Three Things the Sharks Should Be Thankful For – Hockey Writer – San Jose Sharks

It’s Thanksgiving in America, and the San Jose Sharks have more to be thankful for than they have in recent years at this critical time in the NHL season. Let’s take a look at a few key points that help tell the story of the Sharks’ progress to date and suggest where the team could go from here.

Sharks young players break out

The Sharks have gradually introduced more and better young players over the past few seasons, and this year is their biggest leap forward. Macklin Celebrini’s performance in his rookie season showed that at just 19 years old, he is very close to becoming a top NHL forward. Will Smith has already scored nearly half of his points from last season in less than a quarter of the time. William Eklund hasn’t made the same progress offensively, but has excelled defensively. Collin Graf is transforming into a potentially elite penalty killer, while Shakir Mukhamadullin is finally proving he can be a full-time NHL defenseman.

All of the players mentioned above have played for the Sharks in previous seasons, but they’ve also added some exciting new ones. Sam Dickinson did make some rookie mistakes, but he’s learning how to be a consistent, reliable player in his first pro season. Michael Misa’s season has been limited by injury, but the Sharks’ solid performance without him has created excitement for his eventual return. Add in all the players in their system who haven’t made it to the NHL yet, plus their clear ability to develop prospects, and San Jose’s future hasn’t been this bright in a long time.

The Sharks are proving that both their forwards and blueliners have a lot to contribute in the future. But that’s without even discussing the breakthrough they found in their third position group.

Juuse Saros and the Predator expansion

Goalie Jus Saros signed an eight-year contract extension with the Nashville Predators in the summer of 2024. This came as a surprise to Jaroslav Askarov, who had hoped to become the team’s long-term goalkeeper in the near future. Seeing no path for himself to get a permanent starting job in Nashville, he requested a trade from the organization.

His decision to request a transfer was extremely risky, but it gave the Sharks their most exciting goalie prospect in years. After a mix of good and inconsistent performances in 13 NHL games in 2024-25, he spent the entire season in the majors.

After a disappointing October, November was by far the best month of his career. He allowed just two goals or fewer in seven of nine games while notching key wins in three overtimes and one penalty shootout. He reads the game extremely well and is able to anticipate puck movement to put himself in advantageous positions. His athleticism allows him to cover for mistakes, whether they are his own or through the defense in front of him. While his attempts to play hockey still get dicey at times, he’s at least getting a little smarter with those decisions.

Askarov will need to maintain this level of play for more than a month, but he gives the Sharks something they haven’t had in a long time: hope for a future in net. Since the team hasn’t been in playoff contention in years and doesn’t have a promising prospect pool, they’ve put a lot of backup goaltenders on the roster. Finally, they have a guy who doesn’t create this feeling and constantly shows how good he can be.

Other teams’ needs for defensive players

The Sharks’ blueline isn’t one of their strongest units right now, but they have a more pressing problem — they have too many defenders. They will almost certainly need a replacement to ease the crowding.

RELATED: Sharks are reaching their potential, but still have room for improvement

Good news? Competing teams are always looking to bolster their rosters with immediate winning moves. Whether due to injuries or poor performance, the team needs to bring in new defensemen. The Carolina Hurricanes, for example, already have problems this season, but they’re not the only ones. By then, the Sharks should be ready to make some calls.

If the Sharks do trade a blueliner — almost certainly one of the veteran defensemen — they’ll gain a lot. A trade would provide Dickinson and Mohammadullin with more playing time and allow them to further develop. If they decide to keep Misa in San Jose for the full nine games, they would also free up a contract for him.

The Sharks have been more sellers than buyers in the trade scenario over the past few years. They hope this doesn’t last long, but in this particular case, it works to their advantage.

Sharks in best position in years

The Sharks still have a long way to go. As last night’s 6-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche showed, they are not yet at a level where they can consistently keep up with teams at the highest level. But they’ve made huge improvements compared to past seasons. They have promising young skaters both forward and defensively, their most exciting young goaltenders in over two decades, and could view trades as a way to free up space for those players rather than a way to acquire draft picks. It may not be enough to warrant a title shot, but it provides plenty of reasons to be thankful in a way they haven’t seen in past Thanksgivings.