Could the San Jose Sharks be gearing up for a major splash in 2026? JD Young’s simulated offseason reveals a strategic approach that sets the stage for future aggression. From extending William Eklund to an 8-year, $8.5 million deal to drafting Michael Misa second overall, every move aims to balance talent acquisition with cap flexibility.
Young breaks down the Sharks’ projected salary situation, highlighting a potential $52 million in cap space for the 2026-27 season. This financial freedom could allow GM Mike Grier to target high-profile free agents like Kyle Connor or Jack Eichel, accelerating the rebuild if young stars like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith develop as hoped.
The host analyzes upcoming contract expirations, noting how they create opportunities to reshape the roster. With only a few long-term commitments on defense, the Sharks have room to promote prospects like Sam Dickinson or add established talent.
Young argues that while the Sharks may still struggle next season, the era of intentional “tanking” is likely over. He praises Grier’s work in positioning the team for future success, suggesting that aggressive moves could come sooner than expected if the right opportunities arise.
Tune in to hear Young’s detailed analysis of how the Sharks’ current moves could lead to a transformative 2026 offseason and potentially accelerate their return to contention.
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10 Comments
CONNARD MACDAVID TRADED TO SAN JOSE SHARKS!!! YOU HEARD IT HERE FRIST!
Let’s gkklkkkkk
One more down season. Get Keaton Verhoff in the next draft. If somehow, Sharks wind up with the McKenna pick, trade down, get a haul and get Verhoff. Get to the cap floor with 2-3 short term overpays next offseason. The cap floor issue goes away once Macklin, Smith, Eklund and perhaps Askarov are under bigger deals. Plus, Sharks will have a better idea where to be aggressive.
Driedger signs in KHL you have to edit 😂
We can improve greatly next season and make huge strides forward while still ending up with a top 3 pick next draft. And I think that’s exactly what the Sharks should do. They can improve to a near .500 team and still end up with as one of the bottom 3 teams in the regular season standings.
I think that would be hands down the best outcome possible for next year (in my humble opinion).
10 more wins next year would give us a 30-40-12 record (compared to last year’s 20-50-12). That would give us 72 points, a 20 point increase year-over-year… which would be a huge improvement, and a very successful season …
—> And that STILL would put us at the 3rd worst team in the standings (hypothetically assuming all the other team’s records stay exactly the same as they finished last year, just for the sake of this example).
And, if we pick 3rd overall next draft, that would put us in very good position to draft the exact player we so desperately need next year in
👉Keaton Verhoeff.
It’s not going to be a “tank for McKenna” year… it’s going to be a “improve-a-little but still partially-tank for Verhoeff.” Lol
That’s the absolute best case scenario for next season (imo).
Fans are happy with a super solid improvement, and definitive step forward with 10 more wins & 20 more points… getting closer to being a .500 club. While also still getting a top 3 draft pick.
We really, really need to snag Verhoeff next draft. I truly believe adding KV to this young team would be even more beneficial to the rebuild than adding McKenna would be.
And then the year after that we should be looking at a .500 team, which means we’re not going to just keep tanking forever like some people are worried about.
We should be trying to slowly improve , adding 10 more wins or so each year, while still getting a top 3-5 pick next year, and then a top 10-15 pick the following year, and then competing for the playoffs the year after that.
I think you did a good job building what a realistic offseason could look like, but there’s a simple issue: pound-for-pound, I don’t believe this 23-man roster is a better team than last year (at least without heavily leaning on leaps from our ELC guys). And they aren’t going to get the 10-20 point jump that the Sharks’ FO seems to be aiming for.
This isn’t really a knock on any specific moves, but just an indictment on how weak this FA class is overall. Seeing how hard it’s gonna be to replace Granlund/Walman/Zetterlund/etc, it makes me seriously wonder if it would’ve been better to keep at least one of them along, if the plan was to start building up this summer.
Liked how you wrapped this up JD! This was my favorite set of episodes you have done since I have been watching your channel. Congratulations!
Overall, I think your plan is in line with what I think GMMG would do and not only improves the team now but will pay big dividends as next season progresses and provides for the following offseason.
I really appreciate you talking about the cap situation and how GMMG has managed it.
He must have learned quite a bit from his brother in Miami! 🙂
You echo what a GM on Sheng's podcast stated and what I have been saying for over two years now. GMMG has planned for the cap to be cleaned by the end of next season.
He deftly, patiently, and wisely removed the contracts that boxed him into a cap corner and gave himself room to maneuver. He provided himself flexibility and if anyone watched the cap numbers since he took over a GM that flexibility has progressively gotten better each season.
One contract at a time; through shrewd trades and wise draft selections, GMMG has put the Sharks into the best position than they have been in over a decade.
He has two more bad contracts to go. Pickles at the end of this season and Coots the season after that. But the cap will be as clean as it can be by the end of next season.
Just so happens that the 2026-2027 FA class is far deeper and much more talented than this current FA class. It also just so happens that Celebrini, Smith, Graf, Muk, Eklund and Askarov will mostly have established themselves as NHL players at that time. Each making more significant impacts on the Sharks.
With plenty of talent not far behind in Musty, Lund, Chernyshov, Dickinson, Bystedt, and others. With another set after that in Muldowney, Wallenius, and Pohlkamp to name a couple.
Funny how that works out. Clean cap, lots of talented young players making an NHL impact, more players not far behind no major contracts weighing down the cap, no big contracts to sign.
The only big contract kicking in (at least I hope it is) will be Eklund's. The biggest contract he will sign (as of now) will be extensions for Askarov, Celebrini and Smith. These are extensions, i.e., not effect his ability to acquire FAs. Also add another 8 mil to the expected 10 mil or so jump in the cap in that offseason. What!?
But what puts him in another level is how he has handled the draft. Go down the list of the last three drafts and list the prospects that are in the pros or a progressing above expectations from where they were drafted.
Now, this draft is almost perfect for the Sharks needs! He cannot get the cherry on the cake (making it almost perfect) which would be Schaefer, but he can fill his other needs.
Depth in the goalie prospects, filling in the middle six prospects (and bottom six to an extent) and diversifying/deepening his defensive prospect pool.
The future is teal.
FYI Knyzhov doesn’t count against the cap. His contract was mutually terminated, not bought out.
What happened with Matt Davis? Saw he signed with the Barracuda out of Denver at the end of their season. What is the plan for him?
Honestly as much as I like your mock roster, I don't like u didn't count in Cardwell and Thompson. Both deserves a full season in the NHL and they proved it already many times.