The San Jose Sharks enter the 2026-27 season hoping to take the next step in their rebuild and finally return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 2026-27 season will start on Tuesday, September 29, while the Sharks will begin their season on Thursday, October 1, at home against the Florida Panthers. San Jose will play an 84-game schedule for the first time. The NHL expanded its regular season to 84 games.

The Sharks will face each team in the Pacific Division four times, with two games at home and two on the road. San Jose will play the eight teams in the Central Division three times each, while facing every Eastern Conference team twice, once at home and once on the road.

San Jose finished last season with a 39-35-8 record and 86 points, finishing fifth in the Pacific Division and missing the playoffs. However, the Sharks improved by 19 wins and 34 points from the previous season and finished just four points behind the second Western Conference Wild Card spot.

The Sharks spent the offseason trying to turn that improvement into a playoff appearance. They added veteran defensemen Jacob Trouba and Darnell Nurse, brought in forward Mason Marchment, added Michael Kesselring on defense, and continued adding young talent around Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.

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Offseason Moves

Additions:

D – Jacob Trouba – Free Agency/4-years
D – Darnell Nurse – Trade/Edmonton Oilers
F – Mason Marchment – Free Agency/5-years
D – Michael Kesselring – Trade/Buffalo Sabres/3-years
F – Ivar Stenberg – Draft/2nd overall/3-years
F – Michael Misa – Draft/2nd overall/3-years
F – Andre Gasseau – Trade/Boston Bruins
G – Eric Comrie – Free Agency/2-years
G – Ilya Samsonov – Free Agency/1-year

The Sharks made significant additions this offseason, particularly on defense. Trouba signed a four-year, $33 million contract and should provide the San Jose Sharks with a veteran presence on the top pairing. He recorded 35 points in 81 games with the Anaheim Ducks last season.

San Jose also acquired Nurse from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Shakir Mukhamadullin and prospect Zachary Sharp. Nurse gives the Sharks a physical, experienced defenseman who recorded 24 points, 137 hits, and 167 blocked shots last season.

Marchment represents the biggest addition to the forward group. He signed a five-year, $33.75 million contract after recording 45 points in 68 games with the Seattle Kraken and Columbus Blue Jackets. He also provides the physicality the Sharks need around their young offensive players.

Kesselring provides another big body on the blue line after San Jose acquired him from Buffalo. He signed a three-year, $13.5 million contract after the trade.

The Sharks also added two high-end prospects to their NHL mix. Stenberg, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, recorded 33 points in 43 games with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League last season. Misa, selected No. 2 overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, could also make an immediate impact down the middle.

Comrie will compete with Alex Nedeljkovic for playing time behind Yaroslav Askarov, while Samsonov provides additional goaltending depth after signing a one-year, two-way contract on September 8.

Re-Signings:

F – Macklin Celebrini – Contract Extension/5-years
F – Collin Graf – Contract Extension/3-years

The Sharks locked up their franchise centerpiece when Celebrini signed a five-year, $94 million contract extension. The deal carries an $18.8 million annual average value and begins with the 2027-28 season.

Celebrini enters the season after producing one of the best sophomore seasons in recent NHL history. He finished with 115 points on 45 goals and 70 assists in 82 games, setting a new Sharks single-season franchise record for points.

San Jose also re-signed Graf to a three-year, $12.75 million contract. Graf recorded 46 points on 21 goals and 25 assists in 81 games last season and gives the Sharks another young forward who can contribute throughout the lineup.

Subtractions:

F – William Eklund – Trade/Ottawa Senators
F – Kasper Halttunen – Trade/Ottawa Senators
F – Brandon Svoboda – Trade/Ottawa Senators
D – Shakir Mukhamadullin – Trade/Edmonton Oilers
D – Mario Ferraro – Free Agency/Winnipeg Jets
D – Vincent Desharnais – Free Agency/Washington Capitals
F – Ryan Reaves – Free Agency
F – Philipp Kurashev – Free Agency

The Sharks made one of their biggest offseason moves by trading Eklund, Halttunen, and Svoboda to Ottawa for the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Eklund recorded 53 points in 78 games last season, making his departure a significant loss to the NHL lineup.

San Jose also traded Mukhamadullin to Edmonton as part of the deal for Nurse. Ferraro signed with Winnipeg after seven seasons with the Sharks, while Desharnais joined Washington.

Kurashev became an unrestricted free agent after the Sharks did not issue him a qualifying offer. He recorded 20 points in 43 games last season.

2026-27 San Jose Sharks Roster

Forwards

Igor Chernyshov – Macklin Celebrini – Will Smith
Mason Marchment – Michael Misa – Collin Graf
Ivar Stenberg – Alexander Wennberg – Kiefer Sherwood
Tyler Toffoli – Zack Ostapchuk – Ty Dellandrea

The Sharks have considerably more depth up front than they did a year ago, but everything starts with Celebrini.

The 20-year-old enters his third NHL season after finishing fourth in the NHL in scoring with 115 points. He also tied for fourth in goals with 45 and finished seventh in assists with 70.

