The San José Sharks’ season came to an end just short of a playoff berth, extending their postseason drought to seven years.
San José finished fifth in the Pacific Division with a 39-35-8 record and 86 points, nearly doubling last season’s 20-win total.
Despite disappointment, the Sharks emphasized progress during an end-of-season press conference Saturday, where 12 players spoke, led by center Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
In just his second season, Celebrini emerged as a cornerstone of the franchise, scoring 45 goals, tied for fourth in the NHL, while adding 70 assists, ranking seventh.
Celebrini acknowledged the frustration of falling short, but pointed to the team’s growth.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing we didn’t make the playoffs and we were right there,” Celebrini said. “We knew we could have done it, and that stings a little bit. But I think you’ve got to look at the positives. We made a lot of big strides as a group and we played some good hockey.”
The season featured several memorable moments, including dramatic comebacks and energetic nights at the SAP Center, also known as the Shark Tank.
On Dec. 13, 2025, the Sharks staged one of the biggest comebacks in NHL history, rallying from a 5–1 third-period deficit to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6–5 in overtime. It was the largest comeback in franchise history and one of the biggest third-period comebacks ever.
Momentum carried into the new year. On Dec. 31, after Celebrini was named to Team Canada’s Olympic roster, San José defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in a shootout.
The Sharks followed that with another comeback win on Jan. 10, beating the Dallas Stars 5-4 in overtime, capped by forward Tyler Toffoli’s game-winning goal after the team erased a two-goal deficit.
The Sharks’ young core continued to develop throughout the season. Center Will Smith, also in his second year, finished second on the team with 24 goals despite playing just 69 games because of an upper-body injury.
Smith credited both the team’s youth and veteran leadership for their progress.
“We’re a young team, we’ve got a really good core,” Smith said. “I think the older guys are great with us. A lot of guys who’ve won in this league were on this roster this year. Whenever we had questions or needed something, they were always there to help. I think being in the race this year is definitely going to help us going into next year.”
Veterans such as forward Toffoli, right winger Ryan Reaves, and center Barclay Goodrow provided stability and experience for a developing roster.
Toffoli highlighted the team’s improved ability to close out games.
“I thought we did a good job of finding ways to win in different ways,” Toffoli said. “Obviously coming back and being able to hold leads, which was a problem for us last year, it was a lot of fun.”
In net, Yaroslav Askarov stood out in his first full NHL season, earning Sharks Rookie of the Year honors after recording 1,184 saves.
Askarov reflected positively on his experience with the team.
“That was one of the best seasons for me so far, especially with the type of guys on our team,” Askarov said.
San José showed improvement but still had areas to address. The Sharks ranked 16th in the NHL on the power play at 21.2% and were one of four teams without a shutout this season.
Offensively, they finished 17th with 249 goals.
Another key player, 19-year-old center Michael Misa and No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft, faced adversity during his rookie campaign.
He missed more than a month with a right ankle injury he suffered Nov. 5, 2025, later returning with the San José Barracuda. In 45 NHL games, Misa recorded nine goals and 12 assists.
Misa said the challenges helped accelerate his development.
“It definitely flew by,” Misa said. “With everything that was going on this year, I definitely learned a lot. We were right there, and it shows how special the group we have is. I’m already looking forward to next year.”
San José’s playoff hopes ultimately slipped away during a late-March six-game losing streak that left the team six points out of a wild-card spot.
Although the Sharks responded with a four-game winning streak to climb back into contention, a three-game skid from April 8-11 proved costly.
A shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on April 11 effectively ended their chances, and the Sharks were officially eliminated on April 13 following a Los Angeles Kings victory.
The Kings secured the final wild-card spot with 90 points.
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky credited the players with helping restore the team’s competitiveness.
“That’s something that we’ve talked about the last couple years, getting that respect back, and I think we’ve gotten it for sure,” Warsofsky said. “I would say that the group all year are the reason why we did it. I didn’t do anything.”
With the season over, the Sharks now turn their attention to the offseason, facing roster decisions but carrying renewed optimism.
The Sharks will reconvene for training camp in September, aiming to build on a season – while falling short of the playoffs – marked by significant progress.
