Why the San Jose Sharks are now hoping the Edmonton Oilers miss the playoffs

SAN JOSE – Will the Edmonton Oilers make the playoffs this season?

The San Jose Sharks sure hope not.

Aiming to address a need for a third-line center before the NHL trade deadline, the Oilers on Wednesday traded forward Andrew Mangiapane and their 2027 first-round draft pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for center Jason Dickinson and forward Colton Dach.

With the deal, the conditional first-round selection the Sharks received from the Oilers last March, as part of a trade that sent defenseman Jake Walman to Edmonton, now becomes an unprotected pick.

Had the Oilers kept their 2027 first-round pick past Friday’s deadline, that conditional 2026 first-round pick San Jose received from Edmonton would have remained top-12-protected. That meant if the Oilers’ own first-round pick this year had landed in the top 12, for whatever reason, they had the option of transferring their 2027 first-round selection to San Jose instead.

The Oilers entered Wednesday in third place in the Pacific Division with 68 points. They were four points ahead of the Sharks, who have three games in hand and were, before Wednesday’s games, three points out of a playoff spot.

The #SJSharks now own Edmonton's 2026 first-round pick unprotected to complete the Jake Walman trade:

It had previously been top-12 protected, unless Edmonton moved its 2027 1st, which is now going to Chicago (top-12 protected) in the Jason Dickinson deal.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 5, 2026

If the Oilers miss the playoffs this year, the first-rounder they have now traded to the Sharks will be in the NHL Draft Lottery.  The first 16 selections of the draft are determined by the lottery, with the teams with the worst records having the best chances to win.

If the Oilers make the playoffs, that first-rounder the Sharks now own will land anywhere from 17th to 32nd overall, partially depending on how far Edmonton advances.

The Sharks also still have their own first-round pick this year and will be in the lottery as well if they miss the playoffs.

There is still a lot to be settled. Before Wednesday’s games, the top six teams in the Pacific Division were separated by just eight points and three teams, including the Sharks, were within five points of the second and final wild card spot now held by the Seattle Kraken, which has 67 points.

Sharks fans, though, might not want to count on Edmonton missing the playoffs. The Athletic earlier this week pegged the Oilers’ postseason chances at 81%, and MoneyPuck.com had them at 73.1%.