New Additions: F Michael Misa (2nd Overall Pick), G Alex Nedjelkovic (from PIT), F Shane Bowers (from NJD), D Nick Leddy (from STL), F Ryan Reaves (from TOR), F Phillipp Kurashev (1yr x $1.2M), D John Klingberg (1yr x $4M), F Adam Gaudette (2yr x $2M AAV), D Dmitry Orlov (2yr x $6.5M AAV), F Jeff Skinner (1yr x $3M), F Oskar Olausson (from COL)

Subtractions: F Thomas Bordeleau (to NJD), D Henry Thurn (to TOR), F Danil Gushchin (to COL), F Nikolai Kovalenko (KHL), D Jan Rutta (FA), F Klim Kostin (FA), D Marc-Edouard Vlasic (FA), F Logan Couture (Retired), F Noah Gregor (to FLA), G Vitek Vanecek (to UTA), G Alexandar Georgiev (to BUF)

Retentions/Extensions: F William Eklund (3yr x $5.6M AAV), F Colin White (1yr x $775k)

The San Jose Sharks were one of the busiest teams of the offseason. Helps when you have virtually unlimited cap space to go out and sign a bunch of one to two year deals, as most of this Sharks roster is still on their ELCs or second contracts. Were the additions enough to make this team competitive? No. Make the team fun? They already were. Despite finishing dead last in the NHL last season, the San Jose Sharks were a super exciting team to watch, with the main reason being the 2024 1st Overall pick, Macklin Celebrini.

Since being founded in 1991, the San Jose Sharks have never really had a ‘hometown kid’. For starters, not many players come out of California, and the team has only been around for 34 years. But Celebrini’s father actually worked for the Golden State Warriors, and Macklin spent parts of his childhood in the Bay Area, actually playing for the San Jose Jr. Sharks at one point. With the team selecting first overall in the 2024 draft, and him being the clear number one prospect, it was a match made in heaven. Celebrini was as good as advertised, as he put up a very respectable 63 point rookie season, in 70 games played. San Jose had the worst offense in the league last year, with 2.54 goals a contest, but the 18 year old managed to produce at nearly a point per game, and lead the team in scoring. The sky is the limit for him, and the Sharks have their franchise player to build around.

The youth movement, while led by Celebrini, does not end there. William Eklund, the 7th overall pick in 2021, had himself a solid year, as he had 58 points in just his second full season in the league. The team extended the Swede to a 3 year deal that carries a very reasonable $5.6M cap hit. He will see time with Macklin in certain situations, but the team is hoping he can carry his own line. A player who will likely see lots of time in his career with Celebrini, is Will Smith (no not that one). After a year at Boston College, the 2023 4th overall pick made his NHL debut this season, where he recorded 45 points as a rookie. The two are expected to grow into an elite scoring duo, and the bromance has already formed. The Sharks added to their list of young forwards at the draft, where they took Michael Misa 2nd overall after an exceptional season where he led the entire OHL in scoring, with 134 points (62 goals). He will start the season in the NHL, and given the Sharks lack of scoring depth, he is likely to spend the full year in San Jose, and will challenge for the Calder Trophy.

While the team has a foundation, they still have a long way to go before they even sniff the playoffs, as they had 20 wins last season. Tyler Toffoli is a great source of leadership and scoring for the young group, and still has three more seasons under contract. I hope he does not become a topic of trade discussion, as you need guys like that in the locker room, regardless of if you are trying to compete or not. To help boost their offensive depth, the team brought in a lot of reinforcements to hopefully make the lineup a bit more respectable, no offense to the players on last year’s squad. Tenured players like Jeff Skinner and Adam Gaudette, although they provide different roles, can both take on leadership roles on and off the ice. Ryan Reaves, acquired mainly for salary related reasons, may even get into some games, and add a physical element this team does not have. Phillipp Kurashev, who turns 26 in October, had 54 points only two seasons ago. He was signed to a one year deal, and both sides are hoping he can return to that level of production, and make San Jose his new home.

They were even busier trying to improve their blueline. Signing Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, and getting Nick Leddy off of waivers. The three of them have loads of NHL experience and they are hoping it will rub off on the other members of the D corps such as Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren and Shakir Mukhamadullin. The unit has a good mixture of youth and experience, and should be a massive upgrade from the group that were partially responsible for the league worst 3.78 goals against per game. 2024 11th Overall pick Sam Dickinson could find his way into the lineup. The 19 year old had a great season in London (OHL) last year, with 29 goals and 91 points in 55 regular season games, and was instrumental in the team winning the Memorial Cup as he had 31 points across 17 playoff games.

Now the team in front of them is definitely a reason for the 3.78 goals against per game, as it is an unspoken rule in hockey to not put all the blame on the goalie. But the goaltending in San Jose last year was abysmal. After trading Mackenzie Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche, there was no true starter. Vitek Vanacek and Alexandar Georgiev started a majority of the games, they both had the same exact GAA of 3.88, and both of their SV% was below a .890 clip. Both of them are no longer with the club. Instead the team is counting on former 11th overall pick (in 2020) Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedjelkovic (acquired from Pittsburgh) to be their tandem. All things considered, and in comparison to Vanecek and Georgiev, Askarov was not that bad last season. His numbers in the AHL were great, and in 13 games with the Sharks he had a .896 SV% and a 3.11 GAA. He will be given the opportunity to be the team’s starter this season, although I think it will operate more like a tandem, as Ned has almost 200 games of experience and has actually played very well in stretches throughout his career.

I fully anticipate another year near the bottom of the standings in San Jose, but the team should improve from their 52 points in the regular season. I think they can even push 30-35 wins and hover around 70-75 points. The good thing is, there is no immediate pressure in San Jose, and the team could lose 5-3 but if those three goals were nice and the young players got on the score sheet, fans will be happy. I know there are definitely some Sharks fans who are used to the team being good, as they were for so long through the late 2000s and 2010s, but rebuilding can sometimes be a long process, so be patient, the team is building something special.