The second week of training camp and preseason for the San Jose Sharks has been just as eventful as the first. Whether it’s roster cuts or injuries, there’s certainly a lot to discuss.
Time to Sit Celebrini
Macklin Celebrini is currently listed as day-to-day and unlikely to play against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night in the Sharks’ final home preseason game. The Sharks then go on the road to play the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, which would give him another opportunity to play but it would be wise to sit him even if the 2024 first-overall pick is healthy enough to play in either of the games.
There have been a number of injuries to star players this preseason, whether it be when the Montreal Canadiens lost both David Reinbacher and Patrik Laine for a considerable amount of time in the same game or Drew Doughty breaking his ankle. Too many key players are going to miss considerable time for many different teams. As a result, the Sharks should rest players like Celebrini and potentially even Will Smith, as it seems clear they’ll both be on the opening night roster if healthy. There’s no point in risking an unnecessary injury to players who will be the future of the organization in a meaningless game.
Second and Third Rounds of Cuts
The second round of roster cuts had a few notable names. Quentin Musty was a player who seemed like he could make the opening night roster given his strong performances in the Rookie Faceoff and at the start of preseason. Ultimately, general manager Mike Grier decided that the young prospect would benefit more from top-line minutes with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League than bottom-six time with the Sharks, and it’s hard to argue with that logic.
Two players were placed on waivers and cleared through, Justin Bailey and Jimmy Schuldt. Bailey is essentially finding himself in a familiar situation, as he started the 2023-24 season with the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League and will have to fight to make it back to the NHL this season.
The other notable players who were sent down include Filip Bystedt, the 2022 first-round selection, and Kasper Halttunen, the 2023 second-round pick. Both are expected to be impact players for the Barracuda this season, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see either of them in the NHL later in the season. Specifically for Bystedt, this is going to be a very important season for him to take the next step in his development. He performed well at the AHL level last season in a small sample size, but the fact that he was reassigned this early in training camp isn’t ideal as it shows management doesn’t think he’s even close to ready for NHL hockey. A strong performance over the course of a full season could do wonders for his development and get him on the right track though.
Considering head coach John McCarthy needs the Barracuda to take a massive step forward this season, the two Scandinavians will definitely help do that.
The third round of training camp cuts didn’t have any surprises. Veteran Colin White was reassigned to the AHL, while Scott Sabourin and Andrew Poturalski were placed on waivers with the intention of reassignment. None of the three were truly seen as players with an opportunity to crack the roster.
Too Early to Panic
The Sharks have struggled to get results in the preseason, with only a single victory on the road against the Anaheim Ducks. While the players and fans would certainly like to win, it’s important to remember that these results don’t matter. The key to a successful preseason isn’t measured in wins and losses but by strong performances by players needing to take a major step forward. It’s all about development, and although the team hasn’t performed well as a whole, many of the young players like Celebrini and Smith have done very well for themselves.
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The Sharks still have a bit more of the preseason left, but over the next coming days, we’ll see more and more players being reassigned whether it be to the Barracuda or juniors. Soon we’ll have an idea of what the opening night roster will look like, but until then, Grier and head coach Ryan Warsofsky are going to have to make quite a few difficult decisions.
