Look for the San Jose Sharks to be this year’s Buffalo Sabres.
Heading into last season, not much was expected of the Sabres, who ended up shocking the hockey world by not only snapping an ugly 14-year playoff drought but also winning the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division with a whopping 109 points.
The Sharks, who haven’t made the playoffs in seven straight seasons, are similar to the Sabres in that both teams are comprised of an impressive collection of young, developing vastly talented players who haven’t reached their full potential.
San Jose Sharks Will Make The Playoffs With Breakthrough Season
At forward, these young stars are led by their 2024 1st overall pick, 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini, who followed up an impressive 63-point (25 goals, 38 assists) rookie season, by emerging as a true superstar in his sophomore year which saw him total 115 (45 goas, 70 assists) points.
Besides this emerging star, the Sharks young offence also includes such talents as 21-year-old Will Smith, whose production jumped from 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in his rookie campaign to an impressive 59 (24 goals, 35 assists) point campaign. Just as impressive was Smith’s improvement in his defensive play where he went from a plus/minus of -15 in his rookie campaign to a +1 in year two.
Adding to the Sharks mix of young developing forwards is 18 year-old left winger Ivar Stenberg who last June was selected by San Jose 2nd overall.
Heading into last June’s NHL draft, Stenberg was believed by scouts to be the most talented European player available. Last season with Frolunda HC. he scored 11 goals along with 33 points and six PIMs.
According to online reports, Stenberg has impressed during Sharks development camp and is being looked upon as a top six forward for the coming season.
“It means a lot,” Stenberg said about being drafted by San Jose so early in the draft. “Early mornings, late evenings. Yeah, I worked really hard and I’m happy I reached this level so far, but I have much more to give.”
Another talented youngster looking to make his mark in the NHL is 19 year-old centerman Michael Misa, who was selected in the 2025 NHL draft, 2nd overall by the Sharks.
Last year, Misa battled injuries and played for Canada at the World Junior Championships which meant he only played 45 games for the Sharks where he produced nine goals, 21 points and 10 PIM’s.
At the World Junior Championships, Misa showed his offensive upside as he scored two goals along with seven points and four penalty minutes in helping Canada win 2026 World Junior Bronze.
Before being drafted by San Jose, Misa really made a name for himself while playing for the Saginaw Spirit and dominating the OHL where in three seasons he scored 113 goals along with 265 points and 81 PIM’s in 177 total games.
Heading into camp, the Sharks are looking for Misa to become the team’s second line forward behind of course Celebrini.
The Sharks also have a few veterans who add that essential depth scoring while providing veteran leadership.
Two of these veterans are 34 year-old Tyler Toffoli, who won the Stanley Cup in 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings and has 969 games under his belt, and 31 year-old Mason Marchment who as an Unrestricted Free Agent, signed this past summer a five-year contract worth 6.75 million. Toffoli is more of a point producer while Marchment like to play physical and isn’t affraid to drop the gloves.
A third important veteran who will provide leadership to the youngsters while scoring some big goals is forward Alexander Wennberg who is coming off a career best 55 point (18 goals, 37 assists) season.
Wennberg, has played 869 career NHL games, while Marchment has 370 games under his belt.
This summer, Sharks management made some strong moves including re-signing 23-year-old forward Collin Graf, who is coming off a breakout season of 46 points (21 goals, 25 assists) which earned him a three-year $12.75 million extension.
Sharks fans will be in for a highly entertaining season which could easily result in San Jose competing this coming spring in playoff hockey.
Sharks Add Physicality and Veteran Leadership to their Defense
Another reason why the Sharks are on the brink of a breakout season is that they have beefed up their defense while adding some scoring depth by acquiring this past off-season former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, who not only brings physicality but also averages over 20 minutes per game.
Last July 1st. San Jose pulled off a deal with the Oilers which saw the 31-year-old Nurse get traded to the Sharks in exchange for a pair of defensemen in Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zachary Sharp.
Nurse is coming off a solid 24 point (seven goals, 17 assists) season which also included 104 PIMs.
Approximately two weeks before the Nurse deal, San Jose obtained another defenseman when they made a trade with the Buffalo Sabres for Michael Kesselring and the Sabres 27th overall pick from the 2026 NHL Draft in exchange for the Oilers 20th pick.
Kesselring, because of injuries played only 34 games last year where he produced two assists and 50 PIM’s.
“Michael has a big frame with solid two-way ability,” Grier said. “He is a responsible player in the defensive zone with a well rounded offensive game, and will be a good upgrade for us patrolling the blueline. We’re happy to have him a part of the organization.”
Another hard hitting veteran defenseman San Jose signed this off-season was 32 year-old hard hitting Unrestricted Free Agent Jacob Trouba who agreed to a four-year $33 million dollar deal.
“I think just the talent and the skill,” Trouba said of signing with the Sharks. “(Macklin) Celebrini as a player, and how he plays the game, and it’s not just the high-level skill and talent. He works hard, he’s on pucks, he’s kind of a dog out there. That’s the kind of guy you want dragging everybody into the fight on your team.”
Last season Trouba in 81 regular season games had 10 goals along with 35 points while averaging 22:50 of ice time per game.
While they might not have the league’s best defense, these summertime additions move the Sharks that much closer to being a Stanley Cup contending team.
Can Sharks Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov Take That Next Step?
Among the young talent on San Jose is 24 year-old goalie Yaroslav Askarov, who last year made a statement by going 21-20-0-4 with a 3.63 GAA and .884 save percentage in a career high 47 games.
Askarov, who was drafted in 2020 11th overall by the Nashville Predators, was traded from music city to San Jose back in an August 2024 multi-player deal.
“It’s a really big day for our franchise, I believe,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said after the trade. To have an opportunity to add him to our group is really exciting, and I think it kind of breathes some more positive energy in the group.”
Before last year’s career season, Askarov’s best season came the year before when he went 4-6-0-2 in 12 starts with a 3.10 GAA and .896 save percentage.
The Sharks also have 30 year-old veteran Alex Nedeljkovic who last year in 40 games went 18-14-0-4 with a solid 2.87 GAA and .896 save percentage.
The sky is the limit for this young team who if things go right will this coming year enjoy a successful season.
Main Image: Terrence Lee-Imagn Images
