San Jose Sharks' rebuild turns a corner after several painful years

LAS VEGAS — Scott Fitzgerald and Chris Morehouse were hired nearly two years ago as part of the San Jose Sharks’ front office overhaul and as the leaders of the team’s scouting department, were given a clear mandate by new general manager Mike Grier.

“Let’s get some size in here, let’s get multiple picks, and let’s try to restock the cupboard,” Fitzgerald said Saturday of Grier’s message. “After two years, I think I’m biased, but I think we’ve done a good job here.”

It’s been five long, lean years around the Sharks organization, with this past season’s 19-54-9 record representing arguably the lowest point in franchise history.

Since the Sharks’ last playoff appearance in 2019, three head coaches have come and gone, and with the departures of star players Brent Burns, Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson, and Tomas Hertl, the team bottomed out. So did attendance.

Tanking? Sure. Painful? Of course.

But it needed to happen, and it appears to be paying off.

The exit of those star players brought picks, prospects, and cap space to the Sharks — enough for Grier and his staff to believe that the worst of the rebuild is over.

Under Fitzgerald and Morehouse, the Sharks have come out on the other side with one of the top prospect pools in the NHL. There’s also enough cap flexibility for the Sharks to add more pieces once free agency begins on Monday.

After leading their 2023 draft class with forwards Will Smith, Quentin Musty, and Kasper Halttunen and acquiring forward prospects David Edstrom and Collin Graf earlier this year, the Sharks now have the crown jewel of their pipeline in Macklin Celebrini.

Amid the glitz and hoopla of this year’s draft at the Sphere, Celebrini was selected first overall by the Sharks before they took defenseman Sam Dickinson at No. 11. Celebrini was the top-ranked North American skater, and Dickinson was No. 7.

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