# 2003–04 San Jose Sharks season

The 2003–04 San Jose Sharks season was the franchise's 13th in the NHL. The Sharks made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time before losing to the Calgary Flames. It was the last season before the 2004–05 lockout, which cancelled the following season.

## Off-season

On May 13, 2003, the Sharks hired Doug Wilson (no relation to coach Ron Wilson) as general manager, replacing Dean Lombardi. At the entry draft in June, the Sharks chose Milan Michalek with their first-round pick, sixth overall.

## Regular season

The Sharks rotated team captaincy every ten games for the first half of the season before permanently handing the role to forward Patrick Marleau.

### Final standings

Pacific Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 219 | 183 | 104 |
| 2 | 5 | Dallas Stars | 82 | 41 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 194 | 175 | 97 |
| 3 | 11 | Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 28 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 205 | 217 | 81 |
| 4 | 12 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 82 | 29 | 35 | 10 | 8 | 184 | 213 | 76 |
| 5 | 13 | Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 22 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 188 | 245 | 68 |
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 | CE | 82 | 48 | 21 | 11 | 2 | 255 | 189 | 109 |
| 2 | Y- San Jose Sharks | PA | 82 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 255 | 183 | 104 |
| 3 | Y- Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 43 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 235 | 194 | 101 |
| 4 | X- Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 236 | 198 | 100 |
| 5 | X- Dallas Stars | PA | 82 | 41 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 194 | 175 | 97 |
| 6 | X- Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 200 | 176 | 94 |
| 7 | X- St. Louis Blues | CE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 191 | 198 | 91 |
| 8 | X- Nashville Predators | CE | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 216 | 217 | 91 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 221 | 208 | 89 |
| 10 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 188 | 183 | 83 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Kings | PA | 82 | 28 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 205 | 217 | 81 |
| 12 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PA | 82 | 29 | 35 | 10 | 8 | 184 | 213 | 76 |
| 13 | Phoenix Coyotes | PA | 82 | 22 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 188 | 245 | 68 |
| 14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CE | 82 | 25 | 45 | 8 | 4 | 177 | 238 | 62 |
| 15 | Chicago Blackhawks | CE | 82 | 20 | 43 | 11 | 8 | 188 | 259 | 59 |
Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific, NW – Northwest
P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2003–04 regular season :
October: 1–5–4–0 (home: 0–2–3–0; road: 1–3–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1LOctober 9, 20032–5@ Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)0–1–0–0Recap
2LOctober 11, 20032–3@ Calgary Flames (2003–04)0–2–0–0Recap
3WOctober 12, 20033–2@ Minnesota Wild (2003–04)1–2–0–0Recap
4TOctober 16, 20030–0 OTPhiladelphia Flyers (2003–04)1–2–1–0Recap
5LOctober 18, 20031–4Ottawa Senators (2003–04)1–3–1–0Recap
6LOctober 21, 20030–2Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)1–4–1–0Recap
7TOctober 23, 20033–3 OTChicago Blackhawks (2003–04)1–4–2–0Recap
8TOctober 25, 20034–4 OTPhoenix Coyotes (2003–04)1–4–3–0Recap
9LOctober 28, 20030–3@ Carolina Hurricanes (2003–04)1–5–3–0Recap
10TOctober 30, 20032–2 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)1–5–4–0Recap :
November: 7–1–4–2 (home: 2–1–2–1; road: 5–0–2–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
11WNovember 1, 20036–2@ Florida Panthers (2003–04)2–5–4–0Recap
12TNovember 2, 20032–2 OT@ Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)2–5–5–0Recap
13OTLNovember 5, 20032–3 OT@ New Jersey Devils (2003–04)2–5–5–1Recap
14TNovember 6, 20035–5 OT@ Boston Bruins (2003–04)2–5–6–1Recap
