While the San Jose Sharks' core has been in place for some time, it's the 2016 roster that has finally jumped over the hump and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.

In recent years, general manager Doug Wilson was believed to have been floating the likes of Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau - both of whom served as team captain in the past - on the trade market, with a view to building around the likes of Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture.

Wilson wisely stayed the course for at least one more run with this group, deciding instead to part ways with head coach Todd McLellan in favor of new bench boss Pete DeBoer.

He also made three significant additions to the roster, all of which are paying off when it matters most.

Martin Jones

The Los Angeles Kings didn't want Martin Jones suiting up for a division rival, so they sent him straight out of the Western Conference last summer, trading him to the Boston Bruins.

Before he could even contemplate life in black and gold, Jones was dealt to the San Jose Sharks for a first-round pick in 2016 and forward prospect Sean Kuraly.

Eleven months later, Jones will become the first goalie in franchise history to appear in a Stanley Cup Final game.

The 26-year-old has been consistent in net for the Sharks all season long, with a playoff success rate basically on par with his regular-season performance.

Four more wins and that trade will go down as one of the best in team history, joining another "jumbo" deal made with the Bruins over a decade ago.

Joel Ward

The Sharks knew Joel Ward had a knack for coming up big in the postseason, and, true to form, he's continuing that trend in San Jose.

Ward was signed to a three-year, $9.825-million contract and has brought a measure of veteran depth that is key to any championship-caliber team.

Through 18 games, he has recorded six goals and five assists, with four of those 11 points coming in series-clinching games.

Paul Martin

The other big offseason free-agent addition was defenseman Paul Martin, who signed a four-year, $19.4-million deal after five solid seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins but without any playoff success to show for it.

Here's what Wilson had to say at the time of the signing:

Paul is a versatile, puck-moving veteran who enhances our younger group of talented defensemen. He comes from a winning environment, is capable of playing heavy minutes and is accustomed to playing with high-end players. He was a player that we had targeted and this is a place that Paul wanted to come play.

With the Sharks, the 35-year-old has proven capable of locking things down in his own end while chipping in offensively and playing on both the penalty kill and power play.

Most importantly, he has proven to be a perfect defensive partner for Brent Burns, who continues to post elite numbers for his position.

The core was never the problem in San Jose; credit Wilson for finding the right parts to complete the puzzle.

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Through three rounds of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Logan Couture has already put himself in elite company.

In Wednesday's Game 6 victory over the St. Louis Blues, the San Jose Sharks forward posted his third three-point game of the postseason, all of which have been earned in series-clinching wins.

Only two others players in NHL history have accomplished the same feat.

And with 24 points in 18 games, Couture has produced more than any player in the 2015, 2012 or 2011 playoffs, and he's only two points behind the postseason scoring leaders in 2014 or 2013.

His point total through 18 games has also put him in elite company.

Couture, who was drafted ninth overall by the Sharks in 2007, had recorded 36 points in 56 postseason games prior to this year.

Add it all up, and the 27-year-old has emerged as the top Conn Smythe Trophy candidate on a team that features three top-10 regular-season scorers in Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns, and Joe Thornton.

Looking back, that Couture missed 30 games this year due to injury may have been a blessing in disguise, as he certainly seems to be playing with fresh legs.

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Peter DeBoer has the magic touch.

His San Jose Sharks became the first team since the 2012 New Jersey Devils to reach the Stanley Cup Final after missing the playoffs, and DeBoer was the head coach of that Devils team, too.

The similarities don't end there. DeBoer took New Jersey to the final in his first season behind the bench with the club, and did the same this year with San Jose. Whatever he's selling when he arrives, his guys are buying.

But DeBoer is far from satisfied. His 2012 Devils came up short in the Stanley Cup Final, so he knows what it's like to get so close to the Cup, only to watch another team lift it.

"I've been this far once before," DeBoer said. "As great a night as this is, if you don't win the next round, it's still not a great summer. I think we'll enjoy this (Wednesday night) and our focus will turn to the big prize."

More than anything, DeBoer said, he's the product of good timing.

"(The Sharks) were coming off a down season, but they were coming off a decade of great hockey. They'd been well-coached," DeBoer said. "Todd McLellan and the previous staff are as good as there are in the business. These guys had a great foundation. Right place, right time.

"Everyone was ready for something a little bit fresher and newer, not anything that much different. The additions that (general manager Doug Wilson) made, it just came together. I inherited a similar team in New Jersey when I went in there. First time they missed the playoffs for a long time the year before I got there.

"I think when you go into that situation, when you have really good people like there was in New Jersey when I went in there, like I was with this group, they're pissed off, they're embarrassed by the year they just had, and they're willing to do and buy into whatever you're selling to get it fixed again. I think I was the benefactor of that."

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This one's going to hurt a long while in St. Louis.

The Blues' season ended Wednesday night, the San Jose Sharks eliminating the Western Conference finalists in six games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, and tears were shed.

