- Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
The San Jose Sharks have been oh so close to the No. 1 overall pick of the NHL Draft a handful of times. But they’ve never had it.
This was especially true in the ‘90s, when the Sharks had the No. 2 overall selection three times and the No. 3 overall twice.
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, that’s a feeling familiar to a 32-year-old franchise that has five Western Conference Finals and one Stanley Cup Final appearances to their credit, but zero championships.
Obviously, San Jose, 16 points out of the playoffs at the All-Star break, aren’t going to snap their Stanley Cup-less streak this season.
But that other streak? 32 years without a first-overall pick? That would be a streak – Captain Obvious reporting once again – that would be oh so sweet for the Sharks to snap with highly-touted Connor Bedard on top of the board.