The San Jose Sharks wanted to finish off what’s been a challenging season on a positive note Friday night, as they played the Seattle Kraken in their 82nd and final game.
Instead, the Sharks sleepwalked through the first 20 minutes, fell behind by two goals, and never fully recovered in what became a 3-0 loss to the expansion Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.
Playing their third game in four nights, one which was mostly meaningless, the Sharks were outshot 12-4 in the first period when they allowed goals to Yanni Gourde and Adam Larsson.
San Jose played with more energy in the second period when it had 11 shots. But the Sharks were unable to take advantage of a 5-on-3 for 1:12 after penalties to Jamie Oleksiak and Larsson.
Goalie Kaapo Kahkonen had 28 saves in the Sharks’ loss, their third in four meetings with the Kraken this season. Chris Driedger had 24 saves for Seattle, which ended its inaugural season at 27-48-6.
San Jose (32-37-13) finished sixth in the Pacific Division and 22nd in the NHL’s overall standings. The Sharks will have a 3% chance of winning the first draw during the NHL Draft Lottery on May 10.
The Sharks players will clean out their lockers Saturday, the first day of what could be a busy offseason.
The Sharks’ search for a general manager is still in the early stages, with team president Jonathan Becher saying earlier this week that the organization could begin interviews sometime next week.
The Sharks’ brain trust has indicated that they’re willing to be patient with the process, and could wait until June or July to hire the person they feel is right for the franchise.
The Sharks also have to determine what to do with their coaching staff.
Coach Bob Boughner said Friday morning he has not been given any indication by interim general manager Joe Will as to whether he’ll be back next season.
The Sharks, though, could wait until a full-time GM is in place, and let that person decide whether to make a coaching change.
The Sharks also have personnel decisions to make, starting with whether to re-sign pending restricted free agents Alexander Barabanov and Jaycob Megna, and whether to offer Timo Meier a contract extension as he goes into the final year of a four-year, $24 million deal he signed in 2019.
The Sharks also need to find ways to create more offense, as they entered Friday averaging 2.61 goals per game, which ranked 28th out of 32 teams.
The Sharks could also buy out a player’s contract for the second straight year.
Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic might be an ideal candidate, as he has four years remaining on his eight-year, $56 million deal that began in 2018. Vlasic, 35, has been a third-pair defenseman for most of the season, a role not commensurate with his annual $7 million salary-cap hit.
The Sharks last summer bought out the final three years of goalie Martin Jones’ six-year, $34.5 million deal so that contract will stay on San Jose’s books until after the 2026-27 season.
