The San Jose Sharks will submit the opening night rosters tomorrow and we’ll find out who will be part of the 23-man opening night roster. While some of the training camp competitions are settled — we know that Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek will be the two players in net for the Sharks to start the season — there are still some camp battles that need to be settled.
San Jose Sharks forwards 2024-25
The most interesting of the camp fights is in the forward group. There are locks for the opening night like William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund. Newcomers Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini are also locked into the roster. But what about more veteran players like Klim Kostin or Givani Smith? What about the younger players who have already had a taste of the NHL like Ethan Cardwell or Danil Gushchin? Which of those make the roster and which end up back with the Barracuda?
Yes, Puckpedia has reported that there are no waivers for the Sharks today, which means that barring an injury, Kostin or G. Smith will be with the Sharks on opening night roster, though they may or may not be in the lineup.
That said, until it’s official, we’re going to take a look at what we’d like that opening night roster to look like. In an ideal world.
William Eklund – Macklin Celebrini – Tyler Toffoli
Will Smith – Mikael Granlund – Fabian Zetterlund
Danil Gushchin – Alex Wennberg – Barclay Goodrow
Luke Kunin – Nico Sturm – Ty Dellandrea
Healthy scratches: Klim Kostin Carl Grundstrom,
Injured Reserve: Thomas Bordeleau, Logan Couture
Eklund, Celebrini and Granlund all had minor injuries during the preseason, but we’re not expecting those to hinder the players from taking the ice on opening night. They were all skating as of a week ago, and we assume the Sharks were just being cautious and there’s nothing major wrong.
The 70s line should definitely stick together. It gives Celebrini solid linemates. Toffoli is a finisher. Eklund and Celebrini are both creative players, and as they learn from one another, it could be dynamic.
The second line of Will Smith, Granlund and Zetterlund gives W. Smith the best opportunity to learn from a reliable NHL center in Granlund while having a finisher in Zetterlund.
On the third line, I’m going skill over brute force. I want to give Gushchin a fair shot and it’s not fair to move him up to the Sharks only to have him watch the game from the press box, at least not on opening night. He’s in the lineup over more veteran players like Kostin or Givani Smith, in part because in camp, Kostin has done nothing to prove that he’s earned that spot on the roster. He’ll receive some good support in Wennberg and Goodrow, giving him the opportunity to make plays against some, hopefully, lighter competition.
The fourth line of Kunin, Sturm and Dellandrea gives Warsofsky a reliable line that he can send over the boards at any time and settle things down. Plus, as much as I love Kunin, I really felt like Gushchin deserves a chance to play with slightly stronger players.
Of the remaining forwards in camp, I’m sending Cardwell and Graf to the Barracuda because they’re waivers eligible. Of the two remaining veterans, Kostin or Givani Smith, we have to send G. Smith down since he’s the most likely of the two to clear waivers.
Thomas Bordeleau is injured, so he stays up and is on IR. Things get a little tougher as he gets closer to returning, but that’s tomorrow armchair GM’s problem.
San Jose Sharks defensemen 2024-25
While it seems like there’s competition in camp for that seventh defenseman spot, I’m not truly convinced that there is. Here’s what we’d like to see the lines look like to start the season.
Mario Ferraro – Cody Ceci
Jake Walman – Jan Rutta
Henry Thrun – Matt Benning
Healthy Scratch: Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Injured Reserve: Shakir Mukhamadullin?
The pairings are what they are. There’s really no rhyme or reason to them other than I’d rather not see a repeat of the Thrun-Rutta pairing from last season. I chose Benning over Vlasic because I think it’s okay to bench Vlasic. Vlasic simply isn’t the best option for the Sharks on defense. What’s more, Benning deserves a shot.
Cagnoni gets sent to the Barracuda because he’s going to need some time in the AHL. The opportunities he’s had with the Sharks so far show that he’s closer to NHL ready than many people thought, however, he’s not there yet.
As much as I want Thompson to make the team, there’s really no one that the Sharks can send down instead. I want Thrun to continue to have a chance. The rest are contract players who would need to clear waivers and would likely get snatched up if another team had the opportunity.
The same goes with Mukhamadullin, who may get more of a chance to practice with the team and get NHL experience if he’s still too “injured” to play. After that, when he’s healthy, it’s back to the Barracuda.
It will be between Mukhamadullin and Thompson if someone gets injured. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Vlasic still gets the press box treatment over either of those players if there is an injury.