San Jose Sharks
Sharks Locker Room: When Does the Losing Stop?
If you can believe it, the San Jose Sharks are in the midst of their longest losing streak of the year.
The Sharks have lost 10 in a row after a 2-1 overtime loss at the Vancouver Canucks.
When does the losing stop for the worst team in the NHL?
I don’t mean this streak — San Jose, mercifully, has just one regular season game left this year.
But it made me wonder: When’s the next time that we should expect the last-place San Jose Sharks in the playoffs? When will they not be a longshot in the Stanley Cup betting odds?
Let’s look at last-place teams over the last 25 years, and when they next made the post-season after finishing in the basement.
| Season | Last Place | Next Time in Playoffs? | Seasons to Playoffs? | Championship? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | San Jose Sharks | ? | ||
| 2023-24 | San Jose Sharks | ? | ||
| 2022-23 | Anaheim Ducks | ? | ||
| 2021-22 | Montreal Canadiens | ? | ||
| 2020-21 | Buffalo Sabres | ? | ||
| 2019-20 | Detroit Red Wings | ? | ||
| 2018-19 | Ottawa Senators | 2024-25 | 6 | |
| 2017-18 | Buffalo Sabres | ? | ||
| 2016-17 | Colorado Avalanche | 2017-18 | 1 | 2022 |
| 2015-16 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2016-17 | 1 | |
| 2014-15 | Buffalo Sabres | ? | ||
| 2013-14 | Buffalo Sabres | ? | ||
| 2012-13 | Florida Panthers | 2015-16 | 3 | 2024 |
| 2011-12 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 2013-14 | 2 | |
| 2010-11 | Edmonton Oilers | 2016-17 | 6 | |
| 2009-10 | Edmonton Oilers | 2016-17 | 7 | |
| 2008-09 | New York Islanders | 2012-13 | 4 | |
| 2007-08 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 2010-11 | 3 | 2020 |
| 2006-07 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2007-08 | 1 | |
| 2005-06 | St. Louis Blues | 2008-09 | 3 | |
| 2003-04 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2006-07 | 3 | 2009 |
| 2002-03 | Carolina Hurricanes | 2005-06 | 3 | 2006 |
| 2001-02 | Atlanta Thrashers | 2006-07 | 5 | |
| 2000-01 | New York Islanders | 2001-02 | 1 | |
| 1999-00 | Atlanta Thrashers | 2006-07 | 7 |
The obvious goals for the Sharks, from worst to first, are the Colorado Avalanche, five seasons from last place to the Stanley Cup, the Pittsburgh Penguins, five seasons from last to the Cup, and the Carolina Hurricanes, three seasons from last to the Cup.
Hopefully, Macklin Celebrini can emulate Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby and Eric Staal, and lead the Sharks to a relatively quick success.
Of course, this list is also a cautionary tale. See: Buffalo Sabres, 14 years and counting out of the playoffs.
Macklin Celebrini
Celebrini, on his first goal on his hometown ice:
I remember being a kid, skating on this ice with my brothers. That was a cool moment.
It’s a dream to play in the NHL, scoring here is pretty cool.
Celebrini, on sharing the goal with fellow local Luca Cagnoni:
He played with my brother [Aiden] growing up a little bit. Knowing him growing up, it’s cool.
Celebrini, on the one thing that the San Jose Sharks have to do to stop blowing leads:
When you got the lead, you can’t be giving up chances and off-man rushes. You have to play smarter. That [Linus Karlsson] goal was on me. I kind of got caught a little bit.
See the full interview here
Ryan Warsofsky
Warsofsky, on the penalty kill:
PK was really good. It’s two games in a row we’ve really locked it in. We obviously tinkered with some things, and we’ve gotten some chemistry with some pairs.
[Noah Gregor] is a guy that stepped up on the penalty kill. Wennberg has played a lot of minutes. [Liljegren is] starting to PK, which he didn’t do earlier in the year.
Warsofsky, on Alexandar Georgiev’s performance:
He was really good. Made some huge saves when we were on our heels.
See the full interview here
Luca Cagnoni
Cagnoni says he, Gushchin, and Schuldt landed about 11 AM today in Vancouver.
Found out late last night that he was going back to the NHL, about 20-25 friends and family made it for his last-minute hometown debut
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 15, 2025
Cagnoni, on what he learned last time in NHL that he tried to apply tonight:
Just wanted to play hard, box out hard, make it challenging for the team to play against me…have a little pest in my game.
