# 2001–02 San Jose Sharks season

The 2001–02 San Jose Sharks season was the club's 11th season of operation in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Sharks once again set franchise records for points (99) and wins (44) in a season. Most notably, the team won the Pacific Division for the first time in franchise history. Consequently, the Sharks clinched a playoff berth for the fifth consecutive season.
In Darryl Sutter's fifth year as head coach, the Sharks took a massive step forward. For the first time, the team boasted offensive depth in spades, as six forwards (Owen Nolan, Teemu Selanne, Patrick Marleau, Marco Sturm, Scott Thornton and Vincent Damphousse) finished the season with at least 20 goals, while another two (Mike Ricci and Adam Graves) finished with at least 17. While the Sharks' defense nominally regressed from one year earlier, it remained one of the Western Conference's top units; the play of Brad Stuart, Bryan Marchment, Gary Suter and Mike Rathje proved more than adequate during the regular season. The Sharks also benefited from the strong goaltending of starter Evgeni Nabokov and backup Miikka Kiprusoff. Regular season highlights included a 10–2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets (March 30, 2002) and Patrick Marleau's first career hat trick (April 6, 2002). Evgeni Nabokov also became the first goaltender in franchise history (and seventh in NHL history) to score a goal with an empty-net tally against the Vancouver Canucks on March 10. On April 12, the Sharks clinched the Pacific Division title following a Los Angeles Kings loss to the Canucks. In winning the division, the Sharks also clinched home-ice advantage in a playoff series for the first time in franchise history.
In the first round of the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, the third-seeded Sharks faced the sixth-seeded Phoenix Coyotes. The teams split the first two games in San Jose. From there, however, the Sharks closed the series out with a trio of convincing victories. In the second round, the team faced eventual Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy and the defending champion Colorado Avalanche. The Sharks took successive series leads of 1–0, 2–1 and 3–2 against the favored Avalanche. However, each time Colorado managed to re-tie the series. In Game 6, which was briefly interrupted by a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, the Sharks took the Avalanche to overtime. However, a goal by Peter Forsberg forced a deciding seventh game in Denver. There, the Avalanche eliminated the Sharks with a hard-fought 1–0 victory. The game is arguably best remembered (amongst Sharks fans) for Teemu Selanne missing an open net from close range in the first period.

## Regular season

On March 10, 2002, Evgeni Nabokov became the first netminder in NHL history to score a powerplay goal, doing so against the Vancouver Canucks. He was also the first European goaltender to score a goal.
On March 30, 2002, the Sharks defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets at home 10–2. It was the second time in the 2001–02 NHL regular season that a team had scored ten goals in a single game, as the Ottawa Senators had defeated the Washington Capitals on the road 11–5. Further, it was the first time the Sharks had scored ten goals in a regular season game since January 13, 1996, when they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road 10–8.

### Final standings

Pacific Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 3 | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 44 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 248 | 189 | 99 |
| 2 | 6 | Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 40 | 27 | 9 | 6 | 228 | 210 | 95 |
| 3 | 7 | Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 40 | 27 | 11 | 4 | 214 | 190 | 95 |
| 4 | 10 | Dallas Stars | 82 | 36 | 28 | 13 | 5 | 215 | 213 | 90 |
| 5 | 13 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 82 | 29 | 42 | 8 | 3 | 175 | 198 | 69 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | p – Detroit Red Wings | CEN | 82 | 51 | 17 | 10 | 4 | 251 | 187 | 116 |
| 2 | y – Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 45 | 28 | 8 | 1 | 212 | 169 | 99 |
| 3 | y – San Jose Sharks | PAC | 82 | 44 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 248 | 199 | 99 |
| 4 | St. Louis Blues | CEN | 82 | 43 | 27 | 8 | 4 | 227 | 188 | 98 |
| 5 | Chicago Blackhawks | CEN | 82 | 41 | 27 | 13 | 1 | 216 | 207 | 96 |
| 6 | Phoenix Coyotes | PAC | 82 | 40 | 27 | 9 | 6 | 228 | 210 | 95 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Kings | PAC | 82 | 40 | 27 | 11 | 4 | 214 | 190 | 95 |
| 8 | Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 254 | 211 | 94 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 38 | 28 | 12 | 4 | 205 | 182 | 92 |
| 10 | Dallas Stars | PAC | 82 | 36 | 28 | 13 | 5 | 215 | 213 | 90 |
| 11 | Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 32 | 35 | 12 | 3 | 201 | 220 | 79 |
| 12 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 26 | 35 | 12 | 9 | 195 | 238 | 73 |
| 13 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PAC | 82 | 29 | 42 | 8 | 3 | 175 | 198 | 69 |
| 14 | Nashville Predators | CEN | 82 | 28 | 41 | 13 | 0 | 196 | 230 | 69 |
| 15 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CEN | 82 | 22 | 47 | 8 | 5 | 164 | 255 | 57 |
Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific, NW – Northwest
bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy; y – Won division