15WNovember 8, 20033–2@ Washington Capitals (2003–04)3–5–6–1Recap
16LNovember 11, 20033–4Colorado Avalanche (2003–04)3–6–6–1Recap
17OTLNovember 13, 20033–4 OTSt. Louis Blues (2003–04)3–6–6–2Recap
18TNovember 15, 20032–2 OTToronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)3–6–7–2Recap
19TNovember 18, 20032–2 OTNew York Rangers (2003–04)3–6–8–2Recap
20WNovember 21, 20035–0@ Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)4–6–8–2Recap
21WNovember 22, 20033–1Nashville Predators (2003–04)5–6–8–2Recap
22WNovember 26, 20033–2Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)6–6–8–2Recap
23WNovember 28, 20032–1@ Minnesota Wild (2003–04)7–6–8–2Recap
24WNovember 30, 20032–1@ Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)8–6–8–2Recap :
December: 7–3–3–1 (home: 5–0–2–0; road: 2–3–1–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
25LDecember 2, 20031–3@ Calgary Flames (2003–04)8–7–8–2Recap
26TDecember 4, 20032–2 OTColorado Avalanche (2003–04)8–7–9–2Recap
27WDecember 6, 20032–1Dallas Stars (2003–04)9–7–9–2Recap
28LDecember 10, 20032–3@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)9–8–9–2Recap
29TDecember 11, 20032–2 OTEdmonton Oilers (2003–04)9–8–10–2Recap
30WDecember 13, 20032–0Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)10–8–10–2Recap
31OTLDecember 17, 20032–3 OT@ Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)10–8–10–3Recap
32LDecember 18, 20032–4@ St. Louis Blues (2003–04)10–9–10–3Recap
33WDecember 21, 20032–1@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)11–9–10–3Recap
34WDecember 22, 20032–1Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)12–9–10–3Recap
35WDecember 26, 20035–0Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)13–9–10–3Recap
36TDecember 27, 20034–4 OT@ Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)13–9–11–3Recap
37WDecember 29, 20035–2Nashville Predators (2003–04)14–9–11–3Recap
38WDecember 31, 20031–0@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)15–9–11–3Recap :
January: 9–4–0–2 (home: 5–2–0–1; road: 4–2–0–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
39LJanuary 2, 20041–2@ Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)15–10–11–3Recap
40WJanuary 3, 20043–1@ St. Louis Blues (2003–04)16–10–11–3Recap
41WJanuary 5, 20042–1@ Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)17–10–11–3Recap
42OTLJanuary 8, 20042–3 OTColumbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)17–10–11–4Recap
43WJanuary 10, 20045–2Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)18–10–11–4Recap
44LJanuary 13, 20040–3Dallas Stars (2003–04)18–11–11–4Recap
45WJanuary 15, 20043–1Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)19–11–11–4Recap
46WJanuary 17, 20042–1@ Colorado Avalanche (2003–04)20–11–11–4Recap
47WJanuary 19, 20042–1Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)21–11–11–4Recap
48WJanuary 21, 20044–2@ Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)22–11–11–4Recap
49LJanuary 22, 20041–2Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)22–12–11–4Recap
50WJanuary 24, 20044–0Minnesota Wild (2003–04)23–12–11–4Recap
51WJanuary 28, 20044–1Calgary Flames (2003–04)24–12–11–4Recap
52LJanuary 30, 20041–3@ Dallas Stars (2003–04)24–13–11–4Recap
53OTLJanuary 31, 20042–3 OT@ Nashville Predators (2003–04)24–13–11–5Recap :
February: 8–3–0–1 (home: 5–0–0–0; road: 3–3–0–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
54WFebruary 3, 20043–0Florida Panthers (2003–04)25–13–11–5Recap
55WFebruary 5, 20045–0Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)26–13–11–5Recap
56LFebruary 10, 20041–2@ Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)26–14–11–5Recap
57LFebruary 11, 20042–4@ Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)26–15–11–5Recap
58WFebruary 14, 20042–1 OT@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)27–15–11–5Recap
59WFebruary 16, 20045–2@ Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)28–15–11–5Recap
60LFebruary 18, 20043–7@ Nashville Predators (2003–04)28–16–11–5Recap
61WFebruary 19, 20046–3@ Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)29–16–11–5Recap
62WFebruary 23, 20044–2Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)30–16–11–5Recap
