The Sharks’ disappointing season is officially over after the NHL announced Tuesday it is abandoning the rest of the regular season and going straight into the playoffs, if it is able to resume play.
Commissioner Gary Bettmann said the league will increase its playoff teams from 16 to 24, but the Sharks have the worst record in the Western Conference and will be among the seven teams whose seasons are done. This marks just the second time in 17 seasons, and first since 2015, when the Sharks failed to make the postseason.
“While we are disappointed that the San Jose Sharks will not be able to complete our 2019-20 season, we understand and respect the decision made by the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement. “We are already well into our extensive season review process and will use this opportunity to build on what we have already started to ensure our club is ready for the start of the 2020-21 season.”
Sharks president Jonathan Becher said the team will accelerate the process of working to provide credits or refunds to fans for games at SAP Center that were postponed due to the pandemic.
Still, Bettman said the decision is not a guarantee that any games will resume. The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association must still figure out health and safety protocols and solve other issues, including where to play.
Nonetheless, ironing out a format represents significant progress since global sports were basically shut down in March as the coronavirus outbreak turned into a pandemic. Bettman has said the goal has always been to play again and award the Stanley Cup, but details remain uncertain and there is no announced timetable of any kind.
Earlier this week, the league and NHLPA issued extensive protocols once players are allowed to return to their facilities. They include a maximum of six players on the ice at a time, no contact and no coaches for voluntary workouts. Teams at some point would likely hold three-week re-training camps.
Instead of limiting the Cup chase to the usual 16 teams that qualify for the playoffs, the league and players agreed to expand the field to 24 of its 31 teams because of the unusual circumstances.
That means the likes of the Montreal Canadiens are still alive despite being nine points out of a playoff spot when hockey was halted March 12. But not all teams will have the same path to hockey’s storied trophy.
The top four teams in each conference ranked by points percentage — Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia in the East and St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas and Dallas in the West — will play separate round-robin tournaments to determine seeding.
The remaining 16 teams will be seeded by conference, setting up best-of-five series in the East of No. 5 Pittsburgh vs. No. 12 Montreal, No. 6 Carolina vs. No. 11 New York Rangers, No. 7 New York Islanders vs. No. 10 Florida and No. 8 Toronto vs. No. 9 Columbus. In the West, it would be No. 5 Edmonton vs. No. 12 Chicago, No. 6 Nashville vs. No. 11 Arizona, No. 7 Vancouver vs. No. 10 Minnesota and No. 8 Calgary vs. No. 9 Winnipeg.
Those games are expected to be played without fans in a few locations. The league has not yet determined those sites, though Edmonton, Alberta, Columbus, Ohio, Toronto and Las Vegas were believed to be among the possibilities.
“It’s not easy getting everybody on board with all the different countries, the players, the teams that were in the playoffs, teams that may not be in the playoffs and getting that all agreed upon with the union,” Buffalo Sabres owner Kim Pegula told The Associated Press. “For us to even finish the season and award (the Stanley Cup), I know a lot of work went into it. But I know how important it was for our players, our fans, our league to make sure that we conclude it.”
In the end, San Jose winds up going 29-36-5 for a conference-low 63 points. The Kings and Ducks were the only other teams with fewer than 70 points in the West.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
