Now, he needs to do it all over again, perhaps to an even bigger extent this summer.\u00a0 Among regulars on their roster this season, the only ones under contract are Orlov and Sam Dickenson.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Shakir Mukhamadullin<\/a> is a pending restricted free agent.\u00a0 Everyone else \u2013 Klingberg, Leddy, Mario Ferraro<\/a>, and Vincent Desharnais<\/a> \u2013 will hit the open market this summer, potentially leaving four roster spots to try to fill.<\/p>\n Ferraro is the one that they\u2019d undoubtedly like to keep and he has made it clear that he\u2019d like to stay.\u00a0 But as one of the better players set to be available, he\u2019ll have the leverage to command a long-term deal, something that the Sharks don\u2019t appear inclined to offer just yet.\u00a0 Short-term reunions with Klingberg and Desharnais could be explored while Leddy almost certainly won\u2019t be back.<\/p>\n It\u2019s safe to say that Grier will need to make a move or two on the free agent market but given the thinned-out group, he\u2019ll also need to do something on the trade front.\u00a0 With a deep cupboard of draft picks and prospects, they\u2019ll be in a good position to add there.\u00a0 But after a summer of turnover last year, it could be an even bigger one with potentially four newcomers (perhaps including prospect Eric Pohlkamp<\/a>) joining San Jose\u2019s blueline.<\/p>\n Core Extension Talks<\/p>\n The Sharks were led offensively this season by a pair of sophomore players, Macklin Celebrini<\/a> and Will Smith<\/a>.\u00a0 Both players will be extension-eligible on July 1st, leaving a 10-week window to try to work out an eight-year deal before that option gets eliminated with the new CBA beginning in mid-September.\u00a0 It\u2019s fair to say that both players are part of the long-term core group so getting them locked up should be high on the priority list.<\/p>\n The priciest post-entry-level contract in terms of AAV is Edmonton\u2019s Connor McDavid<\/a>, who signed an eight-year pact worth $12.5MM per season.\u00a0 Given Celebrini\u2019s performance this year and the considerable upward movement in the salary cap, there\u2019s a good chance there will soon be a new record on that front.\u00a0 In terms of cap percentage, McDavid\u2019s deal was 15.72% of the Upper Limit when it was signed, an amount that would equate to around $17.8MM in 2027-28 based on current cap projections.\u00a0 It\u2019s fair to say Celebrini won\u2019t command something in that territory but something in the $14MM range or even $15MM on an eight-year deal certainly feels palatable.\u00a0 And if that\u2019s not a number San Jose is willing to go to just yet, they can wait out the year but would only be able to do a seven-year pact next summer.<\/p>\n Smith, meanwhile, had a solid second NHL season himself, recording 24 goals and 35 assists in 69 games to finish second on the team in scoring.\u00a0 While he was drafted as a center, he hasn\u2019t played there much so far in the NHL but that could change down the road depending on how Michael Misa<\/a>, another high draft pick, performs in that role.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s at center or the wing, the Sharks are hoping he\u2019s a top-line fixture and Smith\u2019s camp will be expecting an extension offer in that territory.\u00a0 Again, given the big bumps coming to the salary cap, there could be some sticker shock on the price, which plausibly could approach the $10MM mark on an eight-year agreement.<\/p>\n Given that there is some variance potential in where both sides think Smith will land, it\u2019s entirely possible that an extension isn\u2019t worked out this summer.\u00a0 In that case, they can simply let next season play out and use that performance to help shape contract talks.\u00a0 While it\u2019s possible that they could look to do a bridge contract as they did with William Eklund<\/a> last summer, that\u2019s probably not the most advisable approach at this time; there\u2019s no need to commit that soon to a short-term second pact.<\/p>\n Add PK Help <\/p>\n With a patchwork (albeit improved) back end and a goalie tandem that was a little shaky (Yaroslav Askarov<\/a>\u2019s rookie year was hot and cold and Alex Nedeljkovic<\/a> is an okay backup), it\u2019s unsurprising that the Sharks were once again a team that got scored on a lot.