The San Jose Sharks failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
San Jose (18-41-9) was eliminated from playoff contention with the St. Louis Blues’ 7-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
The Sharks most recently qualified for the playoffs in 2018-19, where they reached the Western Conference Final, losing to the Blues in six games. That was the last run at a championship for San Jose with a roster that featured forwards Joe Thornton, Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture, Timo Meier, Joe Pavelski and Evander Kane, as well as defensemen Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brenden Dillon.
San Jose has since gone into a full rebuilding phase and has missed the playoffs for six straight seasons while building the nucleus of the next generation of talented players, led by rookie center Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Here’s a look at what happened in the 2024-25 season for the Sharks and why things could be better next season.
The skinny
Potential unrestricted free agents: Jan Rutta, D; Jimmy Schuldt, D; Alexandar Georgiev, G.
Potential restricted free agents: Klim Kostin, F; Nikolai Kovalenko, F; Noah Gregor, F; Shakir Mukhamadullin, D; Georgi Romanov, G.
Potential 2025 Draft picks: 9
What went wrong
Bad start: Celebrini had a goal and assist in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Blues in the season opener, generating excitement in San Jose. However, the talented rookie aggravated a hip injury sustained in the preseason and missed the next 12 games. Without Celebrini, the Sharks lost their next eight and started 0-7-2. They did manage to put together a 10-6-3 stretch from Oct. 28-Dec. 3 but were unable to maintain the momentum through December and fell further behind in the Pacific Division.
Scoring issues: The Sharks are the third-lowest scoring team in the NHL, averaging 2.6 goals per game through 68 games. Celebrini leads them with 50 points (21 goals, 29 assists), along with William Eklund, who has 49 points (14 goals, 35 assists) in 63 games. Mikael Granlund had 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 52 games before he was traded to the Dallas Stars, along with defenseman Cody Ceci, on Feb. 1 for a first-round pick and a conditional third-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft. Tyler Toffoli, who signed a four-year, $24 million contract ($6 million average annual value) on July 1, 2024, has 45 points (25 goals, 20 assists) in 65 games. But San Jose has been unable to get more offensive production from its bottom two lines and defensemen.
Goaltending carousel: The Sharks have used five goalies this season. Mackenzie Blackwood started their season opener (Oct. 10) and had a .911 save percentage in 19 games (17 starts) before he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 9. Alexandar Georgiev, who was acquired in the trade, has a 3.74 goals-against average and an .875 save percentage in 23 games (22 starts), and Vitek Vanecek made 17 starts (3-10-3, 3.88 GAA, .882 save percentage) before he was traded to the Florida Panthers on March 5. Yaroslav Askarov is expected to be the goalie of the future; the 22-year-old has split his time this season between the NHL and San Jose of the AHL. He is 4-6-2 with a 3.10 GAA and an .896 save percentage in 13 games (12 starts) with the Sharks.
Reasons for optimism
Celebrini: The 18-year-old is having a strong season and is considered a favorited for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the League’s best rookie. Celebrini comes as advertised; a highly talented offensive player who the Sharks should be able to build around. He looked comfortable making the jump from Boston University and has the potential to be a star in the NHL. Like a lot of talented players who enter the League at a young age, Celebrini should continue to improve and as he does, so should San Jose.
Young talent: Along with Celebrini, the Sharks will also be leaning heavily on center Will Smith, who turned 20 on Monday, and Eklund, 22, to help turn things around. Smith was selected No. 4 by San Jose at the 2023 NHL Draft and is having a solid rookie season with 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 60 games. Eklund is in his second full season after being selected No. 7 at the 2021 NHL Draft. The three are at the forefront of the rebuild and their success will be directly tied to a potential acceleration.
Draft capital: The Sharks have stockpiled draft picks for the next two years and have an opportunity to load up on prospects. San Jose has two first-round, two second-round and two fourth-round picks among its nine selections in the 2025 draft. Of their seven picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, they also have two each in the first, second and fourth round. If they manage their assets well, they should be able to keep adding quality players to their lineup and start climbing in the standings.
