until the last week of the regular season<\/a>. They established, without a doubt, that they have a franchise player in Macklin Celebrini. They saw lots of growth from other young stars like Will Smith, Sam Dickinson, Collin Graf and Michael Misa, among others.<\/p>\nSo what\u2019s Sharks general manager Mike Grier\u2019s offseason plan to take his team to the next level?<\/p>\n
He will have to face potentially massive extensions for Celebrini and Smith. Graf, a restricted free agent, also is due a healthy raise.<\/p>\n
Will Celebrini be his next captain?<\/p>\n
What will he do with UFAs Mario Ferraro, Vincent Desharnais, and Ryan Reaves?<\/p>\n
Was he happy with head coach Ryan Warsofsky\u2019s performance this season?<\/p>\n
What went wrong for the Sharks at the end of the year, that caused them to miss the playoffs?<\/p>\n
And will prospects Eric Pohlkamp and Leo Sahlin Wallenius join the San Jose Barracuda for their playoff push?<\/p>\n
Grier covered all these topics and more on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Warsofsky Will Be Back<\/p>\n
Warsofsky isn\u2019t going anywhere: Grier was happy with the job that his coaching staff did this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey did a good job,\u201d Grier said. \u201cI think he’s still learning and growing as a coach.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is one way that the second-year bench boss is trying to improve.<\/p>\n
\u201c[This is] probably all we think about,\u201d he said about the coach\u2019s side of things. \u201cYou drive to the rink. You drive home. You think about it\u2026You’re passionate. You get a little emotional when it comes to teaching, and you get fired up.\u201d<\/p>\n
But on the player\u2019s side of things?<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you don’t realize what the players have gone through, or you keep beating them up,\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cDo you need to spin it a little bit more positive? Or is today a day where you can be a little bit more negative, in a sense, but more so teaching and the way your tone is and your voice is? Just thinking about those scenarios as the season goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grier was coy about a potential contract extension for Warsofsky, who\u2019s heading into the third and final year of his deal. Being a lame duck coach won\u2019t be easy.<\/p>\n
My best guess, is that Grier won\u2019t do that to a head coach who led the team out of the cellar and will give him a short extension.<\/p>\n
That said, the shelf life of coaches \u2014 Warsofsky, after just two full seasons, already is the 17th most-tenured head coach in the NHL \u2014 will need to take this team to another level next year.<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t to close this season, as the Cinderella Sharks finished 7-9-2, four points out of a playoff spot.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how Grier saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was hard for the group when the temperature got turned up, the intensity, the pace of the game, the physicality, when every little play matters,\u201d Grier said. \u201cWe got a lot of guys on the roster where it was their first time going through that\u2026it was a really good learning experience for them and even more so, the coaching staff. I mean, it’s Warso\u2019s first time going through this type of run, feeling the heat and having to do things quickly and stuff like that. Make adjustments and try to figure out the tweaks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Will Warsofsky have the team ready for a surely more intense spotlight next season?<\/p>\n
WillMack Forever?<\/p>\n
Good news, both Celebrini and Smith, eligible for eight-year extensions this summer, want to be here.<\/p>\n
“I want to commit to this team and being here,\u201d Celebrini said. \u201cI love it here.”<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a great group,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI love being here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither Celebrini nor Smith defined how long they would like to extend for, but both clearly have enjoyed their time with the Sharks.<\/p>\n
Grier noted that the Sharks would like both franchise building blocks to be here for a long time. That said, both have a year remaining on their entry-level contracts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it’s the case where we don’t get it done, it’s not the end of the world either,\u201d Grier said of this summer. \u201cI don’t think there’s a huge rush.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounds like Grier playing it cool: I would bet that both Celebrini and Smith sign long and lucrative extensions this summer. The chances are, this will save him money than waiting until the summer of 2027 to extend his rapidly-improving young stars.<\/p>\n
Mac-kaptain<\/p>\n
Veterans Tyler Toffoli and Reaves left no doubt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see a reason why not,\u201d alternate captain Toffoli said, when asked if 19-year-old Celebrini was ready to be captain of the Sharks.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis leadership on the ice, I\u2019ve seen it before,\u201d 16-year NHL veteran and ex-Pittsburgh Penguin Ryan Reaves said. \u201cI saw it in a guy named Sidney Crosby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crosby was named captain of the Penguins at 19 in 2007.<\/p>\n
Grier, by the way, noted that there have been discussions about bringing back UFA enforcer Reaves.<\/p>\n
Speaking of Celebrini, Grier once again played it cool, when asked about promoting his teenage alternate captain.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s taken some leadership steps, and he’s learning what it’s like to have to lead men in here and deal with referees,\u201d Grier said. \u201cI think it was a good step for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I would be surprised if Celebrini is not the captain of the Sharks at the beginning of the 2026-27 campaign.<\/p>\n
Playoffs Next Year?<\/p>\n
How can the Sharks end their seven-year playoff drought?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got to keep the puck out, that’s the main thing,\u201d Grier said. \u201cWe got to improve defensively.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sharks gave up 290 goals, the third-most in the NHL.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur special teams have got to improve, both of them, power play and PK,\u201d Grier said.<\/p>\n
The Sharks\u2019 power play was 16th and the penalty kill was 26th.<\/p>\n
