Memo from Vincent Damphousse to Sharks management: Don't break us up.

As the NHL trade deadline of noon Tuesday approaches, Damphousse is well aware of the various rumors involving scenarios that would ship Sharks veterans out of town.

``If all the trade rumors become reality, it'd be a downer for me,'' Damphousse said. ``As far as I'm concerned, our team has underachieved. But looking ahead I think we can turn this around. There are teams that have done it: Miss the playoffs and come back and have a strong season. Dallas has done it, and with our core of players we can do that.

``It's been tough this year, but I don't think that we have to start from scratch.''

Damphousse has been mentioned in some rumors, but he has a no-trade clause in his contract. He also has a player option for next season, which means he would not necessarily become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Damphousse came to the Sharks just before the trade deadline in 1999 from Montreal for draft picks. He was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent that summer but opted to sign a new contract with the Sharks.

``When I signed here, they said they were going to go for the Cup,'' Damphousse said. ``And they built that way. They signed some guys through free agency, and kept their young guys for that balance.

``When I signed here, I wanted to finish my career in San Jose. That's my ultimate goal. But I don't want to be the only one left in my age group. If we all come back, everybody will make sure they are all prepared.''