Sharks miss playoffs for 7th straight season, lack of secondary scoring among factors

The San Jose Sharks failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.

The Sharks (38-34-8) were eliminated from playoff contention with the Los Angeles Kings’ 5-3 victory at the Seattle Kraken on Monday.

San Jose has not qualified for the postseason since 2018-19l it lost to the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Final that season after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round and the Colorado Avalanche in the second.

Here’s a look at what happened in the 2025-26 season for the Sharks and why things could be better next season.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Ryan Reaves, F; Pavol Regenda, F; Nick Leddy, D; John Klingberg, D; Mario Ferraro, D; Vincent Desharnais, D.

Potential restricted free agents: Philipp Kurashev, F; Collin Graf, F; Zack Ostapchuk, F; Shakir Mukhamadullin, D.

Potential 2026 Draft picks: 8

What went wrong

Lack of support: San Jose simply didn’t have enough secondary offense around star forward Macklin Celebrini. The 19-year-old has had an outstanding second season with 112 points (44 goals, 68 assists) in 80 games, which is 55 points better than the Sharks' second-leading scorer Will Smith, who has 57 points (23 goals, 34 assists) in 67 games. San Jose has 243 goals this season, which means Celebrini was in on 46 percent of their offense; only Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid has been involved in more goals for his team at 48.6 percent. As it was, it still took the Sharks until the third-to-last game of the season to be eliminated from playoff contention; Celebrini scored twice in a 3-2 win at the Nashville Predators on Monday.

Defensive issues: San Jose has allowed 3.55 goals per game this season; only the Toronto Maple Leafs (3.60) and Vancouver Canucks (3.81) have given up more. Vincent Desharnais (plus-7) and Mario Ferraro (plus-1) are the only Sharks defensemen with a plus rating, and Dmitry Orlov is minus-26. Celebrini is plus-9, but forwards William Eklund (minus-32) and Alexander Wennberg (minus-25) are among those on the opposite side of the spectrum.

Still rebuilding: The Sharks are far from a finished product and are still in a rebuilding phase. They continue to revamp the roster under the supervision of general manager Mike Grier, who was hired July 5, 2022. Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, is the centerpiece of the rebuild that also includes Smith (No. 4, 2023), forwards Quentin Musty, (No. 26, 2023), Igor Chernyshov (No. 33, 2024) and Michael Misa (No. 2, 2025), and defenseman Sam Dickinson (No. 11, 2024). As their recent draft picks develop, the results should continue to improve.

Reason for optimism

A star is born: Celebrini has single-handedly accelerated the rebuild and got some valuable experience by representing Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Celebrini is a gamechanger and as he continues to develop, so will his young teammates, which should make the Sharks a formidable opponent for the foreseeable future. Having a player of Celebrini’s ability as a cornerstone could also help San Jose attract unrestricted free agents. Had Celebrini been able to drag San Jose into the playoffs, he would have likely been a contender to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. Even without a playoff berth, he’s still likely to earn some Hart Trophy votes.

In the system: The Sharks have several prospects who are expected to make the jump to the NHL in the next few seasons. Along with Smith, Musty, Dickinson, Chernyshov, and Misa, they also have forwards Cam Lund, 21, Filip Bystedt, 22, Kasper Haittunen, 20, defensemen Leo Sahlin-Wallenius, 20, and Mattias Havelid, 22, and goalie Joshua Ravensbergen, 19, who they hope can make the jump in upcoming seasons.

Draft capital: San Jose has two picks in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft and eight in total, providing an opportunity to continue to stock its system. Along with their own, the Sharks have the Edmonton Oilers' first-round pick, acquired in a trade for defenseman Jake Walman on March 6, 2025. San Jose also has two picks in the fourth round, one acquired from the Florida Panthers in a trade for forward Nico Sturm on March 6, 2025, and one from the Golden Knights, acquired from the Washington Capitals in a trade for defenseman Timothy Liljegren on March 6. Another strong draft class would help continue the upward trajectory.