The San Jose Sharks, bless their rebuilding hearts, are still a bad hockey team.
Let’s not pretend otherwise and save ourselves some heartburn.
But this season still isn’t about wins for the teal; it’s about checking the oil on the rebuild.
We’re past the “Is the pain worth it?” phase and into the “Is this the future?” phase. It’s time for some results at the Tank — some overall improvement across the board, even if it will still leave the Sharks woefully short of a playoff berth.
In a situation like this, the truth can only be determined after a full 82-game slate.
However, there will be hints along the way and early this season, there will be some significant indicators on whether this Sharks’ machine is on the path to winning anytime soon.
Here are three things I’m looking for to start the 2025-26 season:
Sleepovers
San Jose Sharks’ Will Smith (2) and San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) skate on the ice before their game against the Edmonton Oilers at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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The entire rebuild, the foundation of this whole miserable-but-hopeful enterprise, rests on Macklin Celebrini and whether Will Smith can be his running mate. The so-called “sleepover” line, a nod to their off-ice chemistry, is the most crucial pairing in this long, drawn-out process. If these two — Celebrini at center and Smith on the wing — don’t click, the blueprint gets shredded, and the misery extended.
Now, Celebrini is the truth. At 19, he’s already an elite player. We’re talking about a guy who was leading the entire NHL—not just rookies—in puck battles won for a stretch last season. His rush offense was in the same neighborhood as Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, and Jack Hughes. Only Sidney Crosby and Patrik Laine this century have produced the kind of numbers Celebrini put up as an 18-year-old rookie. You buy Sharks stock for the next decade because of him. He’s the kind of player that justifies a rebuild and, one day, raises a Stanley Cup.
Smith, on the other hand, is not that kind of prospect, and that’s OK. Only a handful of players on the planet are. But Smith can be an All-Star-level player in his own right. His surge late last season — 10 goals and 13 assists in his final 26 games — came mostly on the wing. That success made the Sharks’ selection of center Michael Misa at No. 2 overall in the most recent draft a whole lot easier.
But Smith has to keep producing alongside Celebrini to justify that selection. If he doesn’t, it’s back to center for him, and then we have a mess on our hands in the South Bay. Because, no, having him flank Alex Wennberg does no one any good.
If this wing move is an inspired, permanent change, the rest of the rebuild puzzle falls into place. If not, the Sharks — who are supposed to be past the messy stage — are right back in the sludge.
Are the kids coming?
Michael Misa #77 of the San Jose Sharks takes a face off in the first period of a game against the Anaheim Ducks during a preseason game at SAP Center on Oct. 1, 2025 (Photo by Panayiota Good/SAP Center)
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Smith’s transition to the wing also clears the path for Misa, the No. 2 pick, to slot into that pivotal second-line center role where he projects as a two-way star.
Having two franchise-cornerstone centers — Celebrini and Misa — on the roster right now is the rebuilder’s dream.
The Sharks have to make a call on Misa’s 2025-26 season within his first nine games, lest they burn a year on his entry-level deal. All indications are that they intend to keep him at the NHL level.
The biggest tell? Moving a veteran like Philipp Kurashev to the wing late in camp. That isn’t about Kurashev; it’s a signal that the Sharks are preparing to give Misa a long, hard look in the middle.
Then there’s defenseman Sam Dickinson, the No. 11 overall pick in 2024, who is also on the Sharks’ opening-night roster. San Jose desperately needs a long-term anchor on the blue line, and Dickinson is their crack at it. Don’t expect early magic — defensemen always take longer to develop. With the threat of an OHL return looming and eight defensemen on the roster, his spot is far from guaranteed.
So, is the future happening now, or is it still on hold? The good news is we’ll find out soon.
What is Yaroslav Askarov?
San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) waits for the start of the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
The Sharks went all-in to acquire Yaroslav Askarov last season, taking advantage of a once-in-a-decade situation and landing the consensus best goalie prospect in hockey after some Nashville drama.
And he was supposed to be The Man.
Well, this preseason, he got outplayed by veteran journeyman Alex Nedeljkovic, six goals against to two. Was it all his fault? No, the Sharks’ defense had trouble getting the puck out of the zone all camp. But the goals count, and Askarov’s presumed spot as the Game 1 starter is suddenly in doubt.
Bringing in a guy on his fourth team who has been a Quadruple-A goalie and watching him look like the better option, even in a small sample, is not an encouraging sign. Goalies are weird people who play a weird position, and the Sharks are committed to being patient with Askarov.
But this, his second season with the club, was supposed to be the one where he slammed the door shut on any questions. So far, the door is still wide open. We need to see flashes of that potential early in the season. Otherwise, the wait continues.