The San Jose Sharks were not only the weakest team in the National Hockey League in 2023-24, but they put together one of the worst campaigns in the history of the league. Everyone knew this squad would struggle in the early stages of the rebuild, but probably no one expected a 19-win, 47-point season. That hasn't happened in California since the early days of the franchise back in the early 1990s, when the Sharks won 17, 11 and 19 games in three of their first four years of existence.
Of course, being basement dwellers means one thing: it's only up from here. And that's very true for a San Jose team that won the draft lottery, selected young phenom and potential franchise cornerstone Macklin Celebrini No. 1 overall, and made a few smart moves in free agency. General manager Mike Grier had impossible decisions to make on Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture last season, with the former being shipped to the Vegas Golden Knights and the latter still on the roster, but with no timetable to return to action.
Still, at first glance, this roster is much better than the miserable product being iced in 2023-24 — especially offensively. While expecting this team to make the playoffs is extremely bold, there's a very good chance the Sharks don't finish dead last in league standings again, and they should easily win 20+ games in 2024-25. A big reason for that is due to an impressive NHL free agency period for Grier and the front office. Let's talk about it.
Tyler Toffoli should thrive back in California
Tyler Toffoli has played for five different teams in five seasons, being traded from the Los Angeles Kings to the Vancouver Canucks and subsequently suiting up for the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets between 2020-24. It made sense that the 32-year-old would be looking for some stability in free agency, and he found it with the Sharks.
Player and club agreed to a four-year, $24 million pact on July 1, ideally ending Toffoli's days as a journeyman as he makes the trip back to California — the place where he won a Stanley Cup with the Kings (in his rookie season) in 2014. The former second-round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft scored a very respectable 33 goals and 55 points in 79 games between the Devils and Jets last season.
“Tyler is a proven veteran scorer who provides a significant offensive boost to our forward group,” Grier said about his prized free agent acquisition. “He has a championship pedigree, winning a Stanley Cup in 2014 along with achieving two gold medals in the World Championship. His experience will be a valuable addition to our team.”
At first glance, Toffoli is probably the best winger on the team, and is a strong candidate to play on Celebrini's wing on the top line come October. He's a proven goal scorer with decent defensive metrics and should be a key veteran a lot of the young guys on this roster look to over the next four seasons.
“I think the opportunity was there for me, and obviously the rebuild they have started,” Toffoli said shortly after signing, per NHL.com. “And the draft that they just had, they drafted a couple of guys who are cornerstones for the organization. So, it's an exciting time. Obviously, I started my career in L.A. Knowing how passionate the fan base is definitely encouraged me to make my decision.”
Toffoli seems excited to play in California again, and he'll join a few other veterans who were added to the roster this summer.
Alex Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow bring key veteran leadership
Along with Toffoli, the Sharks added another veteran in former first-round pick (No. 14 overall) Alexander Wennberg, who spent the last nearly three years of his career with the Seattle Kraken before being traded to the New York Rangers ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Although he struggled offensively, putting up just five points in 19 regular-season contests with the Blueshirts and chipping in two more points in 16 postseason games, he's an excellent defensive forward. He should help this team immensely defensively, and will likely slot in at 3C, presumably behind Celebrini and Mikael Granlund, who had a phenomenal 2023-24 campaign on a very poor team.
And Sharks fans will know all about Barclay Goodrow, who went undrafted but was signed by San Jose a decade ago. He played the first six seasons of his professional career in California before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he would win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. A few years later, he makes his return to the city after three seasons with the Rangers.
Goodrow certainly adds veteran leadership, like Wennberg, but he has struggled over the last few seasons. Despite an excellent 2024 postseason that saw him rack up six goals and eight points to help the Rangers make their second Eastern Conference Final in three campaigns, he hasn't moved the needle too much in the regular-season. The Sharks will be hoping he can bounce back after a ghastly 12 points in 80 games in 2023-24, and he'll likely slot in on the fourth line next season.
Both Wennberg and Goodrow, along with Toffoli, will be important for the youngsters coming in next season. All three veterans will play a role, and the Sharks are undoubtedly a better team with the trio in the fold.
Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith are joining a much-improved Sharks team
Along with the acquisition of defenseman Jake Walman on the back end and Vitek Vanecek between the pipes, the Sharks will be looking to take a step forward in 2024-25. And unlike last season, when there weren't very many reasons to watch this team, the same can't be said of next year.
Enter the one-two punch of Celebrini and Will Smith (No. 4 overall in 2023) that everyone in San Jose is hoping will help this franchise finally win an ever-elusive Stanley Cup. Both young phenoms should be on the opening night roster in October, while Fabian Zetterlund and William Eklund are expected to take another step forward.
San Jose will be a very interesting team to watch next year, with a plethora of talented young players and now a couple of responsible veterans to boot. Of course, none of the players mentioned in this section came over in free agency, so they can't be included in the grade, but the overall picture is starting to become more optimistic.
The offensive group is already looking miles ahead of last year, the defense is better, and if Mackenzie Blackwood or Vanecek can string together some solid play in the crease, this team could surprise a lot of people. Playoffs? Likely not. But a jump in the standings? Certainly possible, especially with the shrewd free agency additions of Toffoli, Wennberg and Goodrow.
FINAL GRADE: B+
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