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2001–02 regular season :
October: 5–3–3–1 (home: 3–0–1–1; road: 2–3–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentDecisionRecordRecap
1OTLOctober 4, 20013–4 OTDetroit Red Wings (2001–02)Nabokov0–0–0–1Recap
2TOctober 6, 20010–0 OTMinnesota Wild (2001–02)Nabokov0–0–1–1Recap
3WOctober 11, 20014–3Tampa Bay Lightning (2001–02)Nabokov1–0–1–1Recap
4WOctober 13, 20013–2Boston Bruins (2001–02)Kiprusoff2–0–1–1Recap
5TOctober 16, 20013–3 OT@ Minnesota Wild(2001–02)Nabokov2–0–2–1Recap
6LOctober 18, 20011–6@ New Jersey Devils (2001–02)Nabokov2–1–2–1Recap
7TOctober 20, 20012–2 OT@ New York Islanders (2001–02)Kiprusoff2–1–3–1Recap
8WOctober 22, 20015–1@ New York Rangers (2001–02)Nabokov3–1–3–1Recap
9LOctober 23, 20011–4@ Buffalo Sabres (2001–02)Kiprusoff3–2–3–1Recap
10LOctober 25, 20012–4@ Chicago Blackhawks (2001–02)Nabokov3–3–3–1Recap
11WOctober 27, 20012–0Columbus Blue Jackets (2001–02)Nabokov4–3–3–1Recap
12WOctober 31, 20014–2@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2001–02)Nabokov5–3–3–1Recap :
November: 7–4–1–2 (home: 4–1–0–1; road: 3–3–1–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentDecisionRecordRecap
13WNovember 1, 20015–2Atlanta Thrashers (2001–02)Nabokov6–3–3–1Recap
14WNovember 3, 20015–1Vancouver Canucks (2001–02)Nabokov7–3–3–1Recap
15WNovember 6, 20014–1@ St. Louis Blues (2001–02)Nabokov8–3–3–1Recap
16TNovember 7, 20012–2 OT@ Dallas Stars (2001–02)Nabokov8–3–4–1Recap
17LNovember 9, 20012–3@ Carolina Hurricanes (2001–02)Nabokov8–4–4–1Recap
18OTLNovember 11, 20012–3 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (2001–02)Nabokov8–4–4–2Recap
19WNovember 14, 20014–2@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2001–02)Nabokov9–4–4–2Recap
20LNovember 15, 20013–5@ Phoenix Coyotes (2001–02)Kiprusoff9–5–4–2Recap
21OTLNovember 17, 20012–3 OTDallas Stars (2001–02)Nabokov9–5–4–3Recap
22LNovember 21, 20010–2Minnesota Wild (2001–02)Nabokov9–6–4–3Recap
23LNovember 24, 20011–3@ Los Angeles Kings (2001–02)Nabokov9–7–4–3Recap
24WNovember 27, 20013–2Nashville Predators (2001–02)Nabokov10–7–4–3Recap
25WNovember 29, 20015–0Pittsburgh Penguins (2001–02)Nabokov11–7–4–3Recap
26WNovember 30, 20015–2@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2001–02)Nabokov12–7–4–3Recap :
December: 6–4–2–0 (home: 1–3–1–0; road: 5–1–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentDecisionRecordRecap
27TDecember 4, 20012–2 OTCalgary Flames (2001–02)Nabokov12–7–5–3Recap
28WDecember 6, 20013–1@ Calgary Flames (2001–02)Nabokov13–7–5–3Recap
29WDecember 8, 20015–3@ Vancouver Canucks (2001–02)Kiprusoff14–7–5–3Recap
30WDecember 11, 20015–4 OTEdmonton Oilers (2001–02)Nabokov15–7–5–3Recap
31WDecember 14, 20013–0@ Colorado Avalanche (2001–02)Nabokov16–7–5–3Recap
32WDecember 17, 20014–1@ Dallas Stars (2001–02)Nabokov17–7–5–3Recap
33WDecember 19, 20014–2@ Atlanta Thrashers (2001–02)Nabokov18–7–5–3Recap
34LDecember 21, 20010–3@ Detroit Red Wings (2001–02)Nabokov18–8–5–3Recap
35TDecember 23, 20011–1 OT@ Nashville Predators (2001–02)Nabokov18–8–6–3Recap
36LDecember 26, 20011–2Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2001–02)Nabokov18–9–6–3Recap
37LDecember 28, 20013–5New York Rangers (2001–02)Nabokov18–10–6–3Recap
38LDecember 30, 20012–4Phoenix Coyotes (2001–02)Nabokov18–11–6–3Recap :
January: 8–6–1–0 (home: 5–3–0–0; road: 3–3–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentDecisionRecordRecap
39WJanuary 2, 20025–2Philadelphia Flyers (2001–02)Kiprusoff19–11–6–3Recap
40WJanuary 4, 20025–3Phoenix Coyotes (2001–02)Kiprusoff20–11–6–3Recap
41WJanuary 5, 20026–0Florida Panthers (2001–02)Kiprusoff21–11–6–3Recap
42LJanuary 8, 20022–6St. Louis Blues (2001–02)Nabokov21–12–6–3Recap
43WJanuary 9, 20026–5@ Phoenix Coyotes (2001–02)Nabokov22–12–6–3Recap