63OTLFebruary 26, 20042–3 OT@ Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)30–16–11–6Recap
64WFebruary 27, 20044–2Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)31–16–11–6Recap
65WFebruary 29, 20041–0St. Louis Blues (2003–04)32–16–11–6Recap :
March: 10–4–1–0 (home: 6–2–0–0; road: 4–2–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
66WMarch 3, 20044–3Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)33–16–11–6Recap
67LMarch 5, 20041–5@ Colorado Avalanche (2003–04)33–17–11–6Recap
68LMarch 7, 20040–4@ Dallas Stars (2003–04)33–18–11–6Recap
69LMarch 9, 20043–4Minnesota Wild (2003–04)33–19–11–6Recap
70WMarch 11, 20045–4New York Islanders (2003–04)34–19–11–6Recap
71WMarch 13, 20043–1Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)35–19–11–6Recap
72TMarch 16, 20043–3 OT@ Dallas Stars (2003–04)35–19–12–6Recap
73WMarch 18, 20045–3@ Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)36–19–12–6Recap
74WMarch 19, 20044–2@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)37–19–12–6Recap
75LMarch 21, 20042–5Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)37–20–12–6Recap
76WMarch 23, 20045–2Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)38–20–12–6Recap
77WMarch 25, 20043–2Calgary Flames (2003–04)39–20–12–6Recap
78WMarch 26, 20043–0@ Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)40–20–12–6Recap
79WMarch 28, 20042–1 OTDallas Stars (2003–04)41–20–12–6Recap
80WMarch 31, 20043–0@ Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)42–20–12–6Recap :
April: 1–1–0–0 (home: 1–1–0–0; road: 0–0–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
81LApril 2, 20041–4Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)42–21–12–6Recap
82WApril 4, 20044–3 OTLos Angeles Kings (2003–04)43–21–12–6Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2004 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (7) St. Louis Blues – Sharks win 4–1
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 8St. Louis0–1San JoseOTNabokov17,496Sharks lead 1–0Recap
2April 10St. Louis1–3San JoseNabokov17,496Sharks lead 2–0Recap
3April 12San Jose1–4St. LouisNabokov19,023Sharks lead 2–1Recap
4April 13San Jose4–3St. LouisNabokov19,452Sharks lead 3–1Recap
5April 15St. Louis1–3San JoseNabokov17,496Sharks win 4–1Recap :
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (4) Colorado Avalanche – Sharks win 4–2
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 22Colorado2–5San JoseNabokov17,496Sharks lead 1–0Recap
2April 24Colorado1–4San JoseNabokov17,496Sharks lead 2–0Recap
3April 26San Jose1–0ColoradoNabokov18,007Sharks lead 3–0Recap
4April 28San Jose0–1ColoradoOTNabokov18,007Sharks lead 3–1Recap
5May 1Colorado2–1San JoseOTNabokov17,496Sharks lead 3–2Recap
6May 4San Jose3–1ColoradoNabokov18,007Sharks win 4–2Recap :
Western Conference Finals vs. (6) Calgary Flames – Flames win 4–2
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1May 9Calgary4–3San JoseOTNabokov17,496Flames lead 1–0Recap
2May 11Calgary4–1San JoseNabokov17,496Flames lead 2–0Recap
3May 13San Jose3–0CalgaryNabokov19,289Flames lead 2–1Recap
4May 16San Jose4–2CalgaryNabokov19,289Series tied 2–2Recap
5May 17Calgary3–0San JoseNabokov17,496Flames lead 3–2Recap
6May 19San Jose1–3CalgaryNabokov19,289Flames win 4–2Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Sharks only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Sharks only.
| 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 |
| 12 | Patrick Marleau | C | 80 | 28 | 29 | 57 | −5 | 24 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 6 |
| 28 | Nils Ekman | LW | 82 | 22 | 33 | 55 | 30 | 34 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −2 | 8 |
| 14 | Jonathan Cheechoo | RW | 81 | 28 | 19 | 47 | 5 | 33 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 10 |
| 10 | Alyn McCauley | C | 82 | 20 | 27 | 47 | 23 | 28 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 19 | Marco Sturm | LW | 64 | 21 | 20 | 41 | 0 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Vincent Damphousse | C | 82 | 12 | 29 | 41 | −5 | 66 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 20 |
