Spring Cleaning – San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks took one of the NHL's biggest steps forward during the 2025-26 season, narrowly missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs after exceeding nearly every preseason expectation. Fueled by the emergence of superstar Macklin Celebrini and a growing collection of young talent, the Sharks became one of the league's most exciting offensive teams. Neil Smith and Vic Morren break down San Jose's rapid progress, the defensive issues that still need attention, and why General Manager Mike Grier may have one of the brightest futures in the NHL.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:00:00] The Sharks are eliminated on April 13 after making an unexpected push toward the playoffs. Neil and Vic revisit their preseason expectations, when both believed San Jose was still another year away from serious contention despite an active offseason by General Manager Mike Grier.

[00:00:35] Macklin Celebrini emerges as the driving force behind the Sharks' remarkable improvement. The young superstar explodes from 63 points as a rookie to 115 points in his second NHL season while improving his plus-minus from minus-31 to plus-eight.

[00:01:00] Will Smith continues his development with 58 points despite playing fewer games than the previous season. Michael Misa also shows tremendous promise, while Kiefer Sherwood earns a five-year contract extension after arriving from Vancouver.

[00:01:20] Veterans Tyler Toffoli, William Eklund, and Alexander Wennberg provide stability alongside the Sharks' young core, helping San Jose become a far more competitive team throughout the season.

[00:01:45] Neil admits no one could have predicted Celebrini's meteoric rise, which included becoming an important contributor for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics. His development dramatically accelerates San Jose's rebuild.

[00:02:00] Additional young forwards Pavel Regenda, Igor Chernyshov, and Michael Misa each contribute offensively, giving the Sharks an even deeper pipeline of emerging talent expected to improve in the coming years.

[00:02:20] Team-wide improvements are significant. San Jose finishes 34 points better in the standings, improves its goal differential from minus-105 to minus-41, and scores 41 more goals than it did the previous season.

[00:02:50] While the offense flourishes, major defensive concerns remain. The Sharks improve their power play to the middle of the NHL rankings, but the goals-against average and penalty kill remain among the league's weakest.

[00:03:20] Neil credits the offensive explosion almost entirely to Celebrini's impact while emphasizing that Ryan Warsofsky's next challenge is transforming the Sharks into a stronger defensive hockey club.

[00:03:45] Looking ahead, Mike Grier enters the 2026 NHL Draft with eight selections, including two first-round picks—one acquired from Edmonton in the Jake Walman trade—and two fourth-round selections accumulated through previous deals.

[00:04:30] The discussion reviews the complicated series of trades that reshaped San Jose's draft capital, illustrating how Grier has continued collecting assets while rebuilding the organization.

[00:05:00] The Sharks project to have minimal cap space before the July 1 reset, largely because they absorbed Carey Price's contract from Montreal to help reach the NHL salary floor while acquiring additional assets in return.

[00:05:30] Neil explains why rebuilding teams often take on long-term contracts from other organizations, using available cap space to collect draft picks and prospects while remaining compliant with league salary requirements.

[00:06:00] Logan Couture's retirement, Marc-Edouard Vlasic's buyout, Martin Jones' buyout, and retained salary from the Erik Karlsson and Tomáš Hertl trades continue to affect San Jose's salary structure, though much of that financial picture improves after July 1.

[00:06:45] A large portion of the Sharks' defense enters free agency. Ryan Reaves, Pavel Regenda, John Klingberg, Nick Leddy, Mario Ferraro, and Vincent Desharnais headline the unrestricted free agent class, making defense Mike Grier's top offseason priority.

[00:07:20] Restricted free agents Colin Graf, Philipp Kurashev, Zack Ostapchuk, and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin also require new contracts. Neil expects Mukhamadullin to continue developing into an important piece of San Jose's blue line.

[00:07:50] Neil also looks ahead to the following offseason, when Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith become restricted free agents. Celebrini is expected to command a franchise-changing contract, with Smith likely following shortly afterward.

[00:08:10] Comparing the pair to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton, Neil believes Celebrini and Smith represent the foundation of San Jose's next era. With elite young talent already in place, the Sharks now turn their focus toward building a defense capable of supporting what could become one of the NHL's most dynamic teams.