If the last two seasons have been focused on a complete teardown for the San Jose Sharks, this season will be about starting to turn that teardown into results. Both the players and the team as a whole have motivation for different reasons. Throughout the organization, the Sharks have a lot to prove, and that desire will manifest itself in a variety of ways.
Many Sharks Veterans on Short-Term Deals
For the Sharks, the idea of a “prove-it” season starts with their more experienced players. A number of them have opportunities this season to demonstrate their worth in San Jose and provide positive dividends for the rest of their careers.
To examine the situation, let’s look at players older than 28 who are healthy enough to presumably receive NHL playing time this season. The Sharks have 10 such players, and seven of them are either on one-year deals or entering the final season of multi-year contracts. As such, a large amount of their veterans are playing as much to earn their next deal as anything else.
The Sharks themselves have a track record of helping players on expiring contracts, most notably Mikael Granlund, who transformed into a crucial midseason trade asset last season and signed a contract worth $2 million a year more than his previous deal despite being 33 years old. Other former Sharks who recently played on an expiring contract in San Jose and subsequently earned sizable paydays include Anthony Duclair and Mackenzie Blackwood.
Now, many of the Sharks’ veterans — especially the ones they acquired this offseason — look to do the same. Jeff Skinner is hoping for a return to form after a down season. John Klingberg and Nick Leddy have both been somewhat cast off by past teams and want to show they still have a place in the NHL. Among players already established in San Jose, Alexander Wennberg could be a candidate for either a new contract or a trade to a contender.
These are just a few examples, but the majority of the Sharks’ veterans fit into this same category. They want to be impact players, not only to win games but to convince the rest of the league that they deserve a longer career and bigger paychecks. If they can succeed in doing so, greater team success should follow.
Sharks’ Young Players Looking to Make Leap
The veterans may be in the most obvious proving situation, but many of the Sharks’ up-and-coming players are looking to prove themselves for their own purposes. The San Jose roster has seven players aged 23 or younger, and all of them want to make a statement of one kind or another.
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Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith both want to take sophomore-season leaps, while Collin Graf intends to show that his decent performance in 33 NHL games last season is sustainable. William Eklund is more established than those three, but he’ll have his own mission: proving he deserves his new contract extension.
On the defensive side, Jack Thompson and Shakir Mukhamadullin hope to turn into full-time NHL blueliners. Yaroslav Askarov will likely receive the most time in net he’s had to this point in his career, and will look to demonstrate he’s worthy of the hype that has labeled him as one of the league’s best goalie prospects. It’s a very different situation compared to being less than one year away from free agency, but it still makes 2025-26 a pivotal season.
The Sharks have a uniquely constructed roster, with a lot of veterans and a lot of young players and very few players in the middle of their primes. Such a roster makeup is logical for a rebuilding team, but it also leads to a situation where a large portion of their lineup will be playing for very specific individual reasons every night.
Sharks as a Whole Have Something to Prove
This season should be the one where the Sharks begin turning their fortunes around. They don’t need to make the playoffs or even come close, but they should show some positive momentum. This would manifest itself by the Sharks improving their place in the standings and the aforementioned players fulfilling their objectives. Perhaps at the trade deadline, the Sharks could split their intentions between trading veterans and keeping some of them in the hopes of signing new contracts.
In other words, this is the season for the Sharks to prove their rebuild has had a purpose, brought in the right players, and is ready to take further steps. While their motivations might be different from those of the players looking to prove themselves, the players’ success should drive the team’s and vice versa. Their relationship will be mutually beneficial, and if things go right, the end result should be extended success for everyone involved, lasting far beyond this very important season.
