This is one Shark that won't bite. No matter how many ways, how invitingly, you toss out the bait.

	Adam Graves is a welcome addition to the Sharks lineup.

"I really don't think about the past at all," maintains Adam Graves, sidestepping the rather explosive subject of his old team, those underachieving, spend-silly New York Rangers, with a deliberate (if somewhat transparent) ease he seldom displays on the ice.

Graves, by this time, knows he's never gonna have a miniature Lady Byng Trophy displayed on his mantelpiece. But there are few players in the game with a more defined sense of "team." Or with more savvy PR sense.

"I just don't concern myself with the New York Rangers anymore," he is continuing on this morning at the Saddledome, as the Sharks prepare for the second end of back-to-back games in Alberta, against the nosediving Calgary Flames. "My total focus, my entire concentration, has shifted from the east coast to the west coast; to the San Jose Sharks and helping make them a winner.

"I enjoyed 10 wonderful years in New York. I was lucky enough to win a Stanley Cup there. I played with some unbelievable talent. I made friendships there that'll last me a lifetime, no matter where I go, where I play, what I do.

"If you can make one friendship in a certain place -- one -- then it's been a good stop. And I was fortunate enough to make a lot more than one in New York.

"But ..." -- and he holds up an admonishing index finger -- "I am thoroughly happy to be in California now."

Small wonder Graves is happy to be out of the Manhattan madhouse. The Rangers, despite their $67 million payroll (if you include newcomer Pavel Bure's annual income in the mix) are at it hammer and tong again just to wedge their way into the playoffs. They're struggling to tread water, two games above .500, while San Jose is 14 games over the break-even plateau, and definitely within shooting distance of the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche and the second seeding in the Western Conference playdowns.

While most of the hype this season in the West has been doled out to the jurassic Detroit Red Wings and high-flying Avalanche, the resurgent Chicago Blackhawks or astounding Phoenix Coyotes, the Sharks have quietly stayed consistent, and highly competitive. They don't show a single player in the league's top 30 scorers. No one talks much about them. But don't think for a moment they don't relish the idea of being a viable dark horse contender this spring.

Last year's Calder Trophy winner, goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, has proven to be no flash-in-the-pan. His numbers -- 2.31 goals-against-average, .917 save percentage and 31 wins -- are testament to that. The Sharks have size, skill and, in adding people like Graves to the equation, enough character to go four tough rounds through the postseason.

All that remains -- and this is the tricky part, of course -- is to bring all the facets together into a cohesive entity.

"The whole concept of the game has changed in the past few years," says Graves. "How many players are averaging a point a game anymore? Three? Four? Players are bigger, faster, stronger. Equipment's better. Parity's greater.

"It's not as easy for one player to dominate these days. So what you need to be successful more than ever is four solid lines and six solid defensemen. You've got to be able to play any of your lines against any line from the other team and feel comfortable doing so. You've got to believe in the system your coaches teach you. When we've gotten into trouble this year is when we've deviated from that system. It's not that we haven't bought into it, it's just that you need to be reminded from time to time.

"This is a team you haven't seen at its best yet. All the parts -- and I do mean ALL the parts -- are here.

"You want the prototype power forward? Owen Nolan.

"You want a punishing defenseman? Bryan Marchment.

"You want a 1,000-point, playmaking center? Vinnie Damphousse.

"You want a win-at-all-costs, never-say-die leader? Mike Ricci.

"You want a superstar scorer? Teemu Selanne.

"You want the best young defenseman in the game? Brad Stuart.

"And these aren't just my opinions. Check with people around the league. These are players any team would like to have in their lineup.

"Like I said, it's all in having the right parts in place."

The part Adam Graves plays in the San Jose scenario isn't a flashy one, but it's vital nonetheless. This is, after all, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, a King Clancy Trophy winner, a Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy recipient. He is a big piece of the bridge the Sharks are busying to construct between mere pretender and authentic contender.

"He's a guy who's won before," says assistant coach Rich Preston. "Coaches can talk all day long, but players relate better to a veteran who isn't afraid to stand up in the room and say what needs to be said. This is someone who has the respect of everyone on this team; in this organization. You want an Adam Graves not only for the intensity he shows you on the ice, but the intangibles he brings.

"And he's going to get the odd big goal for you." (Prophetic words, as it turned out, because Graves, playing on San Jose's top line alongside Damphousse and Nolan, would fight off the check of Calgary defenseman Derek Morris and score while falling to the ice later that night to propel the Sharks to a 4-1 victory).

"Everybody in this game knows that Adam Graves is a heart-and-soul guy on the ice. Off the ice, he's a model citizen. It's unbelievable the amount of charity work he does. You couldn't ask for a better person to represent your organization. He sets an example for the other guys to follow."

If they're serious about winning a Stanley Cup, it'd be a wise example to follow. Nearing 32, Graves doesn't contribute offensively the way he did in the past. Still, he contributes, all the same.

And he, like his team, would prefer to just go quietly about their business, until the time comes to be noticed. Let other teams -- like the Rangers (for the wrong reasons) -- grab the spotlight. He's too classy to say so, but the laid-back success of San Jose is far preferable to the media-monitored madness of Manhattan.

Adam Graves shrugs. "So people haven't talked us up much so far. So what?

That's okay."

This is someone, after all, who understands that the idea is to have them talking you up at the end of the season, not the beginning.

George Johnson of the Calgary Herald is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.