Celebrini should again center the top line, with Chernyshov and Smith providing him with talented offensive options. Smith is arguably the biggest breakout candidate on the roster after recording 59 points on 24 goals and 35 assists in just 69 games last season.

Smith’s development could determine how dangerous San Jose’s offense becomes. His five-on-five points and goals per 60 minutes both increased significantly last season, suggesting another offensive jump could be coming.

Misa gives the Sharks another potential top-six center. The No. 2 overall pick from the 2025 NHL Draft will have an opportunity to establish himself alongside some of San Jose’s best young players.

Marchment also gives the Sharks something they lacked in previous seasons. He can score, create space, play physically, and protect the puck. He scored 45 points last season and provides a veteran presence around the team’s young stars.

Stenberg is another fascinating player to watch. The 18-year-old could immediately earn a top-six role after producing 33 points in 43 games in the SHL last season.

Chernyshov, Sherwood, Toffoli, Wennberg, Ostapchuk and Dellandrea give San Jose additional depth throughout the lineup. Chernyshov could also push for a larger role after recording 19 points in 28 NHL games last season.

Defense

Sam Dickinson – Jacob Trouba
Darnell Nurse – Dmitry Orlov
Luca Cagnoni – Michael Kesselring

The Sharks completely changed their blue line this offseason.

Trouba should take a prominent role after signing his four-year contract. His experience should also help San Jose’s younger defensemen as they continue developing.

Nurse gives the second pairing another physical presence. Although his offensive production dropped last season, he remained one of Edmonton’s most active defensemen physically and defensively.

Dickinson could be one of the most important players on the blue line. The young defenseman is entering his second NHL season and has the potential to eventually become one of the team’s top defensemen.

Orlov brings another veteran presence, while Kesselring provides size and two-way ability.

Cagnoni is another young defenseman who could see his role increase. He recorded 43 points in 67 AHL games last season and brings an offensive element that could become especially useful on the power play.

The Sharks still have plenty of youth on defense, but the additions of Trouba, Nurse and Kesselring should give the group more stability.

Power Play

Tyler Toffoli – Macklin Celebrini – Will Smith – Michael Misa – Luca Cagnoni
Mason Marchment – Alex Wennberg – Ivar Stenberg – Igor Chernyshov – Dmitry Orlov

The Sharks’ power play should once again revolve around Celebrini.

He recorded 33 power-play points last season and has already established himself as one of the NHL’s most dangerous offensive players.

Smith should receive an expanded role after taking another step offensively last season. Marchment can create traffic around the net, while Graf gives the unit another player capable of finding scoring areas.

The second unit could feature Misa and Stenberg, giving San Jose two young players with significant offensive upside. Cagnoni could also become an important piece from the blue line.

If the Sharks can create more opportunities at five-on-five while maintaining their special-teams production, the offense should take another step forward.

Goalie

Yaroslav Askarov – Alex Nedeljkovic

The Sharks will enter the season with Askarov as their projected No. 1 goaltender.

The 24-year-old has the physical tools and pedigree to become San Jose’s long-term answer in net. The organization will need him to take another step after sharing the crease with veteran goaltenders throughout his early NHL career.

Nedeljkovic provides experienced competition behind him. Comrie also gives San Jose another NHL-caliber option after signing a two-year contract and entering camp competing for playing time behind Askarov.

Samsonov adds another layer of organizational depth after signing a one-year, two-way contract in September. He has 200 NHL regular-season games of experience and owns a career .902 save percentage.

Askarov’s development will be one of the biggest factors in determining whether the Sharks can turn their improved roster into a playoff team.

Wrap Up:

The San Jose Sharks enter the 2026-27 season with expectations that are much different from where the organization stood a year ago.

San Jose improved from 52 points in 2024-25 to 86 points last season and came within four points of a playoff spot. The Sharks now have a legitimate opportunity to end their seven-season playoff drought.

The biggest reason for optimism is Celebrini. He already established himself as one of the NHL’s elite offensive players at just 20 years old after scoring 115 points last season. He now has a long-term contract that keeps him in San Jose through the 2031-32 season.

However, San Jose cannot rely on Celebrini to carry the offense by himself. Smith, Misa, Stenberg, Graf, Marchment and Chernyshov all need to contribute.

The Sharks also made the biggest investment in their defense in years. Trouba and Nurse give San Jose two experienced defensemen, while Dickinson, Cagnoni and Kesselring provide a younger group that can continue developing around them.

Ultimately, the Sharks’ season will come down to whether the supporting cast can close the gap behind Celebrini. Last season, his 115 points exceeded the combined totals of Smith and Wennberg, who ranked second and third on the team in scoring.

San Jose has addressed its biggest weaknesses with veteran additions while continuing to develop one of the NHL’s most promising young cores. If Smith takes another step, Misa and Stenberg make immediate impacts, the revamped defense holds up, and Askarov establishes himself as a reliable starter, the Sharks should have a realistic opportunity to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018-19.