44LJanuary 12, 20022–3Los Angeles Kings (2001–02)Kiprusoff22–13–6–3Recap
45WJanuary 15, 20021–0 OT@ Colorado Avalanche (2001–02)Nabokov23–13–6–3Recap
46WJanuary 17, 20023–2New York Islanders (2001–02)Nabokov24–13–6–3Recap
47LJanuary 19, 20021–3Colorado Avalanche (2001–02)Nabokov24–14–6–3Recap
48WJanuary 21, 20024–3Edmonton Oilers (2001–02)Nabokov25–14–6–3Recap
49TJanuary 23, 20022–2 OT@ Detroit Red Wings (2001–02)Kiprusoff25–14–7–3Recap
50LJanuary 24, 20022–6@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2001–02)Nabokov25–15–7–3Recap
51LJanuary 27, 20021–3@ Montreal Canadiens (2001–02)Nabokov25–16–7–3Recap
52LJanuary 29, 20023–4@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2001–02)Kiprusoff25–17–7–3Recap
53WJanuary 30, 20026–3@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2001–02)Nabokov26–17–7–3Recap :
February: 6–0–0–0 (home: 3–0–0–0; road: 3–0–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentDecisionRecordRecap
54WFebruary 6, 20022–0Calgary Flames (2001–02)Nabokov27–17–7–3Recap
55WFebruary 8, 20024–2Chicago Blackhawks (2001–02)Nabokov28–17–7–3Recap
56WFebruary 10, 20024–0Carolina Hurricanes (2001–02)Nabokov29–17–7–3Recap
57WFebruary 12, 20023–2@ Edmonton Oilers (2001–02)Nabokov30–17–7–3Recap
58WFebruary 26, 20025–1@ Nashville Predators (2001–02)Nabokov31–17–7–3Recap
59WFebruary 28, 20025–2@ Washington Capitals (2001–02)Nabokov32–17–7–3Recap :
March: 7–8–1–0 (home: 5–4–1–0; road: 2–4–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentDecisionRecordRecap
60LMarch 1, 20022–4@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2001–02)Kiprusoff32–18–7–3Recap
61LMarch 3, 20021–4@ Dallas Stars (2001–02)Nabokov32–19–7–3Recap
62LMarch 5, 20020–2Nashville Predators (2001–02)Nabokov32–20–7–3Recap
63WMarch 7, 20025–2Ottawa Senators (2001–02)Nabokov33–20–7–3Recap
64WMarch 9, 20022–0Vancouver Canucks (2001–02)Kiprusoff34–20–7–3Recap
65WMarch 10, 20027–4@ Vancouver Canucks (2001–02)Nabokov35–20–7–3Recap
66LMarch 13, 20020–2St. Louis Blues (2001–02)Nabokov35–21–7–3Recap
67WMarch 15, 20025–4Washington Capitals (2001–02)Nabokov36–21–7–3Recap
68TMarch 16, 20022–2 OTChicago Blackhawks (2001–02)Kiprusoff36–21–8–3Recap
69LMarch 18, 20022–3Los Angeles Kings (2001–02)Nabokov36–22–8–3Recap
70LMarch 20, 20021–2@ Edmonton Oilers (2001–02)Nabokov36–23–8–3Recap
71WMarch 21, 20024–1@ Calgary Flames (2001–02)Nabokov37–23–8–3Recap
72LMarch 23, 20020–3@ Los Angeles Kings (2001–02)Nabokov37–24–8–3Recap
73WMarch 26, 20023–2Dallas Stars (2001–02)Nabokov38–24–8–3Recap
74LMarch 28, 20022–3Colorado Avalanche (2001–02)Nabokov38–25–8–3Recap
75WMarch 30, 200210–2Columbus Blue Jackets (2001–02)Kiprusoff39–25–8–3Recap :
April: 5–2–0–0 (home: 4–0–0–0; road: 1–2–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentDecisionRecordRecap
76WApril 2, 20023–1Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2001–02)Nabokov40–25–8–3Recap
77WApril 4, 20025–2Phoenix Coyotes (2001–02)Nabokov41–25–8–3Recap
78WApril 6, 20026–3Detroit Red Wings (2001–02)Nabokov42–25–8–3Recap
79LApril 8, 20021–3@ Minnesota Wild (2001–02)Nabokov42–26–8–3Recap
80WApril 10, 20025–3@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2001–02)Nabokov43–26–8–3Recap
81LApril 11, 20021–4@ St. Louis Blues (2001–02)Kiprusoff43–27–8–3Recap
82WApril 13, 20023–1Los Angeles Kings (2001–02)Nabokov44–27–8–3Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2002 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (6) Phoenix Coyotes – Sharks win 4–1
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1WApril 17, 20022–1Phoenix CoyotesSharks lead 1–0Recap
2LApril 20, 20021–3Phoenix CoyotesSeries tied 1–1Recap
3WApril 22, 20024–1@ Phoenix CoyotesSharks lead 2–1Recap
4WApril 24, 20022–1@ Phoenix CoyotesSharks lead 3–1Recap
5WApril 26, 20024–1Phoenix CoyotesSharks win 4–1Recap :
