SAN JOSE – Jonathan Becher did not necessarily expect the San Jose Sharks to be a playoff team this season.
But the president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment also did not expect the NHL team to struggle as mightily as it has through the first two-plus weeks of the season.
“You heard me say, I think a couple of times, I expected the season to be bumpy,” Becher told Bay Area News Group on Friday. “Transparently, it’s bumpier in the first seven and eight (games) than I wanted it to be, but that’s not the way to judge this at all.”
With their 7-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, the Sharks’ record dropped to 0-7-2, as they became the first team in NHL history to go winless in its first nine games in consecutive seasons.
The future might be teal, as the Sharks’ new team slogan goes, but the present looks rather bleak.
“It’s embarrassing,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of the dreadful starts in back-to-back years. “Truly embarrassing.”
Without No. 1 overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini (hip injury) since the first game of the season and captain Logan Couture (osteitis pubis), who hasn’t played or practiced since January, the Sharks are averaging a league-low 2.00 goals per game and allowing a next-to-last 4.22 goals.
The Sharks’ online promotional work this offseason mostly focused on Celebrini and Will Smith, who was drafted fourth overall in 2023. But Smith still does not have a point in seven games, and it’s unclear when Celebrini might be able to return.
“More than anything, this is an inconsistent team right now, which is not terribly surprising, given some of the guys that are still out,” Becher said. “Would we like to be in a better shape than we are now? Of course. But can I be hugely surprised at the inconsistency? Probably not.”
The Sharks finish their four-game road trip Monday in Salt Lake City, where they play the Utah Hockey Club for the first time in a regular-season game. San Jose then comes home to play the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
Without significant improvements, the Sharks could easily go 11 games to begin the season without a win, which would match last season’s putrid start. The NHL record is 15.
“Tomorrow is a new day,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said Saturday night. “We’re going to get back at it, and we’re going to find ways to improve, and we’re going to get our first win in Utah.”
Becher sure hopes so. But he was asked, if not solely on its win-loss record, how should the Sharks be judged?
Becher wants to see growth from individual players, particularly younger players, in their first or second full NHL seasons. He wants to see more consistency, not just from game to game, but from period to period.
Becher also wants the Sharks to remember their well-worn mantra of being a harder team to play against, which has wavered at times through nine games. He also wants to see veterans continue to help guide the younger players along.
“How well do our vets that we brought in to lead by example — in some cases, protect the young kids — how much do they actually do their role?
“(Tyler Toffoli) so far, I think everyone’s seen exactly why we got him. Some of the other guys probably need to give us a bit more,” Becher added.
Becher said Sharks owner Hasso Plattner has attended two of the team’s three home games so far and is in regular contact with himself and general manager Mike Grier.
Is Plattner still willing to be patient while going through the rebuilding process?
“He’s obviously fully on board with the plan that Mike (discussed) two and a half years ago when he was in the interview process,” to become the next GM, Becher said. “(Plattner) has seen the progress that we’ve made. He’s a winner in all things. He wants to win here as well. He pushes us to keep trying stuff. But he understands the cycle of sports. He knows the price we paid for being so good for so long.
“He shares the same sentiment that many fans have, which is wanting to get back there sooner rather than later, recognizing it’s probably going to take more time than all of us would like.”
In the meantime, Grier has cleared out a handful of long-term contracts and freed up tens of millions in cap space for future use. Through various trades over three separate drafts, the Sharks have built up one of the better prospect pools in the NHL.
Becher said Grier “has done exactly everything he said he was going to do.
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“Every move, is this a move he wrote down on a piece of paper two years ago? He can’t possibly do that. How could you? No way he could have predicted, for example, that Toffoli would be available at this point,” Becher said. “But the kinds of things he’s going to do, the kind of players he’s going to (bring) in, who he’s going to draft, I’d say if anything he’s slightly ahead of where he said he’d be at this point.
“His transparency on why he makes what decisions and how he talks through them have been fantastic.”
Indications are the Sharks will miss the postseason for a sixth consecutive year. When asked if he has a timeline for when he wants the Sharks to be a playoff contender again, Becher didn’t wish to comment. He feels good about where the Sharks are heading, though.
“Certainly expected growing pains. No question about it,” Becher said. “Nobody thought this was a cakewalk season. No one was (predicting) playoffs or anything like that. Would I like to be in better shape than we are now? Yes. Do I still have plenty of optimism that we’re building towards that? I do as well.”