Ryan Warsofsky and Macklin Celebrini spent the week answering the same question in different ways, and that split says plenty about where the Sharks are right now.
After Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators at SAP Center, Warsofsky didn’t back away from the idea that some players still haven’t fully embraced what the staff wants. Asked directly whether buy-in was a problem, he said, “Absolutely.
We got to work on that.” He called it “probably the most frustrating thing” about San Jose’s 7-7-1 start and added, “We’re 15 games into it, and we probably still haven’t played really a complete game.
Maybe Florida, but that was so long [ago].”
Celebrini, speaking at Monday’s morning skate, framed the issue differently.
“I don’t really think there’s a lack of buy-in,” the Sharks captain said. “It’s just we don’t really have as much energy, or like I said before, we’re not really as connected as we should be, and it all kind of goes hand in hand.
It’s all connected. I think just tonight’s another opportunity for us to get on the same page.”
That’s a meaningful distinction. Warsofsky’s version points to resistance.
Celebrini’s points to execution. He wasn’t pretending the Sharks have been good; he was saying the problem is more about how they’re functioning together than whether they’re willing to follow the plan.
He also made it clear he wasn’t trying to speak for his coach.
“I can’t really put words in his mouth. I don’t speak for him,” Macklin Celebrini said. “But from what we’re feeling in the room, I think we’re all bought in, and we all want to win.”
Celebrini followed that up with a simple fix: more communication.
“I think just talking, talking on the ice, talking on the bench, talking in the room. It can’t always come from the coaches” he said. “We gotta talk to each other and just tell each other what we’re seeing.”
Warsofsky, for his part, met with the team before Monday’s game and said per the Mercury News that his comment after the Ottawa loss was about San Jose “couldn’t get to our game in all different areas” against the Senators’ tight-checking style. He said the Sharks have shown the identity he wants, but “Just not [consistently] enough.” He also pushed the same communication theme, saying, “God gave us mouths for a reason; let’s use them.”
The next game didn’t clear anything up. Calgary beat the Sharks 2-1 at SAP Center on Monday, with Sam Dickinson scoring San Jose’s lone goal. The loss left the Sharks 1-3-0 on their four-game homestand and dropped them to 7-8-1.
In Other News...
Sharks Give Another Young Defenseman A Chance Fans Will Watch Closely
Another young defenseman is getting a look in San Jose, as Eric Pohlkamp has been brought back into the organizations NHL conversation after a strong start with the Barracuda. Drafted by the Sharks in 2023, Pohlkamp has already built a solid rsum for a player still early in his pro career, with stops at Bemidji State and the University of Denver, where he picked up several honors before turning pro.
Pohlkamp signed a two-year entry-level deal with San Jose last April and has spent this season trying to translate that college pedigree into pro production. His offensive touch has shown up in the AHL, and with the Sharks continuing to sift through young blue-line options, this is the kind of opportunity that can quickly turn into a longer look if he makes the most of it. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Slow Start Is Raising Doubts About This Rebuild
The early-season picture in San Jose has been uneven enough to invite a closer look at where this rebuild stands. The Sharks have hovered just below .500 and carry a minus-12 goal differential, a start that has left the margin for error thin and the questions growing louder around a roster still trying to find its footing.
On a recent Daily Faceoff LIVE broadcast, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton dug into the concerns around the teams performance and the pressure on younger players to develop in a difficult environment. For a club that is still trying to turn promise into progress, the conversation underscored how quickly a rebuild can be judged when the results do not match the optimism around it. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Showed Promise But The Same Problem Cost Them Again
The Sharks had enough encouraging stretches at home against Calgary to make the night feel more competitive than the final score suggested, even while wearing their remixed uniforms. San Jose killed off penalties, kept pushing at even strength and found itself chasing a narrow deficit for much of the game, but the Flames early work and steady goaltending from Dustin Wolf left little margin for error.
Calgary got goals from Klapka and William Stromgren, and Wolf was on the verge of a shutout before San Jose finally broke through late. Sam Dickinson spoiled that bid with the Sharks only goal in the third period, a small consolation in a 2-1 loss that once again left San Jose looking at the same issue it could not quite solve. [Read more 🡒]