Table of Contents
Sharks’ unusual opening night roster creates golden opportunities for some originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of their coverage at San Jose Hockey Nowlisten to it in the San Jose Hockey Podcast Nowand follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
He Sharks Opening Night Player Roster It’s unusual.
Normally, an official 23-man squad will have at least one additional forward, defender and goalkeeper. Not so with the Sharks, who on Monday presented an official inaugural game roster to the NHL with 15 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders.
So there are three more forwards, one more goalkeeper… and zero more defenders.
The Sharks begin the regular season on October 10 with a two-game homestand, so they’re probably thinking help will be nearby if a defenseman gets hurt.
Not that these opening day rosters are closed. They are mainly to ensure compliance with the cap – changes, downgrades and recalls are all possible.
Here’s my reaction to the Sharks’ official opening day roster.
Forwards (15)
Macklin CelebriniTy Dellandrea, William Eklund, Barclay Goodrow, Mikael Granlund, Carl Grundstrom, Danil Gushchin, Klim Kostin, Luke Kunin, Givani Smith, Will Smith, Nico Sturm, Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg, Fabian Zetterlund
“Gushchin has to be on this team.”
“Our pro scouts have been all over him, they said they don’t know how they could send him down right now.”
That’s what two non-San Jose NHL scouts messaged San Jose Hockey Now as Danil Gushchin was putting the finishing touches on a five-assist performance against the Vegas Golden Knights during the finale of Saturday preseason.
The Sharks made it work, shoehorning Gushchin into the rarely seen 15-6-2.
But all credit goes to waiver-exempt Gushchin, who forced San Jose’s hand with a league-leading nine points in four preseason games.
There’s no doubt general manager Mike Grier didn’t want to lose bubble forwards Klim Kostin and Givani Smith, neither of whom are exempt from waivers. Normally, these circumstances would push Gushchin to the AHL, regardless of the criticism on the Internet.
But now the difficult part begins for Gushchin.
Playing and power-play time could be relatively scarce for Gushchin, judging by Monday’s practice lines ahead of Thursday’s season opener.
Gushchin was on a fourth line with Ty Dellandrea, centered by Nico Sturm, and on the second power-play unit with Henry Thrun, Will Smith, William Eklund and Alex Wennberg.
The lines were, according to Hockey News:
Eklund-Celebrini-Toffoli
Granlund-W. Smith-Zetterlund
Kunin-Wennberg-Goodrow
Gushchin-Sturm-Dellandrea
G. Smith-Kostin-Grundstrom
If that holds true for Thursday night, then it will be up to the 5-foot-8 winger, as he did this preseason, to take advantage of everything he’s been given, little or nothing, and earn a spot.
It wouldn’t count against him.
Other thoughts?
Celebrini should, in fact, start the season as the Sharks’ number one center, but based on what we’ve seen this preseason, he deserves it.
There will be a microscope on Will Smith, who had an up-and-down preseason. The offensive talent is there, and it looks like he will be given top-six minutes immediately, with the Sharks’ other 1C Granlund supporting him. Smith had been improving with each preseason game, so the Sharks hope that trend continues for the high-IQ super prospect.
“He’s a hockey player, right? “He’s a competitor, he’s tough, mentally and physically, he gives you everything he has,” coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Kunin on Saturday. “Great teammate. I can’t say enough about Luke Kunin.”
The same can be said for many very competitive and less offensive forwards on the Sharks roster, such as Barclay Goodrow, Ty Dellandrea, Nico Sturm and Carl Grundstrom, who the internet likes to complain about from time to time.
Point is: That’s how the Sharks, and much of the NHL, feel about these types of players. They are also essential to winning, you cannot field a team with all offensive forwards.
Whether we like it or not, they are valuable players.
Finally, credit Givani Smith, who didn’t look like he belonged on an NHL roster last year, for an excellent all-around camp. In limited ice time, he made his share of solid, high-level plays, opened eyes and added his trademark toughness.
“One of the biggest surprises of camp,” Warsofsky said.
Defenses (6)
Matt Benning, Cody Ceci, Mario Ferraro, Jan Rutta, Henry Thrun, Jake Walman
Can this group play above expectations?
That answer could make or break the Sharks’ 2024-25 season as they look to climb out of the cellar.
It’s fair to say big questions surround each blueliner: What will the talented Walman do with the most responsibility, including PP1 duties, he has ever received in his career? Can young Thrun improve his game after an up-and-down rookie campaign on a terrible Sharks team? Is Benning fully recovered from season-ending hip surgery? How will Ceci handle being on a team possibly much worse than the Edmonton Oilers from last year’s Stanley Cup Final?
For veterans Ferraro and Rutta, it’s a somewhat similar question. It wasn’t entirely their fault, of course, but last year they struggled to overcome the circumstances of an honestly terrible team. They were overloaded and it showed.
The Sharks are better across the board this year, especially depth, and that could be the difference for the defense. The Sharks relied on offensive forwards who didn’t score last year, putting pressure on their defense; This offseason, Grier smartly put emphasis on strong two-way or defensive forwards like Goodrow and Wennberg and company.
That should float everyone’s boats.
Goalkeepers (2)
Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek
Better two-way forwards should help the defense and, in turn, that should help the goaltending, which was under siege last year.
Vanecek outplayed Blackwood in the preseason, but Blackwood is the Sharks’ starter (and didn’t play poorly himself), so both have a strong claim to be the starters on opening night.
Throughout their careers, both goaltenders have combined strong early seasons with not-so-great seasons.
The advantage? The Sharks could have two very capable 1A goalies sharing the load.
The downside? It’s not a big drawback: Top goalkeeper prospect Yaroslav Askarovwho appears to be close to being NHL-ready, is waiting in the wings.