\u00a0 While they shaved 20 goals off last year\u2019s number, they still allowed 290, more than 3.5 per game.\u00a0 Some of that can be attributed to what was just noted but the penalty kill also has to wear some of the blame.<\/p>\n San Jose allowed 58 power play goals this season, sixth-most in the NHL.\u00a0 Their success rate was 76.4%, 26th in the league.\u00a0 These are numbers that can definitely stand to be improved upon.\u00a0 And if they have genuine playoff aspirations next season, then these numbers have to be improved upon.<\/p>\n One way to do that is to get some help up front.\u00a0 San Jose\u2019s four most-used forwards shorthanded in terms of ATOI per game were Ty Dellandrea<\/a>, Collin Graf<\/a>, Alexander Wennberg<\/a>, and Barclay Goodrow<\/a>.\u00a0 Dellandrea and Wennberg were second-wave players in 2024-25, Graf was a rookie, and Goodrow is widely expected to be a buyout waiting to happen.\u00a0 With due respect to these players, they can certainly be improved upon.<\/p>\n With a young team, it should come as little surprise that the Sharks struggle at the faceoff dot.\u00a0 Getting a checker who can win draws is a good place to start.\u00a0 A veteran who can fill a fourth-line checking specialist role would also help.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t going to turn things around by any stretch but adding a few percent to the success rate is probably worth a few points in the standings as well.\u00a0 Those adds would also allow the young core a bit more time to develop before potentially being thrust into that role down the road as well.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth noting here that San Jose\u2019s four most-used blueliners shorthanded in terms of ATOI were Ferraro, Desharnais, Timothy Liljegren<\/a>, and Vincent Iorio<\/a>.\u00a0 In other words, two pending UFAs, someone who was traded at the deadline, and someone lost to a waiver claim.\u00a0 As Grier looks to reshape his back end, finding some reliable penalty killers will be a particular point of emphasis.<\/p>\n Add A Core Piece<\/p>\n Over the course of the rebuild, the Sharks have brought in several core pieces, headlined up front by Celebrini, Smith, Misa, and Eklund, with Dickinson representing the future on the back end.\u00a0 Their good fortune in the Draft Lottery will ensure they get another one as they now hold the second selection in next month\u2019s draft.\u00a0 They should get a core piece from that pick.<\/p>\n In a nutshell, that alone would check the box in this section.\u00a0 They will get a future core player in the draft to add to their stockpile.\u00a0 But if they\u2019re aiming on getting to the playoffs next season, Grier needs to be aiming for a current core addition as well.<\/p>\n In a perfect world, that player would be in the same age group as the current core.\u00a0 Having said that, the only way to get that is to probably trade the number two pick.\u00a0 For the right young player, that shouldn\u2019t be off the table but it\u2019s probably not Plan A either.<\/p>\n But this is a young enough group that they could stand to add a top-six forward up front as they did with Tyler Toffoli<\/a> two summers ago.\u00a0 And, obviously, a core defender or two would go a long way.\u00a0 They were in on Dougie Hamilton<\/a> last offseason but it\u2019s believed he invoked his trade protection to stay in New Jersey.\u00a0 It\u2019s possible they could try to circle back on that front but they might be better off looking elsewhere.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/macklin-celebrini-sharks-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Celebrini is coming off an absolutely dynamic season.\u00a0 He took his offensive game to an elite level, potting 45 goals and 70 assists to finish fourth in the league in scoring, a performance that likely will have him finishing within the top five in Hart Trophy balloting (although he\u2019s not among the three finalists).\u00a0 It\u2019s very rare for a second-year player to have that type of impact and he has already become the elite piece they hoped they were getting when they made him the first-overall pick in 2024.\u00a0 And while this won\u2019t factor directly into his contract talks, he played quite well for Canada at the Olympics and is currently impressing at the Worlds as well.<\/p>\n