2026-27 San Jose Sharks Season Preview

Credit: San Jose Sharks-Twitter/X

We finally made it.

The Sharks are back on the ice today!

The boys are back, and they are looking for trouble. Training camp is open.

The San Jose Sharks hit the ice for the first time this season.

Expectations are high not only from the fans, but the players as well.

This team is ready to take the next step.

Award Season

Macklin Celebrini placed second last season for the Ted Lindsay Award and fourth for the Hart Memorial Trophy. Celebrini took the league by storm last year, seemingly out of nowhere. There is no reason he shouldn’t be a contender again this year.

Ivar Stenberg could contend for the Calder Trophy, depending on his playing status. As long as he makes the team out of camp and plays at least 70 games, he should be a lock for a Calder finalist, minimum.

Collin Graf could be a dark horse for the Lady Byng Trophy. And maybe this could be the year GM Mike Grier starts receiving the respect he deserves with a Jim Gregory GM of the Year award. Bottom line, the Sharks could take home some hardware next spring.

Develop the Core, Develop the Culture

The Sharks tag of the last few years has been “the future is teal.” With all the prospects and young talent they have, it just fit. This year, that young talent will keep growing and developing. Michael Misa really started to find his game in the last few weeks of last season. Sam Dickinson will continue to develop his defensive game, and maybe we will start to see his offense more.

I want to see Will Smith and Yaroslav Askarov take steps in their games. Smith should become a point-per-game player, minimum. 90+ points would be phenomenal. Askarov needs to show he can be that top NHL goalie. He’s shown flashes of talent; he just needs to make the saves he should. Ultimately, I just want to see continued growth.

As for the Sharks culture, it should be in good hands. A lot of credit goes to Ryan Reaves (congrats on your retirement, Reavo) for helping to establish a culture. The 2025-26 Sharks were a very tight-knit group. The young core- Celebrini, Smith, Misa, Dickinson, among others- along with the leaders- Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, and Kiefer Sherwood will continue to develop the Sharks’ strong culture. That alone will make San Jose an attractive place to play.

Season Prediction

Last season, the Sharks finished with 86 points, 34 more than the previous season. Nobody saw that coming. The Sharks made it to the last week of the season, before being eliminated from playoff contention. We predicted that last season.

This year, though, the Sharks will take another step. The eight-season playoff drought will finally end. San Jose will finish second in the Pacific Division. Not only that, the Sharks will ride the momentum of home-ice advantage in the first round and win their first playoff series. The Tank becomes that loud, intimidating barn once again.