Today’s The Big Day

It all comes back to the missed opportunity of 2016.

That year, of course, marked the biggest disappointment in the history of the San Jose Sharks: a loss in the Stanley Cup Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins. What could have been the culmination of nearly two decades as one of the NHL's most consistent franchises instead left Sharks fans hanging yet again. While that generation of stars still managed to string together one last push in 2019, which ended in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final, it's that failure eight years ago that continues to define San Jose's identity.

The lack of a Cup has meant there's been no comfort in the comedown after the veteran exodus that followed 2019. As teams tend to do after a sustained period of contention, the rebuilding Sharks have sulked through five years and counting without a playoff appearance—more than they missed across the entirety of 1994 through 2019. As a result of that losing, however, the team has been rewarded with top draft picks, including fourth overall pick Will Smith last season, and the big one, Macklin Celebrini, with the first pick this summer.

If the Sharks can complete a turnaround, it will almost certainly be with Celebrini as the centerpiece. A prodigy out of Boston University who won't even turn 19 until June, Celebrini crafted confident, creative highlights in college that made it impossible to ignore his presence on the ice. In his official San Jose debut, he didn't make anyone wait, scoring the first goal of the Sharks' season and adding an assist before the end of the opening period. That goal, which a lot of folks would classify as "very lucky," nevertheless helps fuel the Celebrini hype. It's hard to even imagine a goal where a guy entering the circle spins around and fires a wild backhand that deflects into an open net, but this barely legal Shark made it happen almost instantly.

This is what hope looks like, if you're a Sharks fan. But they've had to put hope on hold until today, Tuesday, Nov. 5. Celebrini re-aggravated a preseason hip injury in that opener, and it's forced him off the ice while his team slumped to 3-8-2. Now, however, this matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets is the return of the Celebrini, and everyone is waiting to see what happens next. What will turnout (at the arena) look like? What kind of shenanigans might the opposition pull? Can he overcome Ohio's results? Will the celebrity endorsements make any difference?

Is Macklin the perfect candidate to save the Sharks? I would say no. But he's the best option they've got right now, at this critical moment in team history. We'll know just a little bit more about his future after tonight.