Should the Sharks consider missing the 2025-26 NHL playoffs a disappointment?

Should the Sharks consider missing the 2025-26 NHL playoffs a disappointment? originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

For some time now, the San Jose Sharks have been in transition. Sharks GM Mike Grier has been perfectly transparent in stripping down his roster and building through elite young players that teams can only get at the top of the NHL draft. That has meant many years of subpar play, and it feels like the Joe Thornton/Patrick Marleau/Joe Pavelski Era was forever ago.

But through dogged determination and a little bit of luck from the draft lottery gods, the Sharks are in a terrific position. However, San Jose’s unexpected competitiveness this season raises an intriguing question: Will the Sharks consider this season successful if they fail to make the Stanley Cup playoffs? Because right now, the Sharks are crumbling at the worst possible time, losing seven of their past 10 games – and recently ending a six-game losing skid.

San Jose has had their doors blown off, as they’ve been outscored 29-12. So they now sit in 12th place in the Western Conference, four standings points behind the eighth-place Nashville Predators , although the Sharks have three games in hand. That said, is it really a devastating blow if the Sharks don’t make it into the post-season this year?