| 7 | Brad Stuart | D | 77 | 9 | 30 | 39 | 9 | 34 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −4 | 13 |
| 94 | Alexander Korolyuk | LW | 63 | 19 | 18 | 37 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 15 | Wayne Primeau | C | 72 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 4 | 90 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −7 | 4 |
| 17 | Scott Thornton | LW | 80 | 13 | 14 | 27 | −6 | 84 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 22 |
| 18 | Mike Ricci | C | 71 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 8 | 40 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| 23 | Niko Dimitrakos | RW | 68 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 6 | 49 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Kyle McLaren | D | 64 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 10 | 60 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −1 | 10 |
| 22 | Scott Hannan | D | 82 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 10 | 48 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 22 |
| 42 | Tom Preissing | D | 69 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Mike Rathje | D | 80 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 46 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 13 |
| 44 | Christian Ehrhoff | D | 41 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Todd Harvey | C | 47 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 38 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −3 | 2 |
| 37 | Curtis Brown† | C | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −5 | 18 |
| 27 | Scott Parker | RW | 50 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 101 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Mark Smith | C | 36 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −5 | 72 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| 5 | Rob Davison | D | 55 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −3 | 92 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 21 | Jim Fahey | D | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Jason Marshall† | D | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| 9 | Milan Michalek | RW | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | Vesa Toskala | G | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Brad Boyes‡ | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | Lynn Loyns‡ | LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | Evgeni Nabokov | G | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 14 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 4 |
| 34 | Patrick Rissmiller | LW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | Miroslav Zalesak | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 57 | Marcel Goc | C | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 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 |
| 20 | Evgeni Nabokov | 59 | 31 | 19 | 8 | 1610 | 127 | 2.20 | .921 | 9 | 3456 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 461 | 30 | 1.71 | .935 | 3 | 1052 |
| 35 | Vesa Toskala | 28 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 760 | 53 | 2.06 | .930 | 1 | 1541 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Patrick Marleau |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Month | Evgeni Nabokov (February) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Week | Evgeni Nabokov (March 29) |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Jonathan Cheechoo |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Christian Ehrhoff |
| Team | Sharks Player of the Year | Patrick Marleau |
| Team | Sharks Rookie of the Year | Tom Preissing |
| Team | Three Stars of the Year | Patrick Marleau |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Christian Ehrhoff | October 9, 2003 |
| First game | Milan Michalek | October 9, 2003 |
| First game | Tom Preissing | October 11, 2003 |
| First game | Patrick Rissmiller | November 13, 2003 |
| First game | Brad Boyes | March 7, 2004 |
| First game | Marcel Goc | April 15, 2004 |
| 1,000th game played | Mike Ricci | February 11, 2004 |
| 25th shutout | Evgeni Nabokov | February 29, 2004 |

