Next up on our offseason reviews: the San Jose Sharks.
Roster Movement
Additions: Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba, Mason Marchment, Michael Kesselring, Eric Comrie
Subtractions: Mario Ferraro, William Eklund, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Philipp Kurashev
2025-26 Season Results vs VGK
10/9: at SJS: 4-3 Win (OT)
11/29: vs SJS: 4-3 Win
12/23: vs SJS: 7-2 Win
1/11: at SJS: 7-2 Win
Leaders Against VGK (25-26 Regular Season)
Goals: Wennberg, Smith, Graf (2)
Points: Toffoli (4)
Shots: Eklund (10)
Starts: Nedeljkovic, Askarov (2)
Wins: N/A (0)
Save Percentage: Nedeljkovic (.831)
Projected Lineup (per Sheng Peng, NBC Sports Bay Area)
Chernyshov-Celebrini-Smith
Marchment-Misa-Toffoli
Stenberg-Wennberg-Graf
Sherwood-Ostapchuk-Gaudette
Nurse-Trouba
Dickinson-Kesselring
Cagnoni-Orlov
Askarov
Nedeljkovic
Injured: None
Threat Level
7 out of 10
We’ve known for a while now that the Sharks are coming. It may finally be time that they arrive on the scene as a legitimate threat to the Golden Knights. It all starts with Macklin Celebrini, who will likely emerge as a Top 5 player in the entire NHL this season. Then, you add in the young pieces of Will Smith, Michael Misa, Igor Chernyshov, Sam Dickinson, Luca Cagnoni, and the 2nd overall pick in this year’s Draft, Ivar Stenberg, and the talent is overwhelming.
Now, they’ve added some veteran might with Jacob Trouba and Darnell Nurse on the backend and boosted the forward group with Mason Marchment and last year’s trade acquisition Keifer Sherwood, and they look like about as deep a team as there is in the Pacific Division.
Goaltending remains a question mark as Yaroslav Askarov has all the talent necessary to be a star but hasn’t put it together in the NHL yet.
Maybe the biggest hurdle for the Sharks is indeed the Golden Knights, though. VGK smoked them in each of the last two meetings and beat them all four times the teams played last season. Vegas remain the big bad wolf to San Jose, and until they defeat the Golden Knights, they’ll still be considered the little brothers.
There’s a chance it’s still one or two years too early for them to truly peak, but there’s also a realistic possibility they are the best team in the Pacific this season.
Knights fan in minny
Decent Acquisitions And you always have to look out for Macklin Celibrini
vgk21
here are NHL.com fantasy projected wins per team this season, with the difference vs last season in parentheses………
Pacific Division
VGK: 45 (plus-6)
EDM: 43 (plus-2)
SJS: 42 (plus-3)
ANA: 42 (minus-1)
LAK: 37 (plus-2)
CGY: 31 (minus-3)
SEA: 30 (minus-4)
VAN: 25 (same)
Emmanuel
Theres almost no one in their prime, all young or old.
vgk21
at least we finally know what was keeping Wild Bill Karlsson out so much of the past 2 seasons.
He said that it was a nagging hamstring injury that he went to Finland to have surgery on in Feb, and then was finally able to return in the playoffs vs Anaheim after about 3 months of recuperation.