Two weeks ago, I called the San Jose Sharks’ matchup with the Nashville Predators a must-win game.
I was obviously referring to this Saturday’s matchup. Please don’t check the paper to verify that.
Despite losing convincingly to those exact same Predators on March 24 to fall seven points adrift of the Western Conference’s final wild-card spot, the Sharks are somehow sitting in that spot as of Friday morning.
Despite all the odds and my bloviations, this team is still in the thick of what really matters in April, and that speaks volumes.
Yes, the Sharks are no longer losers. They have already won the season —playoff berth or not.
It’s a resounding testament to this young roster’s sheer resilience as well as the general, magnificent ineptitude that passes for competence in the West this season.
It’s mostly a hallmark of the breathtaking brilliance of Macklin Celebrini. The 19-year-old phenom has a claim to the Hart Trophy that’s as strong as anyone in the league. He isn’t just an elite prospect anymore; he’s an elite superstar actively threatening to match or beat Joe Thornton’s hallowed franchise record of 114 points in a single season.
You never want to extrapolate too far, but when a teenager casually logs his 100th point in March while dragging a franchise that took out a long-term lease on last place, you start polishing the bronze for his statue — you start using the word “generational” a lot in conversations.
Yes, the Sharks might actually snap their six-year playoff drought — far and away the longest, darkest stretch in franchise history. Take their current four-game winning streak, make it five against the Preds at SAP Center Saturday, and San Jose truly controls its own destiny.
Per the nerds at HockeyStats.com, the Sharks’ playoff odds sit at a coin-flip 50 percent heading into Friday. Win Saturday, and that rockets to 63 percent. Lose, and it plummets to 34 percent. We don’t need to talk about that second number. We’re strictly practicing positive reinforcement today.
But here’s the beautiful kicker: It truly doesn’t matter what happens on Saturday, or in the final seven games that follow.
Whether the Sharks limp backward to the finish line, force their way into the tournament on pure adrenaline, or maybe even steal a game or two from the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, the true goal for this season is already safely achieved.
They’ve proven they can win. They’ve successfully transitioned from a rebuilding doormat into a legitimate team to be feared in the NHL.
And the best part?
The best is yet to come.
Look down the pipeline. It’s not just Celebrini (though that might even be enough…)
The goalie situation is rock-solid. And the future at the position, Joshua Ravensbergen, the No. 30 overall pick in 2025, is 19 years old, tearing up the WHL, and looking like far more than just the real deal.
Then there’s Michael Misa, the No. 2 overall pick in 2025. He’s been an absolute revelation since the Olympic break. He’s the kind of player most teams would build their entire franchise around. In San Jose, he’s just another terrifying weapon in the arsenal.
Up front, this team has serious depth, with Igor Chernyshov and Will Smith rapidly morphing into elite flanks for Celebrini. They’re rolling four lines deep as of late — a taste of everything for their opponents. And then you trot out penalty killers like Alex Wennberg, Colin Graf, and the perpetually underrated Vincent Desharnais when you’re down a man? That’s as good as it gets.
Every team in the league could use more talent, including the Sharks. But this team’s elite farm system — perhaps the absolute top in the NHL — will provide exactly that in the years to come.
To evolve into a perennial playoff contender in the years to come — and perhaps a Stanley Cup contender — this roster is really just a few defensemen away.
The system will naturally provide depth there. But what this team really needs is a true power-play ace to play at the top of the Sharks’ man-advantage umbrella.
Who will that player be?
Will it be Sam Dickinson, who is showing more offensive chops in recent weeks? Pending free agent Darren Raddysh, who emerged for the Lightning this year? Soon-to-be-traded Adam Fox? Sharks prospect and Hobey Baker finalist Eric Pohlkamp? Or Keaton Verhoeff, the towering North Dakota product and top defenseman in this year’s draft?
At this point, it remains anyone’s guess. The front office has options. They have the capital to be creative. They’ve shown they deserve the benefit of the doubt.
What’s not in doubt is the trajectory of this team. They’re on the precipice this weekend.
But what really matters is beyond tomorrow. The rebuild might be over, but the scope of how we should look at this team remains broad.
And there is simply no limit to what the Sharks could be in the future.