The San Jose Sharks are evidently sailing through stormy waters in the 2023-24 NHL season. Their lackluster performance is drawing comparisons to the infamous 1992-93 season, where they lost over 70 games.
While the current squad has yet to reach such a dismal milestone, the signs are ominous.
NHL Rumors: Are the Sharks tanking to draft Macklin Celebrini?
Is a 70-loss Season Looming for the San Jose Sharks?
The Sharks commenced this season with an 11-game winless streak, holding a 0-10-1 record, and a minus-43 goal differential during this period​​. They further descended into the NHL abyss by becoming the first team since the 1965-66 Boston Bruins to allow double-digit goals in back-to-back contests, following a 10-2 drubbing by the Pittsburgh Penguins​​. As if to add insult to injury, their record of 0-10-1 also saw them tie an NHL record for consecutive losses at the season’s outset​​.
These statistics paint a grim picture, reminiscent of the 1992-93 Sharks. However, a direct comparison might be slightly alleviated by the contemporary “loser point” system, which wasn’t in place during the 1992-93 season. This system awards a point to a team losing in overtime or a shootout, potentially making the current Sharks’ record appear slightly less dire.
The Sharks’ performance has been historically poor, with their early-season statistics aligning them closer to the bottom of the NHL Pacific Division​​. While it’s too early to definitively label them as a historically bad team, the comparisons to the 1992-93 catastrophe are hard to overlook. However, with the season still unfolding, there’s a sliver of hope for the Sharks to steer away from the murky waters of their past and navigate toward calmer tides.
The unfolding scenario raises eyebrows and evokes discussions among the NHL community, with many pondering whether the current Sharks squad will go down in the annals as one of the worst in the franchise’s history or manage to turn the tide as the season progresses.
What are NHL fans saying about the San Jose Sharks season?
The only thing I can say about the Sharks is: #TankForCelebrini
I think San Jose needs to make a coaching change. How can an NHL team give up back-to-back 10 goal games??
Insane how terrible they are. No team should be this bad. They have talented players, they just don’t care and that’s on coach Quinn.
