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 his coverage at San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
The Sharks’ Opening Night schedule is unusual.
Normally an official 23-man squad has at least one additional attacker, defender and goalkeeper. That doesn’t apply to the Sharks, who submitted an official opening day roster to the NHL on Monday with 15 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies.
So that’s three extra attackers, one extra goalkeeper… and zero extra defender.
The Sharks open the regular season on Oct. 10 on a two-game homestand, so they likely think help is close at hand if a defenseman gets hurt.
It is not the case that the schedules are locked on opening day. They are mainly intended to ensure that the limits are adhered to: trades, demotions and recalls are all possible.
Here’s my reaction to the Sharks’ official opening day schedule.
Forward (15)
Macklin Celebrini, Ty 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 needs to be on this team.”
“Our professional scouts have been following him everywhere and saying they don’t know how to send him down now.”
That’s what two non-San Jose NHL scouts reported to San Jose Hockey Now as Danil Gushchin put the finishing touches on a five-assist performance against the Vegas Golden Knights in Saturday’s preseason finale.
The Sharks made it happen by beating Gushchin in the rarely seen 15-6-2.
But credit goes to the waiver-waiver Gushchin, who forced San Jose’s hand with a league-high nine points in four preseason games.
There’s no question that general manager Mike Grier didn’t want to lose bubble forwards Klim Kostin and Givani Smith, neither of whom were exempt. Typically, these circumstances would push Gushchin to the AHL regardless of internet criticism.
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 rules were, according to Hockey News:
Eklund-Celebrini-Toffoli
Granlund-W. Smith-Zetterlund
Kunin-Wennberg-Goodrow
Gushchin-Sturm-Dellandrea
G. Smith-Kostin-Grundstrom
If that’s true on Thursday night, then it’s up to the 6-foot-1 winger, as he has done this preseason, to take advantage of whatever is given to him, little or none, and grab a job.
I wouldn’t count against him.
Other thoughts?
Indeed, Celebrini should start the season as the Sharks’ No. 1 center, but based on what we’ve seen this preseason, it’s deserved.
A microscope will be put on Will Smith, who had an up-and-down preseason. The offensive talent is there and he looks like he’ll get top-six minutes immediately, with the Sharks’ other 1C Granlund backing him up. Smith has gotten better every preseason game, so the Sharks are hoping that trend continues for the high-IQ super prospect.
“He’s a hockey player, right? He is a competitor, he is strong, mentally and physically, he gives everything he has, coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Kunin on Saturday. “Great teammate. I can’t say enough good things about Luke Kunin,”
You can say that about the many high-competition, low-attack forwards on the Sharks roster, like Barclay Goodrow, Ty Dellandrea, Nico Sturm and Carl Grundstrom, that the internet likes to complain about from time to time.
The point is, this is how the Sharks, and much of the NHL, feels about these types of players. They are also essential to winning; you can’t field a team made up entirely of attacking forwards.
Like it or not, they are valued players.
Finally, credit to Givani Smith, who didn’t really look like he belonged on an NHL roster last year, for an excellent all-around camp. In limited ice time, he earned his share of solid-to-quality plays and opened eyes, adding his signature toughness.
“One of the biggest surprises of camp,” Warsofsky said.
Defenders (6)
Matt Benning, Cody Ceci, Mario Ferraro, Jan Rutta, Henry Thrun, Jake Walman
Can this group play beyond 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 every blueliner: What will the talented Walman do with the most responsibility, including PP1 duties, he’s ever been given in his career? Can young Thrun take his game to the next level after an up-and-down rookie campaign with a terrible Sharks team? Has Benning fully recovered from season-ending hip surgery? How will Ceci deal with being on a potentially much worse team than his Stanley Cup Final Edmonton Oilers from last year?
For veterans Ferraro and Rutta, it’s a somewhat similar question. It wasn’t entirely their fault, of course, but they struggled to rise above the circumstances of a frankly terrible team last year. They were stressed, and it showed.
The Sharks are better everywhere this year, especially with depth, and that could make the difference for the defense. The Sharks leaned on offensive forwards who didn’t score last year, putting pressure on their defense. This offseason, Grier smartly emphasized strong two-way or defensive forwards like Goodrow and Wennberg and the likes.
That should float everyone’s boats.
Goalkeepers (2)
Mackenzie Blackwood, Vitek Vanecek
Better two-way forwards should help the defense, which in turn should help the goaltending, which was under siege last year.
Vanecek beat Blackwood in the preseason, but Blackwood is the Sharks’ incumbent (and didn’t play badly himself), so both have a solid claim to be the opening night starter.
Throughout their careers, both goaltenders have combined strong starting campaigns with not-so-great seasons.
The advantage? The Sharks could have two very capable 1A goaltenders sharing the load.
The downside? It’s not really a disadvantage: top goalie Yaroslav Askarov, who seems almost ready for the NHL, is waiting in the wings.
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