Sharks eliminated, unable to overcome slow start, injuries to Hertl, Couture

The San Jose Sharks failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

The Sharks (16-41-7) were eliminated from contention when the Vegas Golden Knights won 5-4 in overtime against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday after San Jose lost 3-2 at the Philadelphia Flyers. The Sharks qualified the previous four seasons prior to the start of their drought, and 14 of 15 since 2003-04, a run that included five Western Conference Final appearances and a six-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final.

San Jose is 1-7-2 in its past 10 games and has the second-worst record on the road (6-22-4) after the Chicago Blackhawks (5-26-1).

Here is a look at what happened in the 2023-24 season for the Sharks and why things could be better next season.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Kevin Labanc, F; Mike Hoffman, F; Alexander Barabanov, F; Justin Bailey, F; Ryan Carpenter, F; Jacob MacDonald, D; Devin Cooley, G

Potential restricted free agents: Luke Kunin, F; Filip Zadina, F; Thomas Bordeleau, F; Henry Thrun, D; Calen Addison, D; Ty Emberson, D

Potential 2024 Draft picks: 9

What went wrong

Slumping at the start: The Sharks began the season 0-10-1, which was the second-worst start in NHL history after the New York Rangers in 1943-44 (0-14, one tie). San Jose went 0-8-1 in October, averaging one goal per game and allowing 3.78. In November, the Sharks went 5-5-4 and averaged 1.93 goals per game while allowing 4.07.

Injuries: San Jose coach David Quinn was put at a disadvantage from the early part of the season because of injuries to a few key players, including forward Tomas Hertl (knee surgery) and captain Logan Couture (hip/groin). Hertl, who has been out since before the All-Star break (Feb. 1-3), was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on March 8 for forward prospect David Edstrom and a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Couture missed the first 45 games of the season after an injury he sustained during offseason training before returning to the lineup in January. He’s out for the remainder of the season after having just one assist in six games.

Preventing goals: Goaltending has been a problem since the run to the 2019 Western Conference Final, a six-game loss to the St. Louis Blues. Mackenzie Blackwood, acquired from the New Jersey Devils on June 27, 2023, and signed a two-year contract July 1, has been in and out of the lineup with a lower-body injury. The 27-year-old is 9-18-3 with an .899 save percentage in 35 games (32 starts). Kaapo Kahkonen, who was traded to the Devils for goalie Vitek Vanecek on March 8, went 6-20-3 with an .895 save percentage. Magnus Chrona, a fifth-round pick (No. 152) in the 2018 NHL Draft, is still maturing at the top level. The 23-year-old, considered to be their goalie of the future, is 1-3-1 with an .879 save percentage in six games (five starts).

Reasons for optimism

Promising prospects: The Sharks have several young players either on the current roster or in…