4 things to cheer for in the final stretch of the season

With the Sharks officially eliminated from the playoffs, the team is just playing out this final stretch of games until the horn sounds at the end of the regular season. To say it has been disappointing would be an understatement. At this stretch, fans are cheering for the Sharks to lose at every turn, increasing the team’s odds of getting that first overall draft pick. It feels like rooting for a loss is the only thing fans have for them.

However, there are a few other things that you can cheer for as the season winds down, giving you more opportunity for hope, and at times, depression.

The Chicago Blackhawks

It’s fairly clear that it’s a two-team race to the bottom. The San Jose Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks are neck and neck for 32nd place in the NHL. And since we only want good things for the Chicago Blackhawks (insert sarcastic comment here), we’re cheering for the Blackhawks to go on a winning streak as we head into this final stretch of games.

What’s the difference between finishing 32nd and 31st in the NHL? For one thing, your odds of getting the first-overall pick in the draft are almost two times greater if you finish 32nd. The NHL’s last place team has a 25.5% chance of getting the first overall pick, according to Tankathon, while the second to last place team has a 13.5% chance.

What’s more, finishing last overall guarantees that you get a top-three pick. Finishing second to last means you might drop to fourth overall. Once again, this draft isn’t as deep as last season, so every spot we can move up is good.

Pittsburgh’s fall continues, sort of

Are you the gambling sort? That’s really the question when it comes to how hard you root for the Pittsburgh Penguins to miss the playoffs. In the Erik Karlsson deal, the Sharks received a conditional 2024 first-round pick from Pittsburgh. The pick is top 10 protected, which means the Penguins can swap it out for an unprotected first-round pick in 2025 if this 2024 pick ends up in the top 10.

This is where the gamble comes in. Would you rather have the Penguins lose in the draft lottery and the Sharks receive a pick at, say 11, this season? Two top 15 picks in 2024 isn’t a bad thing.

Or, you could gamble and root for the Penguins to lose…a lot…this season, forcing the team to exercise it’s top 10 protection. That leaves the 2025 first-round pick unprotected. Do you think the Penguins will be even worse next season or at least bad enough to hand San Jose a top 10 pick?

So which do you want, a 2024 first-round in the early 10’s or a 2025 first-rounder unprotected?

The New Jersey Devils

The Sharks currently have New Jersey’s second-round pick in 2024 as a result of the Timo Meier deal. That second-rounder turns into a first-round pick if the Devils make the Eastern Conference Finals. While that’s not likely, it’s still mathematically possible.

The Devils sit in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division with 14 games left to play. New Jersey would have to leap frog five other teams to get to the playoffs, but they are only seven points away from the second spot in the Eastern Conference wild card race and hold the regulations win tie breaker advantage over several of the teams in front of them. There’s still a crack for them to sneak through, albeit a small one.

This leaves Sharks fans with a couple of rooting options. They can root for the Devils to win out and sneak into the playoffs where anything can happen. The Devils could be dangerous if given a shot at a seven-game series.

Or, you can root for the Devils to keep losing. The lower the Devils go in the draft, the better San Jose’s odds of getting a high second-round pick.

Prospects in the postseason

Okay, so the Sharks won’t be playing games after their season ends, but several of San Jose’s prospects have found their way into the postseason giving fans hope for the future of the team.

Will Smith’s Boston College is ranked number one in the nation. Erik Pohlkamp and the Bemidji State Beavers recently won the MacNaughton Cup and have moved up to 20th in the nation, according to USA Today. Alex Young and Arizona State University are tied with Bemidji State at 20th.

Both the Sudbury Wolves and the London Knights have clinched a spot in the OHL playoffs, meaning Quentin Musty and Kasper Halttunen will take part in postseason play. Luca Cagnoni and the Portland Winterhawks have clinched a spot in the WHL playoffs.

In the QMJHL, Jake Furlong’s Halifax Mooseheads hold the top spot in the Maritimes Division.

In the USHL, the Muskegon Lumberjacks and David Klee are second in the Eastern Conference and still working toward securing that playoff spot. Brandon Svoboda, who was recently traded to the Fargo Force, already has his ticket stamped to the postseason.

Ozzy Wiesblatt was recently loaned to the Milwaukee Admirals, giving him the opportunity to play those “meaningful” games even if the rest of the Barracuda will not have the same experience.

While the Sharks and the Barracuda are floundering, the future players of the franchise are playing some important games down the stretch.