David Lewandowski

The San Jose Sharks took a step forward in 2025-26, upping their points total from a league-worst 52 to 86 this season, just four points short of a Western Conference playoff spot. Sharks GM Mike Grier gave Warsofsky a vote of confidence in his end-of-season media availability. Per The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka, Grier said Warsofsky has “done a good job” and added that “there’s no reason to think that he won’t be the coach [in San Jose] when the season starts next year.”

While the Sharks parting ways with Warsofsky seems somewhat out of question given the team’s dramatic year-over-year improvements, the reality is this past NHL season has been marked by teams pulling the trigger on coaching changes in non-traditional situations. The Vegas Golden Knights fired Stanley Cup-winning head coach Bruce Cassidy with less than a month remaining in the season, while the New York Islanders fired head coach Patrick Roy with just four games remaining in 2025-26. NHL teams hold their coaches to extremely high standards, though it is important to note that the Sharks are in an entirely different stage of their competitive cycle than Vegas is, for example. But with the emergence of key contributors in San Jose such as star Macklin Celebrini, the competitive bar has been raised, and it’s up to Warsofsky to meet that bar next season.

Other notes from around the Pacific Division:

• The Calgary Flames enter the offseason committed to a long-term, patient vision in constructing their team, according to what GM Craig Conroy said to the media on Friday. Conroy was asked about what kind of teambuilding direction he’d take moving forward, and said “It is about the long term. It’s not about getting into the playoffs one year, not in the next, in one year, then out. We want to be there consistently.” Calgary has missed the playoffs for four straight years, and appear to have a substantial amount of work ahead of them when it comes to building the club into a true Stanley Cup contender. Based on what Conroy told the media, it appears the team will embark on a patient, draft-and-develop road back to contention, rather than trying to move aggressively in free agency or in trades to add NHL-ready talent to their roster.
• The Edmonton Oilers signed prospect forward David Lewandowski has joined the team’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, on an ATO. The 19-year-old made his North American professional debut last night against the San Jose Barracuda and earned his first AHL point, a secondary assist. The 19-year-old German forward was selected in the fourth round, No. 117 overall, of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked Lewandowski as the No. 5 prospect in Edmonton’s system, calling him a “a reliable, almost veteran player, even though he’s still a teenager.” Lewandowski spent most of 2025-26 with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, where he scored 65 points in 57 regular-season games and nine points in 11 postseason contests.