After three straight years of being at or near the bottom of the NHL standings, the Sharks recognize the need to make improvements for next season. The only question is how.

Perhaps they could look at one of their Southern California rivals for answers.

The Anaheim Ducks finished in 32nd and last place in 2022-23, and 30th last season in their first year under coach Greg Cronin. But with the influx and maturation of some younger players, the addition of a few veterans and a tighter defense overall, the Ducks, heading into Tuesday’s game against the Sharks at Honda Center, had a 32-33-8 record and were on pace to finish with just over 80 points.

That’s not enough to get the Ducks into the playoffs, but it would represent a dramatic improvement from last year, when they finished with 59 points.

That’s roughly the uptick the Sharks have in mind for next season. Currently, it appears San Jose will finish this year with between 54 and 58 points and be in 31st or 32nd place.

Asked in January about where he sees the Sharks standings-wise next season, general manager Mike Grier said, “If as a management staff, if we can add some pieces to it, then hopefully, this time next year, we’re talking more about being — maybe we’re not sellers, not necessarily that we’ll be buyers — but maybe there’s more talk about us kind of hanging around the race, and seeing what happens down the stretch.”

Just before the NHL trade deadline, the Ducks went 6-2-1 from Feb. 2 to March 4, moving to within just six points of a playoff spot.

Anaheim entered Tuesday 15 points out of the postseason and will be mathematically eliminated in short order. Nevertheless, the Ducks are scoring a bit more than last year, giving up less, and appear to have buy-in from their roster.

“We’re connected on what we’re trying to do,” Cronin said in February. “Players understand what their role is to make a play successful in the game. It allows them to play faster. I think the connectivity is transferable through all three zones. We’re just starting to do it, so the players are starting to feel confident and believe in executing it.”

Just like the Sharks, the Ducks have several key pieces that are 24-and-under, which is understandable since Anaheim has drafted inside the top 10 for six straight years. That group includes forwards Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Trevor Zegras, as well as defensemen Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger, and Pavel Mintyukov. Before Tuesday, McTavish, LaCombe, and Carlsson were all in the top five in the team’s scoring.

In the last two years, the Ducks have also benefited from adding veterans like forwards Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano and defensemen Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas to steady the team.

The goaltending has also improved, with Lukas Dostal and John Gibson combining for a .908 save percentage this season. Last season, those two combined for a .894 mark. Before Tuesday, the Ducks allowed 3.12 goals per game, much better than the 3.57 they gave up last season.

The Sharks have made modest strides in goals allowed per game, going from 3.98 last season to 3.75 this year. Still, they were last in the NHL in that category in 2023-24 and are again bringing up the rear this season.

“You win in this league by playing good defense and goaltending, and we got those tonight,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said after a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins on March 21. “We’ve got to continue to push forward with that, and every time we have a chance to get better, we’ve got to get better and win that day.”

ASKAROV RETURNS >> Goalie Yaroslav Askarov is on track to return from his injury and start tonight when the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, hosts the Ontario Reign at Tech CU Arena.

Askarov, the Sharks’ top goalie prospect, was a full participant in the Barracuda’s practice Tuesday, marking the second straight day he skated with the team.

Askarov hasn’t played since Feb. 19 when he sustained a lower-body injury in the Barracuda’s home game against the Reign. In 19 games with the Barracuda this season, Askarov is 10-7-1 with a .922 save percentage. In 12 games with the Sharks, he was also 4-6-2 with an .896 save percentage.

Askarov will be a welcome addition to the Barracuda after it was blasted 5-1 in consecutive games at home against the Abbotsford Canucks last week. San Jose is 4-4-3 since the first week of March and are in fifth place in the Pacific Division with 73 points, four points back of both Abbotsford and Coachella Valley, which are tied for third.

The top team in the Pacific Division will earn a bye for the first round of the playoffs, and the teams that finish second through fourth earn home ice advantage for the best-of-three first-round series.

Center Patrick Giles and defenseman Luca Cagnoni can also play tonight. Both practiced with the Barracuda on Tuesday after the Sharks returned them to the AHL on Monday.