How Sharks Make Playoffs Next Year? Assessing Warsofsky | Your Mailbag Questions Answered!

The San Jose Sharks’ playoff hopes are on life support!

So it’s time for a San Jose Hockey Now Podcast emergency subscriber mailbag!

Let’s get to it!

Knewbs3: Why trade William Eklund instead of prospects like Quentin Musty and Filip Bystedt?

Flying Frenchman: Is management happy with Ryan Warsofsky’s performance?

Ohheytravis: Is Warsofsky on the hot seat?

Tim Graveline: If the San Jose Sharks win the Draft lottery, should they take a BPA forward like Gavin McKenna or trade back for a defenseman prospect?

For Zubair, what’s a song or maybe an album that best represents this sharks season? What song/album would you hope would represent the sharks next season?

Zeke: Which San Jose Barracuda forwards have a legit shot at a playing role in the NHL?

Rphillips: Is our organization’s ability to develop defensemen a concern?

(22:39) Bob Horenstein: What does the defense look like next year? Which UFA’s do the Sharks bring back?

Dave: Following how patient the Colorado Avalanche were in building a Stanley Cup winner, shouldn’t we allow GM Mike Grier that kind of rope?

Dylan Smallwood: Does Alex Tuch fit the San Jose Sharks? Would you give him a maximum contract?

What player type do the Sharks need next year?

Do you see Michael Misa or Sam Dickinson starting next season in the AHL?

(40:23) Stephanie K: How much did Doug Wilson Jr.’s drafting hurt the San Jose Sharks’ current team?

Downriver: What skills do Shakir Mukhamadullin, Dickinson, and Luca Cagnoni need to develop if they’re going to be regulars at the NHL level? Do you see Pohlkamp as NHL-ready for a contending team?

Finny Damphousse: What are you all sipping on? Alcohol or non-alcoholic.

Giant Shark Tooth Necklace: Is there a specific player you would have liked to have seen the Sharks trade for at the Deadline to help with the playoff push? If so, what would your “take or leave it” trade offer have been for that player, if there was a bidding war? Or do you think Grier made the right call to wait until the off-season to make any major moves?

James R: For Keegan, realizing there is no Matthew Schaefer in this Draft, are there a defenseman in this year’s class that could reasonably step into an NHL lineup next season and be a legit everyday player?

(56:33) How comfortable do you feel running back the same goaltending tandem next season?

Yetis: The organization has a glut of forwards both on the NHL roster and in the AHL in Musty, Bystedt, and Kasper Halttunen. Who is most likely to go?

Rob S: Does Mukhamadullin want to return to the Sharks?

Can Mario Ferraro develop his puck-moving beyond what it is now?

Sven_: Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized Dan Boyles or 1 Dan Boyle-sized duck?

James Murphy: Shouldn’t the Sharks have called up Luca Cagnoni earlier to run the power play?

Spon: Are the Sharks pushing Dickinson (and possibly Pohlkamp when he arrives) too hard and too soon?

Megabite: Any chance Nedeljkovic is not going to return?

BiscuitBoy: Is Yaroslav Askarov’s glove hand fixable? Will Will Smith learn to be stronger with the puck?

Stefan Schwartz: What do you think about the D by committee route for the Sharks, since true No. 1 D are hard to come by? Which middle-pairing defensemen would fit the Sharks?

FaultySynapse: What will the San Jose Sharks’ depth chart look like if they pull the trigger on a No. 1 defenseman in a trade?

(1:14:25) Just Steve: How do you think the Sharks have handled Mukhamadullin and other prospects?

Michael K.: What are the Sharks’ options on defense next year if Pohlkamp or Cagnoni aren’t ready? And they strike out on defense?

Cole Seavey: Should the Sharks be in the chase for Auston Matthews?

Jigglz: Do you ever see yourselves doing a live, in-person recording of the Pod with an audience?

(1:27:36) Sarge: The Sharks have the No. 9 pick of the 2026 Draft. The top-4 defensemen are gone, leaving Daxon Rudolph on the board. Should San Jose take Rudolph or a forward like Oscar Hemming? How angry will Sharks fans be if they pick the non-defenseman?

NotAlexKorolyuk: Which stars would you like to see on the Sharks over the next three years, be the most fun?

*Ken Meehan: What three moves should the Sharks make this summer to “guarantee” a playoff spot next year?

Bellizar: If the Sharks pick Albert Smits, is he NHL-ready, and what does a Smits and Dickinson-led defense need around them?*

Kyle Johnson: As a non-season ticket holder, how do you go about getting prospects scrimmage tickets? I want to get them before they sell out.

Chris Geer: If the Sharks don’t win the Lottery, should they package a good prospect like a Bystedt etc. with their pick to go up higher in the Draft?

Radioheadliner (the other James R.): What would Kevin Woodley or Thomas Speer say about Askarov’s ability to stop shots up high or track the puck through screens? Keegan, didn’t you tweet way back when that you were worried about his hands?

Fin Coe: If Warsofsky keeps his job, are there any Assistant Coaches that could be in the hot seat?

Keegan, will you be repping your Sharks fandom at your wedding?

Sheng, are there any colleagues of yours whose work you think we should follow?

Zubair, what sticks do you rock?

Joe E: What’s going on with the San Jose Barracuda? They’re on a nine-game losing streak. Also, do we trust them to get the most out of Pohlkamp or Leo Sahlin Wallenius?

Ricky LaFleur: In Mike Grier’s opening presser, his mission statement was that we were going to be hard, heavy, and difficult to play against—basically the complete antithesis of what we are. Why do you think he’s deviated from his original blueprint?

Gary To: For top power play quarterback next year, would you prefer a youngster like Dickinson or Cagnoni to QB the PP or should they re-explore the five-forward PP? Or acquire a bridge PP1 QB?

Kevin: Do we see the Sharks emptying the war chest for one star difference-maker on defense or multiple solid d-men? What will a Michael Kesselring cost?

Jon Swenson: Could the San Jose Sharks ask Tyler Toffoli to waive his NTC this off-season?

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