American Thanksgiving is today, and at this crucial check-in point in the NHL season, the San Jose Sharks have a lot more to be thankful for than they’ve had in recent years. Let’s take a look at a few key points that help tell the story of the Sharks’ improvement so far — and suggest where the team might go from here.
Sharks’ Young Players Breaking Out
Over the last few seasons, the Sharks have gradually brought in more and better young players, and this year has been their biggest leap yet. Macklin Celebrini built on his rookie season to show that he is dangerously close to already being a top-tier NHL forward at just 19 years old. Will Smith has already posted nearly half of his scoring output from all of last season in just over a quarter of the time. William Eklund hasn’t made quite the same strides offensively, but is having a great defensive season. Collin Graf is transforming into a potentially elite penalty killer, while Shakir Mukhamadullin is finally showing that he can be a full-time NHL defenseman.
All of the above players had already played for the Sharks in previous seasons, but they’ve added some exciting new pieces as well. Sam Dickinson has certainly made some rookie mistakes, but he’s learning how to be a steady, dependable player in his first professional season. Michael Misa’s campaign has been limited due to injury, but the Sharks’ solid play without him creates excitement for his eventual return. Add in all the players in their system who haven’t reached the NHL yet, combined with their clear ability to develop prospects, and the future in San Jose hasn’t been this bright in a long time.
The Sharks are proving that they’ll have a lot to offer in the future with both their forwards and their blueliners. But that’s not even discussing the breakthrough they’ve found in the third position group.
Juuse Saros’ Extension With Predators
In the summer of 2024, goaltender Juuse Saros signed an eight-year contract extension with the Nashville Predators. That surprised Yaroslav Askarov, who expected to become the team’s long-term goalie in the immediate future. Not seeing his path to a permanent starting job in Nashville, he requested a trade out of the organization.
His decision to ask for the move was extremely risky, but it allowed the Sharks to obtain the most exciting goalie prospect they’d had in years. After 13 NHL games in 2024-25, in which he had both great and shaky performances, he’s been in the big leagues for this entire season.
Following a disappointing October, he’s put together by far the best month of his professional career in November. He’s allowed two or fewer goals in seven of his nine appearances while coming up clutch in three overtime wins and a shootout win. He reads plays extremely well, anticipating puck movement to put himself in good position. His athleticism allows him to cover for mistakes, whether his own or via the defense in front of him. Although his attempts to play the puck still turn adventurous from time to time, he has gotten at least a little smarter with those decisions.
Askarov will need to sustain this level of play for more than a month, but he’s giving the Sharks something they haven’t had in a long time: hope for the future in net. As the franchise wandered through years of neither playoff contention nor a promising prospect pool, they put a lot of placeholder goalies on their roster. Finally, they have one who doesn’t create that feeling and has offered a consistent stretch of just how good he might be.
Other Teams’ Need For Defensemen
The Sharks’ blue line is not currently one of their strongest units, but they have an even more pressing issue — they simply have too many defensemen. They’ll almost certainly need to trade one to relieve the crowding.
Related: Sharks Are Approaching Their Potential But Still Have Areas of Improvement
The good news? Contending teams are always looking to make win-now moves to strengthen their lineups. Whether through injuries or poor play, teams will have a need to bring in new defensemen at one time or another. The Carolina Hurricanes have already had concerns this season, for instance, but they won’t be the only ones. When that time comes, the Sharks should be ready to make some phone calls.
If the Sharks do trade a blueliner — almost certain to be one of the experienced defenders — they’ll get a lot of benefits. A trade would give more playing time to Dickinson and Mukhamadullin and allow them to develop even further. They’d also free up a contract slot for Misa if they decide to keep him in San Jose past his nine-game barrier.
The Sharks have spent the last few years as sellers rather than buyers in trade scenarios. They hope that’s not the case for much longer, but in this particular scenario, it works to their advantage.
Sharks in Their Best Place in Years
The Sharks still have a long way to go. As last night’s 6-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche shows, they’re not at a level where they can consistently keep up with the highest caliber of teams yet. But they’ve made enormous strides compared to the last several seasons. They have promising young skaters on both forward and defense, the most exciting young goalie they’ve had in over two decades, and can think about trades as a way to free up space for those players rather than a way to obtain draft picks. That might not add up to title contention just yet, but it provides a lot of reasons for gratitude in ways they haven’t seen at past Thanksgivings.
