The San Jose Sharks will have quite a few new faces on their opening night roster this season. Some will be familiar faces returning to the SAP Center, and others will be brand new. There’s not a lot set in stone, but even for the players who seem guaranteed to make the team, their roles may change drastically. Let’s look at what the roster may look like this October.
Forwards
Locked In
There are a few players who are all but guaranteed a spot in the Sharks forward group to start the season. Veterans like Mikael Granlund and Logan Couture will undoubtedly be in the lineup if he’s healthy. Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg signed big-money contracts with the Sharks this offseason and certainly didn’t do so to sit in the press box on a nightly basis, either.
Regarding young forwards who will be on the opening night roster, William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund played very well during the 2023-24 season. It would take a disastrous performance in training camp and preseason for them to be left off. Meanwhile, top prospects Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith didn’t leave their NCAA teams to go to the American Hockey League, so I’d be surprised if they weren’t told they’ll likely start the season with the Sharks.
On the Bubble
Things get a little more difficult to predict when looking at the bottom half of the lineup. New additions Carl Grundstrom, Ty Dellandrea, and the returning Barclay Goodrow would seem likely to earn a spot in the lineup since the Sharks went out of their way to acquire each of them this offseason. Still, based on the players ahead of them on the depth chart, it’s hard to say there’s going to be room for all of them. Players like Nico Sturm and Luke Kunin are undoubtedly deserving of a bottom-six role, but a strong camp by one of the aforementioned three players could push them out. Klim Kostin, Justin Bailey, Givani Smith, Collin Graf, and Thomas Bordeleau all spent time with the Sharks last season and will fight for roster spots as well, but they may be on the outside looking in.
Knocking on the Door
Finally, we’ve reached the players who are flying under the radar but could surprise everyone and fight for a spot on opening night. First up is 19-year-old Quentin Musty, who will likely spend the 2024-25 season back in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sudbury Wolves. Ideally, he’s the type of prospect who would benefit from time with the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL, but as a member of the Canadian Hockey League, that’s not possible at this point without an exemption. Given the rarity of an exemption being granted, there’s essentially no chance he plays in the AHL this season. He’s on the verge of being NHL-ready, and the OHL isn’t going to benefit him much more at this point. He may be an NHL-caliber player in a few months, and a strong summer could expedite that process. With that being said, though, there’s a logjam ahead of him, which will make it very difficult for him to make the roster this season.
Daniil Gushchin is another player who has been on the verge of breaking into the NHL for a couple of years now. He’s had sporadic appearances with the Sharks and played fairly well in terms of offensive production when in the NHL, but he hasn’t been able to stick so far. Following a point-per-game season at the AHL, the next logical step in his development would be to see how that can translate at the top tier of North American hockey. He could follow a path similar to that of Bailey last season, who started with the Barracuda but got recalled mid-season and never looked back.
Lastly, we have Filip Bystedt. His countryman David Edstrom would also fall in this category if he was jumping over the Atlantic Ocean, but he’s remaining in the Swedish Hockey League next season. Bystedt came over to North America late in the season and immediately started lighting up the AHL. As a former first-round draft pick, the Sharks organization has spent a lot of time and resources on him and would love to see him in the NHL as soon as possible. He’ll likely start in the AHL, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him surpass someone on the depth chart and sneak onto the opening night roster.
Projected Forwards: Fabian Zetterlund, Mikael Granlund, William Eklund, Macklin Celebrini, Alexander Wennberg, Tyler Toffoli, Will Smith, Logan Couture, Klim Kostin, Luke Kunin, Nico Sturm, Carl Grundstrom, Ty Dellandrea, Barclay Goodrow
Defensemen
A few defensemen appear to be guaranteed for the opening night lineup. Mario Ferraro, Jan Rutta, Matt Benning, and the recently acquired Jake Walman will almost certainly be starting the season with a significant role on the Sharks’ blue line. Marc-Edouard Vlasic would be a safe bet to take another of the six slots, but he’s less of a sure thing, considering how much he’s regressed over the past few seasons. He won’t be waived, that seems clear but there’s a chance he starts as the Sharks’ seventh defenseman although it’s not very likely. Assuming Vlasic is in the opening night lineup, that leaves one spot for any of Ty Emberson, Henry Thrun, and Shakir Mukhamadullin.
Mukhamadullin is ready for the NHL; he played very well when given an opportunity last season and was phenomenal at the AHL level as well. Emberson and Thrun were regulars in the lineup late in the season, but neither really did much to separate themselves from the rest. Suppose the Sharks opt to start Mukhamadullin in the AHL with the Barracuda. In that case, I’d personally prefer to see Emberson start in the opening night lineup with Thrun as the seventh defenseman.
Related: Sharks’ Thomas Bordeleau Could Be on Outside Looking In
Sam Dickinson, the 11th overall pick in this summer’s NHL draft, could make the team out of training camp if everything goes perfectly, but it will be difficult for him to do so. I think Mukhamadullin is a likely option to start the season in the NHL, but it’s worth keeping an eye on Dickinson as well.
Projected Defensemen: Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Mario Ferraro, Jake Walman, Matt Benning, Ty Emberson, Jan Rutta, Henry Thrun
Goaltenders
The Sharks’ goaltending is the one area that seems clear; Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek will be between the pipes for the team in teal this season. If an injury were to occur, that’s when things could get interesting if Magnus Chrona or Georgi Romanov have a strong showing, but at least to start the season, it’ll be a reunion of two former New Jersey Devils in net.
The Sharks’ roster will be difficult to project, as there are a multitude of outcomes that could happen. That being said, young players have many opportunities to make an impact and earn themselves a spot for opening night.
