San Jose Sharks forward Will Smith’s recent play has come under fire, and head coach Ryan Warsofsky has a message for the young star.

Smith is an offensive-minded player, and although he’s not known for his goalscoring, he’s got just one goal in the past eight games. Across the same span, Smith has just three assists. The Sharks forward just turned 21 on Tuesday, and it is hard to remember he’s only in his second NHL season.

Against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, Smith played 13:27, a significant drop from his season average of 18:06. After morning skate on Thursday, Warsofsky talked about what he wants to see from Smith against the Buffalo Sabres.

“Just go play. I think he’s overthinking it at times,” Warsofsky said. “He’s hit a little speed bump in developing, and we’re there to help him and push him and get through with him.”

Warsofsky didn’t say much post-game, but this was a statement: “For four years, we’ve worked on development and getting guys better, kind of handing some things to some players. You got to earn your ice from hereonout.”#SJSharks are 1 point out of the playoffs right now

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 18, 2026

Smith spoke to reporters on Thursday morning and appears motivated to return to his top form.

“Just as it comes to the end of the season, just make sure [I’m] competing,” Smith said. “Like I’ve said before, there are a lot of points on the line here, especially for the playoffs coming up. Just got to be better.”

The San Jose Sharks winger knows he needs to be better and will start to get back there on a new line with Alexander Wennberg and Pavol Regenda.

“Playing with Wenny, I’ve played with him before. He makes a lot of plays. Reggie can put it in the back of the net, so I’m excited,” Smith said.

Warsofsky went further in his explanation, saying that although Smith will get out of this funk, it likely won’t be the last of his career. Playing meaningful games in late March and into April is something the San Jose Sharks haven’t done with their young core. While the hope of getting into the Stanley Cup Playoffs is there, these games are also lessons.

“But this is the first time that, not just Will, but a lot of guys, have played in this type of hockey. Is it going to happen overnight? No, but we’re gonna continue to work on it and get better at it,” Warsofsky said. “Will is certainly aware, and we know he can play better. You’re gonna have this again in his career. Maybe three years from now. Might be five years now, where maybe [you’re] not chipping in as much offensively. How else can you impact the game?”

Smith talked about the differences in games at this time last season and how they feel this season.

“I think as the playoffs get here, everyone’s going to be playing harder. It’s just part of the game, gotta adjust to it,” Smith said. “It’s a tight race. There are five or six teams that are in line there. Everyone should be playing much harder.”

Smith wants to make sure he’s using his legs more and skating against the Sabres on Thursday.