SAN JOSE >> The Sharks are guaranteed a top-three pick in this year’s NHL draft and are confident they’ll be able to grab an impactful player that can, at some point, fit alongside other recent first-round selections Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and William Eklund.

But this is the last time Sharks general manager Mike Grier wants to be in this spot.

“We’ve been lucky to get (Smith) and to get (Celebrini), and we’re going to get another really good player this year,” Grier said Friday. “But I hope not to be in this situation for a while after this year.”

That was Grier’s message to the Sharks this week after they ended with a record of 20-50-12, becoming the first team since the Buffalo Sabres in 2014 and 2015 to finish at the bottom of the league standings in consecutive years — and to lose at least 50 games in back-to-back seasons.

After shipping a handful of veteran players to contending teams before the March 7 trade deadline, the Sharks not only ended the season with the fewest goals scored per game (2.54), but also, for the second straight year, with the most goals allowed (3.78 per game).

The Sharks also lost 13 games this season when leading after two periods, including eight in regulation time.

The result is that the Sharks will have no lower than the third overall pick and again have the best chance, 25.5%, to win next month’s NHL Draft Lottery.

Regardless of where the Sharks draft, though, it’ll fall on the front office to make the right offseason moves, the returning coaches to get the most out of the players, and the players to improve for the organization to pull out of this years-long malaise.

“We were the worst team in the league, so we have to figure out a way to get better,” Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli said Thursday. “Obviously, there’s going to be conversations within the summer, and we’ll have to work on things. Whatever that is, we’re going to have to find a way ourselves.”

Other highlights from Grier’s media availability on Friday:

WHAT’S THE PRIORITY? >> As much as the Sharks need to find more offense, goal-prevention is the top priority for next season, and that’ll come, at least partly, from making upgrades to the defense corps and finding the right goalie to pair with Yaroslav Askarov.

With Alexandar Georgiev out of the picture, Grier doesn’t want Askarov to tandem with another young goalie. Instead, they’ll be looking for someone with NHL experience who can push Askarov and challenge him for ice time.

Grier said the Sharks are not simply in the market for a backup who can start 20 games. “We need someone who’s going to challenge (Askarov), push him, and then even possibly be the guy if he doesn’t perform well,” he said. “It’s important for us to have competition.”

SMITH TO CENTER: >> Smith, who turned 20 last month, played the wing the last few months of the season, helping his adjustment to the NHL. But Smith was drafted fourth overall in 2023 as a centerman, and Grier said that’s where he’ll likely play next season, possibly from the start of training camp.

“I think Will is more than capable of being a really good center in this league, a point-producing center and an impactful center,” Grier said.

Smith had 11 points in his first 32 NHL games until the end of December, and 32 points in 42 games from January until mid-April. In his standout freshman season at Boston College in 2023-24, Smith, as a center, had 71 points in 41 games.

KOVALENKO’S FUTURE: >> Where do things stand with forward Nikolai Kovalenko, who expressed some frustration with how he was used by the Sharks this season?

Grier said he can’t control if Kovalenko opts to go back to the KHL. But as of now, Grier is planning to have the winger, a pending restricted free agent, back in the fall.

“There’s going to be an evaluation period with that, and I think he’s got to be honest with himself and talk to his agent and his circle about what he wants and what he’s willing to do,” Grier said.

Grier said it was too early to discuss where things stand with other pending RFAs, such as Noah Gregor, Klim Kostin, and Georgi Romanov, and others, such as Thomas Bordeleau and Danil Gushchin.

WHO’S YOUR CAPTAIN? >> Following Logan Couture’s announcement earlier this week that his playing career is officially over, Grier said he’s in no rush to name a new captain, calling it a sacred honor. He also isn’t married to the idea of having a captain in place for the start of next season.

COACHING STAFF: >> Grier gave positive reviews to Ryan Warsofsky and his coaching staff, adding that he anticipates they’ll all be back next season. Warsofsky’s staff includes assistants Brian Wiseman, Doug Houda, Jeff Ulmer, goalie coach Thomas Speer, and video coaches Nick Gialdini and Cody Ward.

CONTRACT TALK: >> Grier didn’t rule out trying to re-sign veteran defenseman Jan Rutta, another pending UFA, saying, “he’s on a list with some other guys where it’s a possibility we bring them back. But we’ve got to look to do what we think is best. ... We’ll just kind of see where it goes with him.”

TRADE THE NO. 1 PICK?: >> Grier would not rule out trading the No. 1 overall if the Sharks won the draft lottery, but, seemingly, it would have to be an impressive proposal.

“I’m not going to say no,” Grier said. “If someone wants to make a really good offer of established young players, it’s not something I’m going to close the door on. Last year I probably shut the door on everything. But you never know if there’s a Ricky Williams/Herschel Walker type offer.”