Are San Jose Sharks back to Relevancy?

Taking It Back

The day is March 26, 2022. The San Jose Sharks just beat the Anaheim Ducks in a dominant 4-1 win led by a hat trick performance from right winger Timo Meier to advance to 29-28-8 on the 2021-22 NHL season.

Many things would take a turn as the Sharks would go on a 10-game skid, ultimately finishing 32-37-13 on the campaign.

Since then, San Jose hasn’t taken the ice with a winning record and has dug incredibly deep deficits for themselves. To begin the 2023-24 season, they started 0-10-1, allowing 10 goals in back-to-back matches during that stretch.

Bringing It Back

As we fast-forward to the present, the Sharks are a fresh and fun team to watch. Led by the young duo of second-year center Macklin Celebrini and fellow second-year center Will Smith, San Jose is rolling and has a spark for the first time in years.

Coming off a 2-1 overtime victory against the Minnesota Wild, the Sharks currently sit in a playoff position in the Western Conference with an 8-6-3 record.

The talented young core has played some of their best hockey of their careers. Celebrini has already cemented himself as the focal point of the roster, starting hot with 26 points, while Smith remains right behind him with 17.

After another slow team start, especially defensively, San Jose has pieced it together in the month of November. In net, starting goaltender Yaroslav Askarov began the season, allowing 4.69 goals while recording an .844% save rate.

However, Askarov and veteran goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic have only grown more comfortable protecting the net for the Sharks, both posting November averages of 1.23 and 1.44 goals allowed, respectively. This has masterfully influenced the team’s 7-2-1 record in the last 10 games.

How We Got Here

Trading Meier to the New Jersey Devils before the 2023 trade deadline hinted at the plans San Jose had to blow up the previous core. Those teams fell short and change was only imminent and needed to accelerate their rebuild.

What started with one trade spiraled into the offseason trade of Erik Karlsson in 2023 and the midseason trade of Tomas Hertl 62 games into the following season.

Dark years arrived for San Jose, and draft prospects developing into saviors became the only hope the organization could have.

In 2021, it started with left winger William Eklund at seventh overall. In 2023, it grew with Smith at fourth overall. In 2024, prayers of a top pick were answered with Celebrini while also adding defenseman Sam Dickinson in the lottery.

Now looking toward the future in 2025, the hopes of a successful rebuild have begun to round out with Michael Misa at second overall.

Are They Truly Back?

So the question becomes: are the San Jose Sharks truly back in the hunt? My short answer: Yes.

My long answer begins with the momentum they’ve created for their own development. As the team progresses and the Shark Tank comes alive, no team in the NHL can look past the Sharks anymore.

This young team is frisky and even with the young star headliners, San Jose has a group of hungry veteran leaders led by Tyler Toffoli and Dmitry Orlov whose impact can’t be overlooked.

The Sharks may not be a playoff-caliber team come April 2026, but at the very least, they’ll be showing the caliber of team they’re growing into for the next half-decade-plus throughout the remainder of the 2025-26 NHL season.

Owen Daszko is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email him at opd5073@psu.edu.