 With starting goaltender Nabokov and defenseman Mike Rathje in contract disputes with general manager Dean Lombardi and the retirement of veteran defenseman Gary Suter, the team got off to a terrible start.Kyle McLaren was acquired in a three-way trade with the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins.Dan McGillis was acquired in exchange for long-time Shark Marcus Ragnarsson, but the team could not turn itself around.