Dear Santa, the San Jose Sharks have been very nice in 2024 and would like these three things for Christmas in 2024:
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1. More wins, please
While nobody expects the Sharks to make the playoffs this season, earning a few more wins never hurt anybody. Yes, winning another draft lottery would be exceptional, but with the core that general manager Mike Grier has already built, adding another top-five pick would be plenty. It doesn’t have to be the No. 1 pick.
The Sharks are only eight wins away from tying last season’s record of 19, but after a substantial stretch of somewhat consistent wins, San Jose has fallen into a 2-7-1 slump over its last ten games, including five straight losses.
Winning can help development, which is evident in the San Jose Barracuda.
Macklin Celebrini since November 25th:
— 7g | 11a | 18pts in 14 games
— 105 point pace
— 49 shots (8th in NHL)
— 49.74 on faceoffs
— 51.30 xGF% at 5v5 (1st on Sharks – min. 10 games)He’s a superstar. pic.twitter.com/6M2YWV7R5I
— Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) December 24, 2024
Ryan Warsofsky is the right person to turn the ship around in San Jose. His connection to the players is evident as he has gotten complete buy-in from his roster. His only problem is that the roster lacks solid NHL talent.
Some players there have helped, like Tyler Toffoli and Mikael Granlund. And some don’t have enough experience, like William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund, to make a significant push for the postseason, at least for 2025.
2. Macklin Celebrini to win the Calder Trophy
The 2023-24 Calder Trophy race for Rookie of the Year was a good one, but Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard never looked like he wasn’t going to win the award despite missing games due to injury.
Celebrini missed 12 games this season with a hip injury, but that hasn’t stopped him from being the top rookie across the entire league.
The 2024 No. 1 pick is third in rookie scoring with 11 goals and 14 assists in 25 games. He’s the only rookie in the NHL to have a point-a-game average. Philadelphia Flyers star rookie Matvei Michkov leads all rookies with 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists).
Celebrini’s former Boston University teammate and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson is sandwiched between Michkov and the San Jose Sharks star with 26 points (two goals, 24 assists).
3. Yaroslav Askarov to truly become the No. 1 guy
The Sharks spent a lot of trade capital last summer to acquire Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators. When the trade tree is broken down, it reads mostly Tomas Hertl in exchange for Askarov.
The return Grier received from the Vegas Golden Knights for their star center was later flipped to Nashville to help acquire Askarov.
In four games in the NHL this season, Askarov has looked like he’s worth every penny. He only has one win but owns a 2.75 GAA and a .909 save %. His game against the Vancouver Canucks last night was arguably the worst of his career, but he still gave the Sharks a chance to win.
The 22-year-old still has a few things to work on and will likely return to the AHL once Vitek Vanecek returns from injury, but all signs point to the San Jose Sharks’ top goalie prospect being in the NHL later this season and all of next.
There are more things the Sharks could wish for, but with the progress this team has shown this season, it is hard to get greedy. If you’re a Sharks fan, let me know what your Christmas wishlist for the team would be in the comments below!
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