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (2) Colorado Avalanche – Avalanche win 4–3
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1WMay 1, 20026–3@ Colorado AvalancheSharks lead 1–0Recap
2LMay 4, 20022–8@ Colorado AvalancheSeries tied 1–1Recap
3WMay 6, 20026–4Colorado AvalancheSharks lead 2–1Recap
4LMay 8, 20021–4Colorado AvalancheSeries tied 2–2Recap
5WMay 11, 20025–3@ Colorado AvalancheSharks lead 3–2Recap
6LMay 13, 20021–2 OTColorado AvalancheSeries tied 3–3Recap
7LMay 15, 20020–1@ Colorado AvalancheAvalanche win 4–3Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 11 | Owen Nolan | RW | 75 | 23 | 43 | 66 | 7 | 93 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −2 | 8 |
| 25 | Vincent Damphousse | C | 82 | 20 | 38 | 58 | 8 | 60 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −1 | 12 |
| 8 | Teemu Selanne | RW | 82 | 29 | 25 | 54 | −11 | 40 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 8 | −3 | 2 |
| 18 | Mike Ricci | C | 79 | 19 | 34 | 53 | 9 | 44 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| 12 | Patrick Marleau | C | 79 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 9 | 40 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 6 |
| 17 | Scott Thornton | LW | 77 | 26 | 16 | 42 | 11 | 116 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| 19 | Marco Sturm | LW | 77 | 21 | 20 | 41 | 23 | 32 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −1 | 2 |
| 24 | Niklas Sundstrom | RW | 73 | 9 | 30 | 39 | 7 | 50 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| 20 | Gary Suter | D | 82 | 6 | 27 | 33 | 13 | 57 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 9 | Adam Graves | LW | 81 | 17 | 14 | 31 | 11 | 51 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 4 | −2 | 6 |
| 7 | Brad Stuart | D | 82 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 13 | 39 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 28 | Matt Bradley | RW | 54 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 22 | 43 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Todd Harvey | RW | 69 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 16 | 73 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| 27 | Bryan Marchment | D | 72 | 2 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 178 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 10 |
| 10 | Marcus Ragnarsson | D | 70 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 4 | 44 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 12 |
| 5 | Jeff Jillson | D | 48 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 2 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Mike Rathje | D | 52 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 23 | 48 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 22 | Scott Hannan | D | 75 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 57 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −1 | 12 |
| 32 | Stephane Matteau | LW | 55 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 15 | Alexander Korolyuk | LW | 32 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Mark Smith | C | 49 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −1 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | Evgeni Nabokov | G | 67 | 1 | 3 | 4 | | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | | 2 |
| 23 | Shawn Heins | D | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Steve Bancroft | D | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | Mike Craig | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 50 | Hannes Hyvonen | RW | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | Miikka Kiprusoff | G | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 29 | Vesa Toskala | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

