As I wrote this piece, the San Jose Sharks were riding a seven-game losing streak, yet they were in a deadlock with the Edmonton Oilers. Because of course, they’re making this one interesting for all of us, right? Side note: They lost that game and another to bring their streak to nine games.
For a team that we knew going into the year was going to be bad, really bad, they’re holding their own and looking to play spoiler. Before the Oilers game, they gave both the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild a turn. But, the plan was always to play spoiler here in April 2025.
It started with the Sharks landing the first overall pick, which they used to draft rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini. Judging from the way Celebrini’s performed, fans are breathing a collective sigh of relief. It felt like a gut punch to lose out on the Connor Bedard sweepstakes in 2023, even if the Sharks weren’t likely to win them.
But Celebrini’s been more than a consolation. Heading into that Oilers game, Celebrini found himself leading the Sharks in points with 62 across 68 games. He also snagged 24 goals, and seven power play goals. Having played center as advertised, Celebrini has also won more than his fair share of faceoffs for a rookie, and he’s boasting nearly 20 minutes of average total ice time.
San Jose Sharks needed Celebrini and the youthful core to develop
Again, if you thought the Sharks were going to be anything more than modest this season as far as wins and point totals were concerned, you had another thing coming. It was going to be one of those, “They’re going to lose a lot in 2024-25, but they’re going to look good losing a lot because they have awesome uniforms.”
Awesome and underrated, if you want the honest truth. Anyway, throw in players like Will Smith, William Eklund, and Fabian Zetterlund, and you got yourself a core worth following. I’m also high on Yaroslav Askarov as this team’s future franchise goaltender.
So, yeah, it’s not often that I get to talk about the worst team in hockey in such a positive light. But when you know it’s coming, you just sit back, enjoy watching these players grow, and know that they’re only struggling through temporary pain. Plus, they had a few veterans like Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, and Barclay Goodrow to oversee the process.
San Jose Sharks will start attracting players based on this year’s results
Yeah, the record and points total are terrible regardless of how you spin it. But the development’s there and, unlike Connor Bedard over in Chicago, the Sharks know who their franchise player is for the next decade.
You can even argue that Macklin Celebrini’s performance would make or break this season. And since he exceeded expectations, look for seasoned veterans to take notice. Even if the Sharks may not realistically compete for a playoff spot until 2026-27, few will mind waiting around another year before they break past that 82-game threshold.
Chances are, they’ll want to be part of this process, considering what the Sharks have been building out in California. So, take the bumps, bruises, and losses, because something bigger and better is right around the corner.