For yet another trade deadline, the San Jose Sharks dealt several notable players who played in just about every game and kept the team competitive. With 15 games left on their schedule, their lineup now includes skaters who feel like stopgap measures, and it would be easy for them to simply run out the clock and coast to the end of the season. However, the next few weeks hold value for San Jose as a way to prepare for the future. They should use the remaining games to give inexperienced players a look at the NHL. Even if their stints only last a few games, the Sharks can use those games to figure out what those players do well and what they still need to work on. From there, they can determine who will help the team next season and further down the line.
Sharks’ Youth Movement Should Be Expansive
The Sharks have a rare opportunity where they can give prospects NHL game experience in the stretch run of the season, something that not every team can afford to do. With this mentality, they can focus the rest of the season on bringing up young players from the minors or juniors and increasing the playing time for developing players currently on the NHL roster.
The front office has specific players they could bring in from the San Jose Barracuda, some of whom have already had brief looks at the NHL. They include Ethan Cardwell, Thomas Bordeleau and Danil Gushchin, all forwards with a lot of potential who have scored at least one goal with the Sharks. Among those without NHL experience, Luca Cagnoni is third in the American Hockey League (AHL) among defensemen in scoring and has been crucial to the Barracuda throughout their season. He deserves a chance at the highest level soon and now would be a good time to start. Even players in juniors like Quentin Musty and Kasper Halttunen could be fringe candidates for a short call up.
San Jose’s plans should extend to young players already on the Sharks. Shakir Mukhamadullin is currently having the best stretch of his career, and the coaching staff can increase his minutes and trust him to do more. Georgi Romanov should get a few games in net to determine his future with the Sharks and take pressure off Alexandar Georgiev, who has taken every recent start and played inconsistently under the weight of being essentially the team’s sole goaltender. Even Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini could take on more responsibility to close out their rookie seasons.
Many of the Sharks’ deadline trades showed that they still don’t know who all of the key players will be on future versions of the team. In their final games this season, they can take a step to get closer to a determination.
Collin Graf Provides an Example
Thankfully for the Sharks and their players, they already have a case study of how a short NHL stint to close a season can impact a career. Collin Graf signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks and instantly joined the big leagues last season, playing seven games and registering two assists while receiving some time on special teams. He didn’t look like a star immediately, but he got a sense of where he stood and where he could improve after completing his college career. He started this season with the Barracuda, but he’s shown tremendous improvement since returning to the NHL. His work on the puck has grown significantly, and his patience and decision-making to let plays develop are miles ahead of where they were last season. He has nine points this season, including two goals last night against the Chicago Blackhawks, and plays on both the power play and penalty kill. While he’s still very early in his career, he’s earned the lengthy NHL stretch he’s getting and looks like he belongs.
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Graf’s appearance in the NHL last season helped him prepare for this season, and his improvement ties directly to those seven games in 2024. If any Barracuda or Sharks players want to understand the positives of a short trip to the majors, all they need to do is look to him.
Sharks Can Get a Sense of Where Players Stand
As has been the case for most of the season, the Sharks aren’t too worried about winning many games to close out their campaign. They certainly want to win, but they’re also aware that this season is more about development and improvement for the future.
This can take many forms and it will hold many benefits. Skaters should play on a variety of lines and pairings, with numerous linemates or defense partners, allowing the organization to learn which combinations work well. They can also put different players on special teams for the same reason. Romanov can play against different teams, both strong and weak, to acclimate himself in the league.
Graf has demonstrated how a short time the NHL can not only impact players but also impact teams. The Sharks have been able to help his development in part because of their look at him last season. Now they hope they can spread that effect to more players and find the ones who will be part of the team for the years ahead.
