1. 2020 draft was a very weak one in general. Look at all the picks from #31 onward.
There are only 4 players with 30 or more NHL points picked #31 or higher. 4. Its just a weak year in general.
2. The sharks are getting very close to respectability. Next summer, we should be able to to finally have a roster worthy of a PO run. Celly and smith will continue to develop. I think Thompson is a solid NHler to be. Cags may be ready for NHL time. Mukh remains TBD but we'll see. Dick might be ready, though I doubt it. Gush and Cards should get serious looks this year. Pohlcamp may make a training camp run. He'll be 21 years old and ready to make a the pro leap.
There are a lot of possibilities and TONS of cap space.
Grier will need to have a great UFA summer though. We will need to be highly active in signing at least 2 top 4 D and 2 more top 6 F. Grier has done a great job in trade, but aside from Toffoli, he has not done particularly well adding via UFA. One can argue thats because he didnt really want to as they were not ready to compete, but it seems to me like they are only a few players from being ready:
Celebrini- Toffoli - Eklund
Zetterlund- granlund (trade at deadline, then resign in summer)-TOP 6 UFA Winger
Smith- Wennberg- TOP 6 UFA winger
Goodrow-Grundstrom-Dyllandrea
then have competition among Cardwell, Gushkin, Bystedt, Graf, haltunnen, Musty, etc for the other two roster spots, injury fill ins, or healthy scratch of Good/Grund/or Dyl.
Walman-UFA Top 4 D
Thompson- UFA top 4 D
Ferraro-Liljgren
Dick, Cagnoni, Pohlcamp, Mukh fight for the #7/8 spot.
Note: thrun is out. I think he has had aenough time to show his NHL skill and it aint there.
Askarov is the starting goalie with a reliable vet backup (like vanecek).