The San Jose Sharks have officially been eliminated from postseason contention.
Despite ending a 15-game losing streak to the Nashville Predators on Monday evening, the Sharks needed some help from the Seattle Kraken to keep their hopes alive, help which never came. The Los Angeles Kings defeated Seattle 5-3 to secure the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference and eliminated both the Sharks and Predators in the process.
Overall, while it’s easy to be disappointed by how the season has ended, the Sharks massively exceeded expectations this season. While they made it clear that they wanted to play meaningful games in the latter half of the season, I don’t think anyone expected them to stay in the hunt until mid-April.
The Sharks’ success was mostly due to Macklin Celebrini’s incredible performance this season. He emerged as a top player in the NHL at just 19 years of age and we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.
Last season, the Sharks finished last in the league with just 52 points and only 20 wins. This season, they nearly doubled that win total as they currently have 38 wins on the season, and they have 84 points at this stage.
Ultimately, their downfall can be attributed to a six-game losing streak in the middle of March and a 3-4-1 record in April. The Sharks’ lack of experience caught up with them, but they learned some valuable lessons in the meantime.
The season still isn’t over for the Sharks though. They have two games remaining against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets to end the campaign, but now they’ll be more focused on evaluating talent and long-term decision making rather than fighting to survive.
Sharks general manager Mike Grier has a busy summer ahead, full of difficult decisions. This season raised expectations, and next season they won’t get the same benefit of the doubt for missing the playoffs.
