A playoff berth was unthinkable for the Sharks a year ago, but an unexpected turnaround in the 2025-26 NHL season has fans\u00a0champing\u00a0at the bit.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0breakout of 19-year-old star Macklin Celebrini has spurred the reversal<\/a>.\u00a0With the March 6 NHL trade deadline in the rearview mirror\u00a0and\u00a0the Sharks on the cusp of a wild card spot, the team\u00a0has the\u00a0option\u00a0of making a move to strengthen this year\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n But Sharks president Jonathan Becher told NBC Sports California’s Alan Hoshida the team\u00a0will not risk their ability to sustain future success for a short-term return.<\/p>\n \u201cIt starts with:\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0the goal here? The goal is not\u00a0a one-and-done,\u201d Becher explained. \u201cA lot of times, fans ask me, \u2018What do we do to push for the playoffs this year?\u2019 And my answer is\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0not what the goal is here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Sharks are\u00a0in the midst of\u00a0a six-year\u00a0playoff drought \u2013 the longest in franchise history.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0new \u2013 and uncomfortable \u2013 territory for the organization and its fanbase.<\/p>\n But the\u00a0rebuild engineered by general manager Mike Grier<\/a>\u00a0aims\u00a0to bring the Sharks back to the long-term success\u00a0they know and not be sidetracked by short-term gratification.<\/p>\n \u201cYou may remember we had a 20-year run when we made the playoffs every year except for [two] of those,\u201d Becher noted. \u201cSo, it\u2019s not just about this year, but it\u2019s about making decisions for next year and the year after.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Sharks now have a promising young core\u00a0headlined by\u00a0Celebrini, but it also\u00a0includes\u00a020-year-old center\u00a0Will Smith<\/a>\u00a0and 23-year-old goalie\u00a0Yaroslav Askarov<\/a>.\u00a0Celebrini\u2019s\u00a0stardom has accelerated\u00a0the perceived rebuild timeline, but the\u00a0Sharks\u00a0brass\u00a0remains\u00a0steadfast in their approach towards the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMacklin\u00a0is only 19. You look at hockey players; they play well into their late 30s,\u201d Becher noted. \u201cWe might end up with a 20-year run here; a lot of the other players are young as well.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so, the point is:\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0push too hard.\u00a0Let\u2019s\u00a0make this a sustainable long-term thing, and the rest will take care of\u00a0itself.\u201d<\/p>\n The organization\u2019s alignment toward the\u00a0future, however,\u00a0does not prevent\u00a0it from making personnel moves for short-term benefits.\u00a0The Sharks\u00a0acquired\u00a0veteran forward Kiefer Sherwood<\/a>\u00a0on an expiring contract in January\u00a0for two\u00a0future\u00a0second-round picks.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the trade deadline looming, Becher notes that Grier has the autonomy to make decisions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, this is Mike\u2019s ultimate decision,\u201d Becher said. \u201cThis is why we hired him to be the general manager…\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c… In general, [owner] Hasso [Plattner] and I are giving him more general guidance and count on him to make the right decisions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Sharks made a pair of small moves before last Friday’s trade deadline, resisting the urge to make a swing-for-the-fences blockbuster deal.<\/p>\n Even if the Sharks fall short of a playoff berth when the regular season concludes in mid-April, Becher and the rest of the organization can\u00a0be satisfied\u00a0with\u00a0a drastic\u00a0year-over-year improvement and another positive step in San Jose\u2019s rebuild.\u00a0<\/p>\n