In this series, Heavy Sports is looking at what every NHL team has done over the offseason. Next up is the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks took a significant step forward in the NHL standings last year as they improved by 34 points compared to the previous season. Their 39-35-8 record was not enough to punch a ticket in the playoffs, but they came close. San Jose looks to break out of the rebuild and into postseason contention next season in what projects to be a wide open pacific division.
Who are San Jose’s Additions?
Key additions: Alex Barre-Boulet, Eric Comrie, Tye Felhaber, Libor Hajek, Michael Kesselring, Mason Marchment, Darnell Nurse, Ivar Stenberg, Jacob Trouba
The biggest addition for this team once again came through the draft as the Sharks selected Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg with the 2nd overall selection after moving up in the lottery. Stenberg should be in the Calder mix in what aims to be a loaded race for rookie of the year honors this season. General manager Mike Grier made addressing the defense among his top offseason objectives this summer. He brought in veteran defensemen Michael Kesselring, Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba to help shore up their weak blueline. Mason Marchment is another notable add in the forward core, he should add some grit to this lineup. Franchise player Macklin Celebrini signed the richest contract in the league as he extended for five years at $18.8 million per year. That deal won’t kick in until conclusion of his entry-level-contract in 2027. Colin Graf also received a contract extension as he re-upped for three years at $12.75 million.
Who are San Jose’s Subtractions?
Key subtractions: Laurent Brossoit, Vincent Desharnais, William Eklund, Mario Ferraro, John Klingberg, Philip Kurashev, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Nick Leddy, Ryan Reaves, Pavol Regenda
The most notable loss for this club is forward William Eklund as he heads off to the Ottawa Senators. The Sharks used Eklund to acquire Ottawa’s ninth overall pick, which they used to select defenseman Keaton Verhoeff. Otherwise, the remaining losses are mainly secondary depth pieces.
Overall, it has been a busy offseason for this Sharks team as management clearly views the 2026-2027 season as the year for this team to ascend into that competitive postseason picture after many years of rebuilding. The Sharks appear to have assembled one of the most promising young cores in the league. This is a team that has a bright future in store. Their hopes for next season will depend on the squad built around Celebrini showing progression. Celebrini will perform, but he can’t do it alone. What kind of jumps can these youth players take, especially guys like Will Smith, Michael Misa, Igor Chernyshov, Sam Dickinson, etc… This group should not struggle to score goals, improvement on the back-end will be crucial for their playoff prospects. They could also use improvement in net after their goaltending struggled last season. Can Yaroslav Askarov step into that role of becoming that starter the team can rely on?
All transactions are available via Puck Pedia.
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