Okay. The Stanley Cup playoffs are underway. The bad news for Sharks fans it that there is no concrete postseason team to cheer for. The good news is that there’s nothing to fret over either. That said, sometimes it’s fun to watch postseason hockey, even if you don’t know which team you want to win or why. So, we’ve ranked every team in the postseason from best to worst based on which former Shark(s) the team has on its roster.
Here is your San Jose Sharks cheering guide for the postseason.
1. Carolina Hurricanes
Topping the list is the Carolina Hurricanes, who have perhaps the best Old Guy Without a Cup, Brent Burns. This may be the final season for the great bearded one, and he will always be fondly remembered in San Jose. If there’s one East Coast team Sharks fans want going on a long run, it’s the Hurricanes. Watching Burns lift the Stanley Cup would be amazing, and that’s why the Hurricanes should top Sharks fans’ lists this season.
2. New Jersey Devils
Clocking in at second on our list of playoff-bound teams is the New Jersey Devils, home to Burnsie’s former defensive buddy, Brenden Dillon. Dillon played five seasons with the Sharks and was a Wookie Whisperer at times.
He’s not the only former Shark on the Devils’ roster. There’s Stefan Noesen, who wore a teal jersey for 39 games between 2019 and 2021. And, of course, there’s Timo Meier, who gave Sharks fans seven amazing seasons and remains the only Shark in team history to score five goals in a game.
3. Dallas Stars
While losing Joe Pavelski lost the Dallas Stars the top spot on this list, there are a few former Sharks on the roster that make the Stars worth rooting for.
While Cody Ceci’s time was short-lived in teal, he also helped cushion the transition to the NHL for some of the Sharks’ young defensemen.
There’s also Mikael Grandlund, who will forever hold a place in our hearts for helping the rookies learn how to play in the NHL. Granlund took the brunt of the pain and suffering against good teams, allowing the youngsters to thrive. He took on the toughest matchups and often played outside his skill level to help the kids. His presence and attitude during tough times and lots of losses helped players like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund find their ways and Sharks fans should be thankful.
4. Ottawa Senators
And speaking of Zetterlund, his new team, the Ottawa Senators ranks fourth on our list. The Zetterlund trade shocked Sharks fans and Zetterlund’s bestie William Eklund, so we’re rooting for the Senators in honor of Eklund. Zetterlund played just over two full seasons with the Sharks and registered 83 points in 168 games. He worked hard to make himself an asset to the Sharks this past season, even giving us this gem of a highlight:
Fabian Zetterlund deadlifting over 600(!!!) pounds 😳
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) August 17, 2024
(via IG/aholmberg18, @SnipeCity420) pic.twitter.com/WF4GtScYNg
Zetterlund will be missed and we wish him all the best in the playoffs.
5. Colorado Avalanche
The Avs have Mackenzie Blackwood as the only former Shark on the list. Blackwood was a bright spot for the Sharks in back-to-back dismal seasons. We wouldn’t mind seeing him lift the Cup as a result. Blackwood made the Sharks somewhat respectable, even if the defense in front of him was lacking.
And, for those Sharks fans who are feeling nostalgic, there’s also Charlie Coyle to root for. While Coyle never played a game for the Sharks, he did don that teal jersey in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft as the 28th overall pick.
6. Florida Panthers
A few more recent names appear on the Florida Panthers’ roster. The Sharks traded Nico Sturm and Vitek Vanecek to the Panthers at this year’s trade deadline. Sturm played 184 games in teal. Vanecek’s time in San Jose was short-lived, but at least he didn’t complain about Pride Tape and even signed a Pride Tape stick for an auction a few seasons ago.
If you’re going further back in time, there’s also former Shark Jonah Gadjovich. Gadjovich played 78 games for the Sharks, spanning the 2021-23 seasons. The gritty forward lifted the cup last season and is hoping to repeat with the Panthers again this season.
7. Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild squeaked into the playoffs just a few days ago, but the team earns the seventh spot on our list because of some familiar names. There’s Jake Middleton, who was the NHL’s “Mr. Irrelevant” in 2014, the last one picked. He was a hardworking member of the San Jose Barracuda, before he joined the Sharks. Middleton was traded to the Wild in 2022 at the trade deadline. He played 59 games for the Sharks.
Then there’s Gustav Nyquist, who played 19 games for the Sharks during the regular season and another 20 in the 2018-19 playoff push. Though Nyquist’s time in teal was short, he was much beloved by fans.
8. Winnipeg Jets
For the Sharks fans that were around pre-rebuild, Dylan DeMelo is a name you’ll likely remember. Rooting for the Winnipeg Jets brings back the nostalgia of rooting for the right shot defenseman who was drafted by the Sharks in the sixth-round of 2011 and played for the team in 2015-2018 before he was part of the package deal that brought Erik Karlsson to the Sharks in the summer of 2018.
You could also root for former Sharks’ great Vladislav Namestnikov, who was a Shark in name only for about 48 hours just before the 2023 trade deadline.
9. Vegas Golden Knights
As much as it pains us because F*** Vegas must be always, the Vegas Golden Knights are not in the basement. This is entirely because of Tomas Hertl. Hertl is one of the most difficult players in the league to hate, even if he wears the ugliest jersey in the game. And so, Vegas gets a bit of a boost because of what Hertl means to Sharks fans everywhere.
The Golden Knights also have former Sharks netminder Adin Hill who played a season for the Sharks in 2021-22 and didn’t totally suck.
10. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs is home to two adopted Sharks and one former Shark. Effective fourth-liner Steven Lorentz played 80 games for the Sharks in 2022-23 and brought the Sharks Anthony Duclair in a summer trade.
There are also adopted Sharks, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. The two continue to have a close relationship with Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, both of whom played a season in Toronto. In fact, when the Maple Leafs came to town in March, Matthews and Marner hung out with the Marleaus and the Thorntons as well as Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
Nothing like the hockey family. 💙
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 29, 2025
📸: IG/patrickmarleau.12 pic.twitter.com/QQ14aVTViz
11. Edmonton Oilers
Pacific Division teams are going to get a bit less love simply because they’re Pacific Division teams. Edmonton is currently home to former Shark Ty Emberson, who played 30 games for the Sharks last season and gets extra credit for netting the Sharks two third-round picks to help us draft for the future.
There’s also Jake Walman, who had 32 points in 50 games with the Sharks. He earns extra, extra credit for getting the Sharks a second-round pick and a first-round pick.
The team also has former Sharks forward Evander Kane. While Kane is questionable for the postseason, if he’s healthy enough to play, he should give the Oilers an extra boost.
12. Los Angeles Kings
Kyle Burroughs was good enough on a flailing Sharks team last year. Burroughs played 73 games in his single season with the Sharks but was a minus-42. The entire Sharks defense was bad last season, so we can’t hang this one on Burroughs, but he doesn’t give us the feels the way other players on this list do; that’s why the Kings are near the bottom of this list.
T-13. Tampa Bay Lightning
Nothing to see here. There are no former Sharks playing for the Lightning this season, which gives fans no real reason to root for them.
T-13. Montreal Canadiens
Same goes for Montreal.
15. Washington Capitals
While there’s nothing to see here, either, there are a few more reasons not to like the Capitals if you’re a Sharks fan. Not only does Washington not have any former Sharks players, but the team includes former Vegas Golden Knight Logan Thompson, former Los Angeles King Matt Roy and former Anaheim Duck Sonny Milano.
16. St. Louis Blues
There are no Sharks on this list either, but the real reason Sharks fans should choose not to root for St. Louis to win the Stanley Cup is that you don’t want to encourage them. Blues fans can’t go around thinking that their team can suck mid-season, but if you fire the coach and sneak your way into the playoffs you can win it all. Once is luck, twice starts to become a pattern and we can’t have that.
