Sharks Playoff Drought Reaches Six Seasons

To no surprise, the San Jose Sharks will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again.

Mar 8, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) reacts after a shot missed the net against the New York Islanders during the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

From when they entered the league in 1991 to 2019, the San Jose Sharks missed the playoffs just six times. Now, they've missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons dating back to 2020.

San Jose (18-41-9) became the first team to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention this season thanks to the St. Louis Blues' 7-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

The Sharks can now only reach a maximum of 73 points on the season, the same amount that the Blues and Vancouver Canucks, who hold the second wild card spot, currently have. The Blues and Canucks play each other on Thursday, and with at least one of them gaining points in that game, the Sharks have no remaining path to the postseason.

San Jose last made the playoffs in 2019, making it to the Western Conference Final before falling to St. Louis in six games. That proved to be the final championship push for franchise legends Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski in Sharks uniforms.

That said, no one, probably not even the Sharks, expected them to make the playoffs this season, but that wasn't necessarily their goal. Rather, it was to have their young talent take a step forward, and that has been largely successful.

Mar 4, 2025; Buffalo, New York, USA; San Jose Sharks center Will Smith (2) celebrates his goal with center Macklin Celebrini (71) during the third period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, already looks like a star in the making with 50 points (21 goals, 29 assists) in 56 games. He missed the early part of the season, when the Sharks struggled the most, due to injury, but has played very well when healthy. He's still just 18 years old, so the future is extremely bright for him.

William Eklund, the No. 7 overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, has had the best season of his career with 49 points (14 goals, 35 assists) in 63 games. Will Smith, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, has had a solid first NHL season with 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists).

There will also be more young talent on the way soon. The Sharks have two first-round picks and two second-round picks in each of the next two drafts, and their own picks will be very early. Depending on their lottery luck, they could walk away with one of this year's top prospects like defenseman Matthew Schafer or forward Michael Misa.

This has been a long and painful rebuild for the Sharks, and they likely have a couple more years before they can start seriously competing for a playoff spot again. If their young players continue to develop as they should, though, the future will be very bright in San Jose.

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