"I see the devastation in our locker room right now," head coach Ken Hitchcock said in his postgame presser. "Guys aren't even able to speak. I'm more worried about our guys right now, to be honest with you. We got some guys that are pretty shook up right now, so ...

"They need their space with each other. They've bonded together better than any team I've coached in 10 years."

Hitchcock said a post mortem won't take place for a couple of days, once the shock wears off.

"We'll talk at an appropriate time. But right now they need to be with each other."

Captain David Backes was visibly emotional after the loss when he met the media, especially so as he recounted a story about teammate Steve Ott and how tight the Blues were as a group.

"(Ott) will kill me for telling you this story," Backes said, according to NHL.com's Lou Korac, "but Game 5 I'm not feeling well. Ott brings me something to help me feel better. Knowing that he's the guy coming out of the lineup if I can play. That's pretty selfless, and that's the kind of guys we have in here."

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It only took a few thousand games.

After 18 seasons, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton are headed to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in their careers.

The San Jose Sharks clinched their first appearance in the final in their history Wednesday night, ending two long droughts for the Canadian veterans. Marleau played 1,411 regular-season games before reaching the final, while Thornton played 1,367.

"I can't imagine the crap that's been written about them," head coach Peter DeBoer said after his team's big win, according to Yahoo Sports' Josh Cooper.

Marleau and Thornton played a combined 3,093 regular-season and playoff games before being one of the final two teams standing in the spring.

"These guys have been waiting 25 years for this," Thornton said of the organization and fans. "Obviously I've been waiting a long time, too. It's pretty sweet."

Worth the wait, we're sure everyone involved would say.

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A win for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs, courtesy of the San Jose Sharks.

With the Sharks advancing to the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, a conditional 2018 fourth-round draft pick San Jose traded to Toronto for James Reimer becomes a 2018 third-round pick.

The Maple Leafs knew. The Maple Leafs believed in the Sharks.

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Joe Thornton and his beard are going to the Stanley Cup Final. Say it out loud.

And "Jumbo Joe" couldn't care less which team comes out of the Eastern Conference.

"I'll play 'em both, if they want to dress 40 guys," Thornton said.

The Stanley Cup Final begins Monday, in Pittsburgh if the Penguins win, and in San Jose if the Tampa Bay Lightning win.

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The New York Rangers could be in for a major offseason overhaul.

The club is prepared to listen to offers for everyone except Henrik Lundqvist, defensive prospect Brady Skjei, and 21-year-old forward Pavel Buchnevich, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports.

The list of available players includes Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh, as well as forwards Derek Stepan, Derick Brassard, Chris Kreider, and Kevin Hayes, and keeping in mind the expected return, Brooks writes that "nothing is off the table."

Dan Girardi might not be on the untouchable list, but he's unlikely to be moved.

The Rangers reportedly don't plan to buy out the four years and $22 million left on the veteran defenseman's deal. Management hasn't asked him to waive his no-movement clause, and no request from the team is expected.

Girardi played through a cracked kneecap that never truly healed after he suffered it in December, and his play reflected that.

The 32-year-old recorded only 17 points and had the third-worst Corsi For percentage (41.70 at 5-on-5, according to Corsica Hockey) among Rangers skaters in 2015-16.

General Fanager estimates the Rangers will have less than $200,000 in cap space at season's end.

New York had the third-oldest team by average age last season, according to NHL Numbers. The Rangers were eliminated in five games by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs.

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Joel Ward is taking a page out of Joe Pavelski's book Wednesday night.

Related: DeBoer marvels at Pavelski's hand-eye, commitment to scoring

The San Jose Sharks forward picked up his second goal of the game and sixth of the postseason by redirecting a Logan Couture pass past St. Louis Blues goaltender Brian Elliott.

Ward also showed off his hand-eye coordination on his first of the contest.

Ward's efforts have helped the Sharks hold the lead in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final, with a win sending them to play for the Cup.

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As Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill takes in the Western Conference Final, he feels his team should be there - and he thinks their postseason would have turned out differently with a healthy Tyler Seguin in the lineup.

"I think it definitely would. Tyler Seguin is an elite player, he is close to a point-a-game guy," Nill said Wednesday on Sirius XM'S "The Power Play," according to NHL.com's Mark Stepneski, while addressing whether the star forward's presence could have changed the Stars' playoff result.

"I am watching the San Jose-St. Louis series right now and you see what Joe Pavelski has done on their power play. Our power play against St. Louis struggled and if Tyler Seguin got one or two goals at the right time that might have made the difference."

The 24-year-old was limited to just one game during the postseason after suffering a calf injury in the opening round against the Minnesota Wild.

The Stars came within a win of advancing to the Western Conference Final without Seguin, but were crushed by the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the second round.

"That's easy to sit there now and say that, but when you lose an elite player, it is tough," said Nill. "In saying that, we still went to Game 7 of the second round, so it was a pretty good run."

Seguin collected his third straight 30-goal campaign this season, finishing with 73 points in 72 games.

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