No Playoffs, But Sharks Win Count Could Be Significant Benchmark

With two games remaining in the 2025-26 regular season, the San Jose Sharks have been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention.

With 38 wins this season, the Sharks can’t win as many games as they lost overall, but looking at history, there are some numbers to be proud of. From the 23-24 season to 24-25, the Sharks’ win total was a combined 39. They finished last place in the NHL by a wide margin both seasons and jump-started their rebuild.

The 23-24 season allowed them to draft Macklin Celebrini, Sam Dickinson, and Igor Chernyshov. All three players made impacts down the stretch of the San Jose Sharks’ playoff push this season. So while the losing was beneficial, the positive impacts those players made were felt quickly.

Heading into Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, neither team has anything to play for other than draft position. Some may argue that the San Jose Sharks should lose to improve their draft lottery odds, but it’s hard for any competitive person not to try to win a hockey game.

Fans have returned to the SAP Center in a big way, and improvements to the building are coming at the perfect time. Celebrini could be nominated for the Hart Trophy, the NHL’s MVP, and Will Smith is a perfect partner for him.

So why not try to match the past two seasons’ win total with a victory on Wednesday? The San Jose Sharks are currently sitting at 3.5% to win the NHL Draft Lottery, which is the 10th-best odds. Based on points alone, the Sharks can move up to the 7th-best odds. If that were to happen, their odds of winning the lottery would jump to 6.5%.

Tankathon.com should be a familiar place for Sharks fans and draft lottery enjoyers. It allows you to simulate lottery results. Sure, improving the chances of picking in the top two picks could help the future greatly, but this season has been so positive, why finish it sour?

Yaroslav Askarov will start in goal for the final time this season. The Sharks finish their season tomorrow against the Winnipeg Jets, and due to the back-to-back, Alex Nedeljkovic should start on Thursday.

Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Sheng Peng of SJHN that the team is motivated to reach the 40-win milestone.

“We have a chance to get to 40 wins,” Warsofsky said. “That is a real motivation.”