### Goaltending

| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 35 | Evgeni Nabokov | 67 | 37 | 24 | 5 | 1818 | 149 | 2.29 | .918 | 7 | 3901 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 322 | 31 | 2.61 | .904 | 0 | 712 |
| 37 | Miikka Kiprusoff | 20 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 508 | 43 | 2.49 | .915 | 2 | 1037 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | 0 | 8 |
| 29 | Vesa Toskala | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | 0 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Vincent Damphousse |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Owen Nolan |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Teemu Selanne |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Month | Evgeni Nabokov (February) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Week | Evgeni Nabokov (February 11) |
| Team | Sharks Player of the Year | Mike Ricci |
| Team | Sharks Rookie of the Year | Matt Bradley |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Jeff Jillson | October 4, 2001 |
| First game | Vesa Toskala | November 24, 2001 |
| First game | Hannes Hyvonen | March 23, 2002 |
| 1,000th game played | Adam Graves | October 27, 2001 |
| 400th goal | Teemu Selanne | March 7, 2002 |

## Transactions

The Sharks were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2001, the day after the deciding game of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 13, 2002, the day of the deciding game of the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 24, 2001 (2001-06-24) | To San Jose Sharks Adam Graves | To New York Rangers Christian GosselinMikael Samuelsson |
| June 24, 2001 (2001-06-24) | To San Jose Sharks 4th-round pick in 2001 | To Chicago Blackhawks 4th-round pick in 20016th-round pick in 20017th-round pick in 2001 |
| June 24, 2001 (2001-06-24) | To San Jose Sharks 5th-round pick in 2001 | To Buffalo Sabres 5th-round pick in 20018th-round pick in 20019th-round pick in 2001 |
| June 29, 2001 (2001-06-29) | To San Jose Sharks Rich Pilon | To New York Rangers Conditional 7th-round pick in 2002 |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Via |
| June 11, 2001 (2001-06-11) | Matt Carkner | Peterborough Petes (OHL) | Free agency |
| June 11, 2001 (2001-06-11) | Graig Mischler | Northeastern University (HE) | Free agency |
| July 23, 2001 (2001-07-23) | Seamus Kotyk | Ottawa 67's (OHL) | Free agency |
| July 23, 2001 (2001-07-23) | Brandon Smith | Boston Bruins | Free agency |
| August 15, 2001 (2001-08-15) | Jesse Fibiger | University of Minnesota Duluth (WCHA) | Free agency |
| August 15, 2001 (2001-08-15) | Joel Prpic | Colorado Avalanche | Free agency |
| September 5, 2001 (2001-09-05) | Mike Craig | Colorado Avalanche | Free agency |
| September 27, 2001 (2001-09-27) | Lynn Loyns | Spokane Chiefs (WHL) | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| N/A | Greg Andrusak | Berlin Capitals (DEL) | Free agency (VI) |
