They say that the opponent you should fear most is the one you don’t see coming. That could be a lesson the Colorado Avalanche will need to keep in mind as the 2026 Stanley Cup draw closer.
Over the last week or so, three teams have been flip-flopping in the last wild card spot in the Western Conference. The latest occupant is the unlikely Cinderella story of this season, the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks were a risible club last season. They finished last in the NHL and didn’t seem like they could get anywhere this year. The turnaround this season has been stunning. The Sharks ended the 2024-25 season with 52 points and on an 11-game losing streak.
This season, the Sharks have 79 points and hold the second wild card spot in the West. Entering Friday night’s action, San Jose is riding a four-game winning streak. That’s one of the most remarkable year-to-year changes in recent history.
And that’s why the Avalanche might rather not face the Sharks in the first round this season.
Of course, the Avs are built to take anybody on. But if there’s one team that could make life needlessly hard for the Avalanche, it’s San Jose.
The Sharks are a very young team that really has nothing to play for. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have an objective in mind. What it means is that the Sharks are going out there having fun and growing as a unit.
They have no pressure. Zero expectations, and nothing to prove. That’s a tough combination to beat. The Sharks could go up against the Avalanche, feeling like just getting to the playoffs is reward enough for a strong season.
Anything beyond that would just be the cherry on the cake.
Avalanche would need to be wary of Celebrini
This season’s biggest individual story has to be the rise of Macklin Celebrini. The 19-year-old has 105 points and looks like the real deal. He’s already maturing into the sort of leader that the organization envisioned when they picked him first-overall in 2024.
As such, Celebrini would be the piece the Avalanche would have to stop. In fact, the Sharks are so top-heavy that the next-leading scorer for the Sharks is Will Smith with 54 points. In short, if the Avalanche stop Celebrini, the Sharks are toast.
The numbers back that up. The Avs lost to the Sharks in overtime back on November 1, with Celebrini picking up a goal in the game. The next time the two clubs met, the Avalanche shut out the Sharks 6-0. And in their final meeting this season, the Avs held Celebrini off the scoresheet, winning the game 4-2.
So, that’s the bottom line. Should the Avalanche face Celebrini and the Sharks in the first round, all they have to do is shut down Celebrini. The rest of the Sharks squad will have to pick up the slack. And just judging by the numbers, that could be a tall order for the upstart Sharks.