The San Jose Sharks muddled through one of the worst seasons in franchise history in 2023-24, failing to reach 20 wins for the first time since 1995. It was a miserable campaign all around, with the squad looking to be completely out of playoff contention before the calendar even flipped to 2024. It was the fifth consecutive year that the Sharks had failed to qualify for the postseason after reaching the 2019 Western Conference Final, and without a doubt the worst season in any of the previous five.
But things seem to be looking way up for the California franchise. They were blessed with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, selecting phenom Macklin Celebrini, who should be the 1C of the future in San Jose. General manager Mike Grier also added proven goal scorer Tyler Toffoli in free agency, snagged established defenseman Cody Ceci from the Edmonton Oilers, and made a huge mid-offseason trade for top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov. And we can't forget 2023 No. 4 overall pick Will Smith, who will also be making his Sharks debut in 2024-25.
Will it be enough to take this club from pretender to playoff contender in one summer? Almost certainly not. There are still some glaring holes on this roster — specifically on the blue line — and it's probably going to take a couple more years for this roster to make waves in the Western Conference.
But in a weak Pacific Division, there's a great chance that the Sharks at least don't suffer through back-to-back last place finishes. Here are a couple of bold predictions for an exciting San Jose roster ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
Will Smith has as good or better rookie season than Macklin Celebrini
Both Smith and Celebrini absolutely ripped up NCAA hockey last season. Although Celebrini is the marquee name — and the No. 1 overall pick — Smith was actually just as effective in 2023-24. Celebrini finished with 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games as a member of the Boston University Terriers, while Smith amassed 71 points in just three more contests with the Boston College Eagles.
Both Boston players were spectacular for their respective teams, although it was Celebrini who ended up winning the Hobey Baker in his freshman season, being the youngest player in history to win the award.
While the NHL and NCAA are obviously very different leagues, there's a great chance that Smith goes toe-to-toe with Celebrini in terms of total points in 2024-25. The American (Smith) and Canadian (Celebrini) project to play on different lines, but both should suit up on the top powerplay unit — even if the season doesn't start that way.
If Smith stays at center, the Sharks can surround both players with solid wingers, including Toffoli, William Eklund, Fabian Zetterlund and Mikael Granlund (who can play any forward position). There's no guarantee that Smith will stay at center, but if he does — and remains on PP1 — there's a chance he will surprise and be as good as Celebrini in Year 1 of their respective careers. That's especially true as he's a year older than his new teammate.
Both Sharks players will be finalists for the Calder Trophy
Regardless of how Celebrini and Smith perform in regards to one another, expect that both players will challenge for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. While the former is the odds-on favorite, the latter is certainly a dark horse.
Matvei Michkov will have something to say about that after the Russian phenom joined the Philadelphia Flyers this summer. As will Logan Stankoven in Dallas, Cutter Gauthier in Anaheim and Lane Hutson in Montreal, among others.
But, if we're being bold, let's say that one of Celebrini or Smith brings home the hardware, with the other finishing as a finalist come next summer. And, speaking of Calder Trophy finalists, how about a goaltender?
Yaroslav Askarov takes over starting job and posts over .900 save percentage
It's no secret that the Sharks did not have good goaltending in 2023-24, with Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek starting most of the season. Neither netminder finished with an above .900 save percentage, which isn't surprising considering the futility of the defensive unit.
But with Ceci now inserted onto the defense, along with former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman, it should be a much-improved blue line in 2024-25. It's not necessary good, but it looks more like an NHL D-core than an American Hockey League one, which wasn't really the case last year.
Either way, Askarov is ready to prove himself as an NHL regular after requesting a trade away from the team that drafted him. The Russian was never going to carve out a starting role with the Nashville Predators after star Juuse Saros earned a long-term contract, and it made sense that the 22-year-old got a fresh start elsewhere.
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Grier did a great job bringing this player to California, and he should immediately be the starting goalie out of the gates, with Blackwood a more-than-capable backup. The Athletic's Scott Wheeler and Harman Dayal ranked him No. 8 in their early Calder Trophy predictions (with Celebrini at No. 2 and Smith at No. 7).
“Askarov is one of the top three goaltending prospects in the world because of his power and explosiveness and he’s coming off an AHL All-Star appearance. Playing in San Jose will give him more opportunity than he’d have elsewhere,” the two wrote earlier this week.
If Celebrini, Smith and Askarov all put together solid rookie seasons, there's a great chance the Sharks don't finish in any basem*nt in 2024-25.
Sharks will not finish last in the Pacific Division or Western Conference
Let's assume that that last sentence comes true, and all of Celebrini, Smith and Askarov make legitimate Calder Trophy cases in 2024-25. Along with a couple nice veteran additions in Ceci and Toffoli, another year of development from Eklund and Zetterlund and a new coach in Ryan Warsofsky, the Sharks will not be finishing dead last in the Western Conference.
While this still projects as a bottom-10 team in the league, there is an incredibly bright future in San Jose. This is probably the best franchise to never win a Stanley Cup, but if everything goes right, they should be back to competing for championships in no time.