| July 1, 2001 (2001-07-01) | Jarrett Deuling | | Contract expiration (VI) |
| July 1, 2001 (2001-07-01) | Doug Friedman | | Contract expiration (VI) |
| July 5, 2001 (2001-07-05) | Rich Pilon | St. Louis Blues | Free agency (III) |
| July 10, 2001 (2001-07-10) | Jim Montgomery | Dallas Stars | Free agency (UFA) |
| July 10, 2001 (2001-07-10) | Jeff Norton | Florida Panthers | Free agency (III) |
| August 23, 2001 (2001-08-23) | Bill Lindsay | Florida Panthers | Free agency (UFA) |
| September 8, 2001 (2001-09-08) | Tony Granato | | Retirement (III) |
| September 20, 2001 (2001-09-20) | Paul Kruse | Sheffield Steelers (BISL) | Free agency (III) |
| September 24, 2001 (2001-09-24) | Rejean Stringer | Columbia Inferno (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 3, 2001 (2001-10-03) | Larry Courville | Hershey Bears (AHL) | Free agency (VI) |
| October 6, 2001 (2001-10-06) | David MacIsaac | Hershey Bears (AHL) | Free agency (VI) |
| November 26, 2001 (2001-11-26) | Terry Friesen | Fresno Falcons (WCHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| May 8, 2002 (2002-05-08) | Mike Craig | SCL Tigers (NLA) | Free agency |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| June 11, 2001 (2001-06-11) | Vesa Toskala | | Re-signing |
| July 23, 2001 (2001-07-23) | Hannes Hyvonen | | Entry-level |
| August 15, 2001 (2001-08-15) | Matt Bradley | | Re-signing |
| August 15, 2001 (2001-08-15) | Gary Suter | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 17, 2001 (2001-08-17) | Shawn Heins | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 5, 2001 (2001-09-05) | Miikka Kiprusoff | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 5, 2001 (2001-09-05) | Ryan Kraft | | Re-signing |
| September 5, 2001 (2001-09-05) | Andy Lundbohm | | Re-signing |
| September 5, 2001 (2001-09-05) | Mark Smith | | Re-signing |
| September 7, 2001 (2001-09-07) | Todd Harvey | 2-year | Re-signing |
| September 18, 2001 (2001-09-18) | Patrick Marleau | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 18, 2001 (2001-09-18) | Chad Wiseman | | Entry-level |
| September 21, 2001 (2001-09-21) | Miikka Kiprusoff | 1-year | Extension |
| October 6, 2001 (2001-10-06) | Adam Graves | 1-year | Extension |
| November 29, 2001 (2001-11-29) | Mike Rathje | 4-year | Re-signing |

## Draft picks

San Jose's draft picks at the 2001 NHL entry draft at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team |
| 1 | 20 | Marcel Goc | Center | Germany | Schwenninger Wild Wings (DEL) |
| 4 | 106 | Christian Ehrhoff | Defense | Germany | Duisburg EV (GerObL) |
| 4 | 107 | Dimitri Patzold | Goaltender | Kazakhstan | Kölner Haie (DEL) |
| 5 | 140 | Tomas Plihal | Left wing | Czechoslovakia | HC Bílí Tygři Liberec (Czech Republic) |
| 6 | 175 | Ryane Clowe | Left wing | Canada | Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL) |
| 6 | 182 | Tom Cavanagh | Center | United States | Harvard University (NCAA) |