The story of the San Jose Sharks’ season appears obvious.
Macklin Celebrini has become a superstar. Yaroslav Askarov has been the best goalie in the NHL in November.
But, as evidenced in the Sharks’ 4-3 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, San Jose’s current 10-4-1 run goes deeper than that.
GM Mike Grier, who deserves perhaps the lionshare of credit here, has patched together a competitive group of bottom-six forwards.
It’s not a perfect bottom-six, by any stretch, but you can argue that this is the most coherent and impactful bottom-six that San Jose has trotted out since the last time that they made the playoffs in 2019.
For the most part this season, it’s been some combination of Ty Dellandrea, Adam Gaudette, Collin Graf, Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Reaves, and the injured Jeff Skinner.
Tonight, Dellandrea and Gaudette scored, and Graf added two assists.
Look at those names, and be honest, if you thought that those forwards before the season, as a whole, would be giving San Jose respectability beyond Celebrini and company.
Goodrow, Reaves, and to a lesser degree, Dellandrea, have been part of the previously most panned transactions of Grier’s regime.
Let’s not forget Zack Ostapchuk too, who’s opened the eyes of scouts with his work as the fourth-line center between Goodrow and Reaves since his recent call-up. Ostapchuk was a key part of the deeply unpopular Fabian Zetterlund trade last season.
But now?
Dellandrea, acquired for a third-round pick two off-seasons ago, has been a constant source of energy this year, swinging between the third and fourth lines.
“I thought Delly was really good,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “I thought that line was skating, was hunting down pucks. I liked their energy tonight.”
Reaves, acquired for Henry Thrun this past summer, has provided punishing physicality and an incandescent locker room presence.
Goodrow, claimed off waivers two off-seasons ago, the Grier regime’s most criticized transaction, appears quicker this year, and at least resembles the ferocious forechecking force that he was in his Stanley Cup-winning heyday.
“We’re still a little immature at times, but I think our fourth line goes out there and gives us the momentum, and they understand what their identity looks like, so they’ve done a heck of a job this season,” Warsofsky said. “Obviously, we’ve seen Reavo tonight, was physical, putting pucks behind them. I think that line really sets the tone on how we want to play.”
Add some legitimate finishing from Gaudette and Skinner, and 23-year-old Graf stapling it together with his fast-growing all-around game, and suddenly, the Sharks have, maybe not a playoff-caliber bottom-six, but truly competitive depth at least.
Dellandrea, Graf, and Goodrow have also helped lead the San Jose penalty kill out of the cellar too, now 18th in the NHL after early season struggles, killing 31 of the team’s last 32 penalties.
Again, it’s not a perfect group. No doubt, you’d like the fourth line to chip in more offense, and Dellandrea isn’t the ideal third-line center, just for example. On deeper teams, these aren’t all everyday forwards.
But it’s a group of, dare I say it, misfits, who have played a lot more good hockey than bad this season, and have played key roles in dragging the Sharks back into the light.
Ryan Warsofsky
Warsofsky, on Anze Kopitar’s last game at SAP Center:
Yeah, a lot of respect. Hell of a player, admired him from afar for a long time, and obviously coached against him, followed his career. I’ve always said he’s the West Coast Patrice Bergeron, and the way he plays a 200-foot game, true professional in every sense of the word. I think he’s done a hell of a job for that organization, and leading it, and setting the example for the generation that’s come underneath him.
Warsofsky, on #SJSharks rivalry with Kings starting to come back to life: “We hear the ‘Beat LA’ chants, and we get juice from it. Our guys feed off it.”
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 21, 2025
Warsofsky, on San Jose Sharks’ attitude:
There’s a real care to win, which we haven’t had in a long time. You can see it. I heard Mario just after the game, [talking about] we gave away a point. That says right there that we want to win, and that’s what we’re here for.
Mario Ferraro
Ferraro, on the San Jose Sharks’ win:
Would have been nice to get the two points without giving them one.
Ferraro, on Joe Thornton reading the starting line-up:
He just brought in energy, brought in his son. He pointed to every guy in here. He just said the line-up and he put some money on the board. It was a good night, it was nice to have him in the room, give us some energy going out there in the first. I think it worked too. We were buzzing in the first.
Ty Dellandrea
Dellandrea, on what his linemates do well:
Adam, great shot by Gauds. It was pretty far out and pick a corner like that. So a great shot by him. And Grafer’s got a great stick. One of the better sticks I’ve seen getting it on the puck and creating turnovers and then doing work that way.
Philipp Kurashev
Kurashev, on his goal:
Was actually trying to pass first and then just kind of saw that [opening].
Kurashev, on how the Macklin Celebrini line picked up their play in the second period:
I think especially me, in the first half, it was tough to make plays, but like I said, we trust in each other, and we keep going, and we got each other’s back and just kept playing and ended up working out.
California love for the Captain 🩶 pic.twitter.com/x4oTjkiCfb
— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 21, 2025
