Inside look at San Jose Sharks

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the San Jose Sharks.

The San Jose Sharks have been patient. So have their fans.

Six seasons without the Stanley Cup Playoffs and finishes no higher than sixth in their division is long enough. General manager Mike Grier said publicly it's time to start pushing the rebuild forward.

How far it goes is among the storylines that will make them a fascinating tale in 2025-26.

"He did what he did and it's time for all of us to come together," said Tyler Toffoli, a 33-year-old forward entering his 14th NHL season. "Obviously everyone's doubting us, so I guess it is us against everybody.

“We have to just rely on ourselves and each other to make ourselves better, kind of shock everybody. We're not going into a season not trying to win."

An already fertile pipeline grew in abundance when center Michael Misa was chosen with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to join forwards Macklin Celebrini (No. 1, 2024), Will Smith (No. 4, 2023) and William Eklund (No. 7, 2021). The average age of who the Sharks can call their “Core Four” is 19.75. The thought of Misa joining them for opening night against the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center in San Jose on Oct. 9 is tantalizing after the 18-year-old's 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) in 65 games with Saginaw led the Ontario Hockey League and were the most in one season since Patrick Kane had 145 for London in 2006-07.

"For me personally, you want them to take an extreme step forward and help the team because they're a huge part of it already," Toffoli said. "Definitely expecting big things from them. There's going to be a lot more pressure on them this year. Hopefully things go according to plan, and they have a great season."

The bar is high even after the Sharks were 20-50-12 and last in the NHL for a second straight season, starting 0-7-2 before giving Ryan Warsofsky his first win as an NHL head coach (5-4 in overtime at the Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 28, 2024). An eight-game skid (0-7-1) from Dec. 14-31 essentially finished them as playoff contenders.

"It doesn't happen overnight," Warsofsky said. "We've brought in some veterans to help these guys along, especially on our back end. And we'll talk about the elephant in the room, of we need to understand what it takes to win and making certain decisions with and without the puck in certain situations."

Alex Nedeljkovic, a 29-year-old goalie, was traded to San Jose by the Pittsburgh Penguins to push 23-year-old Yaroslav Askarov during the latter's first season as projected starter. Forwards Jeff Skinner, Adam Gaudette and Philipp Kurashev, and defensemen John Klingberg and Dmitry Orlov were signed in free agency, forward Ryan Reaves acquired in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and defenseman Nick Leddy claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues to give the Sharks seven experienced skaters to team with Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg and Barclay Goodrow.

Leddy, 34, won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013; Orlov, 34, won it with the Washington Capitals in 2018. Skinner, 33, was with the Edmonton Oilers for their second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, a six-game loss to the Florida Panthers, in his NHL postseason debut. Reaves, 38, brings 113 playoff games and 1,100 penalty minutes in 912 regular-season games to his seventh NHL team.

"They definitely didn't (trade for) me for my goal-scoring," Reaves said July 11. "I'm excited to run around, draw some energy for those guys, protect them when I have to, have some fun with them. It's a young team, a lot of young, really good skill, but I feel like every locker room needs somebody a little bit older, somebody who's been through the playoffs and been through the grind for as long as I have."

Klingberg, 33, gets a chance for extended minutes and Skinner to be a mentor. To Grier, it's simply about winning. The front office did their part. The players and coaches are next.

"It's time for everybody to really take that next step forward," Toffoli said. "Show that you can win the close games and you're competing every single night."