To say the San Jose Sharks have been the worst team in the league through ten games would be an understatement. Expectations for the 2023-24 iteration of the squad were low, but the team is on the verge of making history with a 0-9-1 record through ten contests. Two more losses would put them in second place all-time among winless streaks to start a season, trailing only the 1943-44 New York Rangers, who went 15 games without a win.
The numbers behind it aren’t pretty, either. They’ve scored just ten goals, four less than the 31st-ranked St. Louis Blues offense, who have played two fewer games. Through ten games, the Sharks also have a lowly goals-for percentage of 17% at five-on-five – worse than the worst team in NHL history, the 1974-75 Washington Capitals, who controlled 30% of goals at five-on-five through their first ten contests.
Obviously, some positive regression is bound to come offensively. The team is shooting at just 2.9% collectively at five-on-five, far below the 7.7% league average. Their goaltending had helped matters somewhat, although conceding ten goals to the Canucks last night took a significant bite out of both Mackenzie Blackwood’s and Kaapo Kähkönen’s save percentages. They’re controlling 40.6% of expected goals at five-on-five (per MoneyPuck), still the worst in the NHL but significantly higher than their actual rate of 17%.
All of this is to say the Sharks are absolutely a slam-dunk pick to finish 32nd in the league at season’s end, but the points will likely start coming soon for players like Tomáš Hertl, Luke Kunin, Mario Ferraro, and Fabian Zetterlund, who all rank top four on the team in shots at the moment. There’s no telling when that positive regression will occur, however, and the clock will keep ticking on perhaps the worst start to a season in NHL history.
With all that in mind, when do you think the Sharks will log their first two points of the 2023-24 season? Vote in the poll below:
If you can’t access the embedded poll, click here to vote.
Amazing to think the Sharks were the definition of (regular season) Western Conference excellence for 20 years, but never could get over the hump and claim the Cup. Now the lean years are setting in.
If you go 0-82, do they just rig the lottery in your favour?
@PyramidHeadcrab — Is Arizona still in the league? Knowing Bettman, he’d fix it so SJS picks 5th.
Right, I forgot. Only the Hawks and Oilers are allowed to win draft lotteries. Edmonton needs another generational talent to be deprived of a Cup by incompetent management!
@pyramid
Won’t happen. Chicago will deliberately lose their games to SJ. The league will know, and won’t care, because, you know…Chicago. The team that gets no formal team punishment (except for a measly fine) for a sex scandal and conspiracy to cover up, but another team loses a #1 pick for a bureaucratic foul up.
Love Bettman’s NHL!
@KRB — I’d love to see Mr. Andlauer have a court slam Bettman and force the NHL to buy the Sens from him, with damages. Won’t happen, of course, but man, what a spectacle that would be.
The Sharks ownership is the worst in the league!!!
When will the Sharks win their next game? About a week from 2026.
The surviving members of the 1974-75 Capitals are breathing a sigh of relief, these days.
Yeah, you got to think that Bill Mikkelson is looking at not one, but FOUR Sharks on track to beat his record, and is praying hard.
Unfortunately one of those first year Caps isn’t around anymore, and not due to natural causes. Garnet “Ace” Bailey came in a mid-season trade. He mentored a young Wayne Gretzky in Edmonton, and perished aboard one of the jets that crashed into the World Trade Center. I always remember him on September 11.
Me too; he was a friend of my grandfather’s, as was Milt Schmidt, who was the Caps’ GM that season.
Got a good anecdote about Schmidt. My grandfather had season tickets to the Bruins for 50 years, and had four seats in the 1960s-70s … very useful in that day in his job as the manager for a rail shipping line with the Gillette account. He took me and my brothers to a game in ’73, and introduced us to Schmidt, who signed my program and shook our hands. Then the great Hall of Famer said that there was someone else we should meet, and returned with Bobby Orr, right off of the pregame skate. To a Bostonian kid back then, this was the next thing to meeting Jesus!
I vote for January!
If your goal is to get that #1 pick, no need to pretend you’re trying to win games! :D
Bit of a random thing, but I’m at a London Knights game right now and Sharks prospect Halttunen is an absolute force on the ice. Big, fast, hits hard, and almost resembles Joe Thornton in how he can move the puck around.
The Sharks suck right now, but it’s cool seeing the team’s future show some promise.
Islanders prospect Isiah George and Brantford’s goalie Drobac have been fire too.
Silly fellow, you’re at a hockey game and you’re spending time talking to US? (grins)
I’ve seen a couple of Brantford games this season, due to Patrick Thomas, a Caps draft pick, playing for them. Wasn’t overly impressed with him, at first, but haven’t watched them in a couple of weeks. Looks like he’s heating up. Might have to make time in my schedule to watch. Kid’s got skill. Worth a flier in the 4th round.