price to trade Ryane Clowe to Toronto during the draft, for instance, was the Maple Leafs' No. 7 overall pick.

FORWARD

The Sharks have eight NHL-level forwards signed through at least next season Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Milan Michalek, Ryane Clowe, Jonathan Cheechoo, Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi and Jody Shelley. Total salary cap hit: $27,967,500.

The top two lines appear to be set, unless Wilson makes a blockbuster.

Cheechoo might be the most mysterious player in the league. His goal totals, starting in 2005-06: 56, 37, 23, 12. At that rate, he's due for one or two goals this year on the third or fourth line.

Former Blue Jackets Jody Shelley will see lots of duty on the fourth line.

The rest of the group will be filled out from within the system. There's no other choice, really.

Torrey Mitchell, Thomas Plihal and Brad Staubitz are all restricted free agents. Another key RFA Marcel Goc was not qualified, because the Sharks simply couldn't fit him under the cap.

Key UFAs include: Travis Moen, Jeremy Roenick, Mike Grier and Claude Lemieux, who retired again.

DEFENSE

The Sharks have seven NHL-level defenseman signed through at least next season Dan Boyle, Rob Blake, Christian Ehrhoff, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Douglas Murray, Kent Huskins and Brad Lukowich. Salary cap hit: $22,133,334.

There's an enormous amount of skill in this group especially Boyle, who may be the most gifted defenseman in the league.

Signing Blake one year, $3.5 million has really put a cramp in the Sharks' cap situation. It's unbalanced the roster, too.

The Sharks are in a spot now where they need to trade a defenseman to: a) get under the cap, and b) add a forward who can stabilize the third line.

Alexei Semenov is a UFA and won't be back.

GOALTENDER

Evgeni Nabokov is the No. 1, due to make $5.375 million this season.

It's a wonder what the Sharks might do with the No. 2 spot there are lots of back-ups on the market, still but the cap might force their hand.

They might be forced to go with Thomas Greiss, a restricted free agent who had a strong second half in the AHL this season.

BIG PICTURE

The Sharks have 16 players signed for next season at a cap hit of $55,475,834. With four or five guys to sign, they're only $1.32 million under the $56.8 million salary cap.

So far, status quo has been maintained. Unless GM Wilson can swing a "name" trade in the next few weeks the asking price might have to come WAY down it's going to be up to players from within the system to fill out key spots on the Sharks roster.

NEXT WAVE

There's no other choice here the Sharks will need to rely on youth at least in some fashion this season.

Winger Jamie McGinn, center Logan Couture, defensemen Nick Petrecki and Derek Joslin and goaltender Thomas Greiss will all see significant roles.

Couture doesn't fit perfectly on a third or fourth line, however. He's a skill guy.

OUTLOOK

No matter what Murray does in the coming weeks, the Sharks will be a very good team. Nobody in the league OK, maybe Detroit is better transitioning the puck from defense to forward quite like San Jose.

But the dressing room needs a jolt. Lots of focus has turned to Joe Thornton as the poster child for the Sharks' trouble a massive point producer during the first 82 games, and the invisible man in the post-season.

Unless something changes, everybody around the NHL will take San Jose's regular-season success with a grain of salt, just waiting for a quick exit from the playoffs.

aportzline@dispatch.com