## Transactions

The Sharks were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2003, the day after the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 7, 2004, the day of the deciding game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To Colorado Avalanche 5th-round pick in 2005 | To San Jose Sharks Scott Parker |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To Boston Bruins 1st-round pick in 20032nd-round pick in 20034th-round pick in 2003 | To San Jose Sharks 1st-round pick in 2003 |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To New York Rangers 2nd-round pick in 20033rd-round pick in 2003 | To San Jose Sharks 2nd-round pick in 2003 |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To Calgary Flames 3rd-round pick in 20035th-round pick in 20036th-round pick in 2003 | To San Jose Sharks 2nd-round pick in 2003 |
| June 22, 2003 (2003-06-22) | To Philadelphia Flyers 6th-round pick in 2004 | To San Jose Sharks 7th-round pick in 2003 |
| June 22, 2003 (2003-06-22) | To Chicago Blackhawks 8th-round pick in 2004 | To San Jose Sharks 9th-round pick in 2003 |
| June 30, 2003 (2003-06-30) | To New York Rangers 4th-round pick in 2004 | To San Jose Sharks Rights to Mark Messier |
| August 12, 2003 (2003-08-12) | To New York Rangers Chad Wiseman | To San Jose Sharks Nils Ekman |
| November 16, 2003 (2003-11-16) | To Calgary Flames Miikka Kiprusoff | To San Jose Sharks Conditional 2nd-round pick in 2005 |
| January 9, 2004 (2004-01-09) | To Calgary Flames Lynn Loyns | To San Jose Sharks Future considerations |
| March 3, 2004 (2004-03-03) | To Minnesota Wild 5th-round pick in 2004 | To San Jose Sharks Jason Marshall |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To Boston Bruins Brad Boyes | To San Jose Sharks Jeff Jillson |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To Buffalo Sabres Jeff Jillson | To San Jose Sharks Curtis BrownAndy Delmore |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To Boston Bruins Andy Delmore | To San Jose Sharks Future considerations |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via | Ref |
| June 30, 2003 (2003-06-30) | Yuri Moscevsky | Cleveland Barons (AHL) | | Free agency | |
| June 30, 2003 (2003-06-30) | Patrick Rissmiller | Cleveland Barons (AHL) | | Free agency | |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| July 1, 2003 (2003-07-01) | Marc Kielkucki | | Contract expiration (UFA) |
| July 1, 2003 (2003-07-01) | Scott Thomas | | Contract expiration (VI) |
| July 3, 2003 (2003-07-03) | Teemu Selanne | Colorado Avalanche | Free agency (III) |
| July 8, 2003 (2003-07-08) | Ryan Kraft | New York Islanders | Free agency (VI) |
| August 21, 2003 (2003-08-21) | John Jakopin | New York Rangers | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 21, 2003 (2003-08-21) | Jeff Nelson | Muskegon Fury (UHL) | Free agency (VI) |
| September 6, 2003 (2003-09-06) | Mark Messier | New York Rangers | Free agency (III) |
| N/A | Eric Laplante | Long Beach Ice Dogs (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 17, 2003 (2003-10-17) | Graig Mischler | Reading Royals (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| April 3, 2004 (2004-04-03) | Adam Graves | | Retirement (III) |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | Alexander Korolyuk | 2-year | Re-signing |
| June 22, 2003 (2003-06-22) | Christian Ehrhoff | | Entry-level |
| June 22, 2003 (2003-06-22) | Dimitri Patzold | | Entry-level |
| July 8, 2003 (2003-07-08) | Tavis Hansen | | Re-signing |
| July 11, 2003 (2003-07-11) | Rob Davison | | Re-signing |
| July 11, 2003 (2003-07-11) | Marcel Goc | | Entry-level |
| July 11, 2003 (2003-07-11) | Patrick Marleau | 2-year | Re-signing |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Miikka Kiprusoff | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Alyn McCauley | 3-year | Re-signing |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Mark Smith | | Re-signing |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Marco Sturm | | Re-signing |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Miroslav Zalesak | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 25, 2003 (2003-07-25) | Jonathan Cheechoo | | Re-signing |
| August 12, 2003 (2003-08-12) | Jesse Fibiger | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 12, 2003 (2003-08-12) | Robert Mulick | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 18, 2003 (2003-08-18) | Milan Michalek | | Entry-level |
| August 19, 2003 (2003-08-19) | Nolan Schaefer | | Entry-level |
| August 27, 2003 (2003-08-27) | Scott Hannan | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 28, 2003 (2003-08-28) | Jon DiSalvatore | | Entry-level |
| November 13, 2003 (2003-11-13) | Scott Thornton | 2-year | Extension |
| December 9, 2003 (2003-12-09) | Garrett Stafford | | Entry-level |

## Draft picks

San Jose's draft picks at the 2003 NHL entry draft held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team |
| 1 | 6 | Milan Michalek | Left Wing | Czech Republic | HC České Budějovice (Czech Republic) |
| 1 | 16 | Steve Bernier | Right Wing | Canada | Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 43 | Josh Hennessy | Center | United States | Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 47 | Matt Carle | Defense | United States | River City Lancers (USHL) |
| 5 | 139 | Patrick Ehelechner | Goaltender | Germany | Hannover Scorpions (DEL) |
| 7 | 201 | Jonathan Tremblay | Right Wing | Canada | Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL) |
| 7 | 205 | Joe Pavelski | Center | United States | Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) |
| 7 | 216 | Kai Hospelt | Forward | Germany | Kölner Haie (DEL) |
| 8 | 236 | Alexander Hult | Center | Sweden | Oskarshamn IK (Swe-1) |
| 9 | 267 | Brian O'Hanley | Defense | United States | Boston College High School (USHS-MA) |
| 9 | 276 | Carter Lee | Forward | United States | Canterbury School (USHS-CT) |