San Jose Sharks 2026-27 Plan Brings Expectations They Haven’t Faced in Years – Hockey Writers – San Jose Sharks

For the better part of a decade, the San Jose Sharks entered each season with a familiar sense of low stakes. The rebuilding years demanded patience, not results, and the release of the schedule was more than formal. This year is different. When the NHL released 84 games for all 32 teams on Thursday, it came to a place that carries something unheard of since 2019: Expectations.

The transformation was swift and complete. Only one player, winger Collin Graf, remains on the final roster for 2023-24. In his place is a team built to compete, led by a true superstar and bolstered by an aggressive offseason. After finishing four points behind the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference finals last season, the Sharks can’t look any further. They are chasing the postseason now.

The essence of that desire is Macklin Celebrini. His sophomore campaign was a breakout year, as he set the franchise single-season record with 115 points, surpassing Hall of Famer Joe Thornton’s mark of 114. He then took the world stage by storm, winning Winter Olympic silver with Canada while leading the entire tournament with five goals and earning a spot on the Olympic All-Star team.

The cornerstone of the franchise playing at that level changes everything about how the season is viewed, and the fact that Celebrini was the cover star for EA’s Sports’ NHL 27 makes things even more interesting for the newcomer.

Young Core With Real Upside

Celebrini does not carry the burden alone. Michael Misa, a second-round pick in 2025, enters his second season looking to build on an uneven but promising rookie campaign. Ivar Stenberg, who was selected second last month, skated with the Sharks for the first time at a development camp in late June and represents another high-level talent entering the tournament. The young core that San Jose has spent years amassing is finally coming together.

Within that youth, general manager Mike Grier added a veteran core where the roster was missing. The improved defense now features Jacob Trouba, Darnell Nurse, and Michael Kesselring, while Mason Marchment deepens an already talented forward group. It’s a system designed not to develop slowly, but to win games in the meantime.

A nurse who saw the Sharks develop last season before joining them, sees the team on the rise. “Last year, you saw the emergence of game managers and doing the right things at the right time,” he said. “As a player, being in the league for almost 12 years now, you see teams continue to improve, grow, and get better and better at the little nuances of the game.”

October Will Set the Tone

The program itself provides an immediate challenge. Eight of San Jose’s first 15 games are against teams that played in the playoffs last season, including home and away games against the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins. The Sharks open at home against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 1 before a tough schedule that includes a six-game road trip starting Oct. 15 to 24.

History suggests this is where the Sharks need to improve. San Jose was winless in its first six games last season and posted a combined October record of 9-29-5 over the past four seasons. A team with playoff aspirations can’t dig itself a hole early and expect to get out. The margin, as proven last season, is razor-thin.

That’s the weight that comes with expectations. For years, the slow start was just part of the rebuilding process, taken without consequence. Now, every early loss has meaning, and every point in October could be the difference between the playoffs and another spring out. The Sharks wanted this pressure. They build their list to earn it.

The release of the schedule is interesting, but usually not a big day on the hockey calendar. For San Jose, it marked something more important: the official start of a season where endurance is no longer the goal. With Celebrini leading the growing youth and the veteran back up now, the Sharks are expected to take a real step forward. On Thursday they finally saw the road that will take them there.