Both offensively and defensively, an enviable collection of young and talented forwards, Celebrini, Smith, Igor Chernyshov, Graf, William Eklund, Misa, and Zack Ostapchuk figure to take another leap next year.<\/p>\n
RFA Graf was perhaps the Sharks\u2019 biggest surprise this season, non-Celebrini category, going from NCAA free agent to 21-goal scorer and top penalty killer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s definitely someone we’d like to get something done with and have him be a part of the future,\u201d Grier said.<\/p>\n
The Sharks\u2019 blueline might look much different next season: Only Dmitry Orlov and rookie Dickinson are signed, and Shakir Mukhamadullin in an RFA.<\/p>\n
Ferraro, Desharnais, John Klingberg, and Nick Leddy are UFAs.<\/p>\n
What does the back-end need?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s probably a little bit of everything,\u201d Grier said. \u201cI think we need to be able to move the puck a little bit better, we need to be harder around our net, and we need to be able to kill more plays in the D-zone\u2026a little bit of stiffness back there to defend hard when you do have those shifts where you’re boxed in your end. Then at the same time, when teams dump pucks in, we got to be able to break pucks out a little bit cleaner and get away from so many rims and things like that. If we can get the puck up in our forwards\u2019 hands a little bit cleaner, we’ll be better off for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mukhamadullin, 24, had an up-and-down season, but he\u2019s 6-foot-4 and has clear puck-moving talent. Grier says the RFA will be back, and that the Sharks still believe in the 2020 first-round pick.<\/p>\n
Grier said that Sharks lifer Ferraro will \u201cprobably at least test free agency, then we’ll go from there.\u201d Considering Ferraro clearly has stated that he\u2019d like to return to San Jose, it sounds like Grier and Ferraro aren\u2019t on the same page about what he\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n
Ferraro is just 27, and as one of the better UFA blueliners out there, he probably will command a deal richer than the Sharks seem to want to pay.<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-5 Desharnais does provide that \u201cstiffness\u201d that Grier wants and shouldn\u2019t be terribly expensive, so my best guess, is he returns to the Sharks\u2019 back-end.<\/p>\n
In the system, Grier noted that puck-mover Luca Cagnoni, shooter Pohlkamp, and more physical Nolan Allan also could challenge for NHL jobs next year.<\/p>\n
Of just-signed NCAA star Pohlkamp, Grier said that the 2023 fifth-rounder is dealing with hand and foot injuries, but there\u2019s a chance that he could join the Barracuda for their current playoff run. Same for Sahlen Wallenius, whose SHL season just ended, though it seemed less likely than the 2024 second-rounder would be coming over to play this year. The big picture this offseason though, is the Sharks need to change the complexion of their defense.<\/p>\n
Grier is cognizant of that and about adding talent around superstar Celebrini, but also …<\/p>\n
\u201cStepping on the gas too early,\u201d Grier said, \u201cI think that’s the common mistake, where you feel like you lose a little bit of the patience, and you feel like you want to get there sooner than maybe your group’s ready to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll see what that means for the Sharks\u2019 blueline this fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s the discipline I have to have, as well as this year went, with the excitement that’s in the building and in the fanbase, to not overstep and do something that, in two years, we’re regretting and worrying about after trying to get things kickstarted again,\u201d Grier said. \u201cHopefully, we can just keep a steady progression and climb and not get too carried away with having some good feelings after the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between the pipes, Grier had confidence in young Yaroslav Askarov, who had an up-and-down season, highlighted by an 8-2-0 November with a .940 Save Percentage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he showed in that November, the talent level he has and how good he can be,\u201d Grier said. \u201cLike all young players, there’s going to be ups and downs and things that you want to improve on. It’s no different than Smitty or Dicky, right? They have good moments, go on good stretches, and they have moments where they struggle. It’s all part of the process.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Different Draft?<\/p>\n
For years, the highlight of the Sharks\u2019 season was the draft.<\/p>\n
Not so for the 2026 draft, even though the playoff hopefuls possess a lottery pick and the Edmonton Oilers\u2019 first.<\/p>\n
Grier said that even his lottery pick could be in play for immediate help, probably a younger impact skater who can grow with Celebrini and company.<\/p>\n
But as much as things change, they stay the same. Grier\u2019s draft philosophy, best player available, remains the same as it ever was, it doesn\u2019t matter if the Sharks\u2019 system has a clear need for more high-end defense.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we’re still picking in the top part of the draft, I think you really run the risk of making a big mistake if you’re just strictly drafting for need over talent,\u201d Grier said. \u201cWe’ll take the best player available on our board. It’s not like the NFL, right? NFL guys, you’re plug and play. We’re drafting 17 and 18-year-old kids. It’s a long runway for these kids, so you can get caught in a dangerous game if you start drafting for need too much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was a successful season for the Sharks. They improved 34 points, from 52 to 86 points, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":564491,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5127],"tags":[5,747,4,519,168,5306,5305,1780,6298],"class_list":["post-564490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose-sharks","tag-hockey","tag-mike-grier","tag-nhl","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-sharks","tag-sanjose","tag-sanjosesharks","tag-sharks","tag-sharks-analysis"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116501387922051311","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=564490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/564491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=564490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=564490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=564490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}