San Jose Sharks fans have been pleasantly surprised by the arrival of Igor Chernyshov, who has not looked out of place in his seven games with the NHL squad so far. Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky was blunt when asked if the 20-year-old belonged in the NHL recently, answering with a simple “Yes.” But whether he sticks around after everyone gets healthy is another question. Sharks fans may need to be prepared for some frustration: this Sharks roster is built for the Future is Teal mantra, not the future is now, and that means, whether right or wrong, it might not be Chernyshov’s time, and management might end up sending him back down.
A team ahead of schedule
The “problem” for the Sharks is something management and the rest of the league are buzzing about. This team is ahead of schedule. Yes, Macklin Celebrini was supposed to be a star, but it wasn’t supposed to happen at the age of 19 in his second season in the league. He most certainly wasn’t supposed to be battling it out in the NHL scoring race in his sophomore season. Will Smith was on pace for 72 points and a plus-12 rating in an 82-game season before he went down with an injury. Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov was supposed to be the goaltender of the future for the Sharks, but he’s been a lot better than most people expected in his first full season in the NHL.
Then there’s Sam Dickinson, who was the best defenseman in the OHL last season. He forced management to bring him up to the NHL this season and speed up his development. The Sharks lucked out at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and received the second pick overall. The team selected Michael Misa. While Misa has struggled with injuries, it’s easy to see his potential as a second-line center isn’t too far off in his future. He’s not going to take a few years to develop the way some other prospects might.
And those are just the players in the NHL. We’re not talking about the players in the AHL. Luca Cagnoni was supposed to need a few more seasons to, well, season. A 2023 fourth-round pick isn’t usually ready to make the jump to the NHL at the age of 21. Management could not bank on the idea that 20-year-old Chernyshov would acclimate so well to North American ice last season, let alone to the AHL and the NHL this season. It’s not exactly common for a second-round draft pick to jump so quickly, especially when each level of play — OHL to AHL to NHL — gets infinitely harder. Look at what a tough time 21-year-old Matvei Michkov is having in his second season in the NHL. These are unpredictable things.
Plus, there are players like Quentin Musty, Kasper Halttunen, Ethan Cardwell, Filip Bystedt and Zack Ostapchuk who are potentially battling for spots, as well as Eric Pohlkamp, who is expected to join the Barracuda or the Sharks after the close of the 2025-26 college hockey season. The Sharks appear to have several players ready to make the jump to the NHL in addition to those who are “ahead of schedule.”
Management’s hands were tied
Of course, when you’re managing a professional hockey team, you can’t just assume that players will make the leap. You definitely cannot leave things up to chance. You have to take steps to ensure that players are insulated, especially second-year stars like Celebrini and Smith. When you’re bringing up young players like Dickinson and Misa, they need support as well. If you skip that step and try to move too fast, you risk hindering the development of your young players. Worse yet, you risk setting back the rebuild as a whole.
So, management did what it needed to do to support what’s likely to be its core – Celebrini, Dickinson, Smith and Misa. It brought in veteran players like Nick Leddy and Jeff Skinner over the summer. The team added Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, Ryan Reaves and Adam Gaudette. It kept Barclay Goodrow, Alex Wennberg and Tyler Toffoli. These veterans are a necessity to continue the rebuild.
If management had skipped that step, it would have hurt the development of its core group of players. And that was the very worst thing management could have done this season.
Conclusion
Management has achieved the one goal it set out to do. It has moved along its core. Celebrini has thrived. Smith has taken a step forward. Dickinson is developing. Misa, is working through injury, but the outline of a second-line center is there. This is the core of a future Stanley Cup-contending team and a foundation to build on. There was a massive step forward this season and it has been a success. You cannot dispute that.
And that’s what Sharks fans need to focus on. This is a rebuild. Management has built this season for the rebuild. While adjusting on the fly is doable, it cannot be done at the expense of veteran NHL players. That means that jettisoning players like Klingberg, Leddy and Skinner isn’t as easy as fans want to believe.
If General Manager Mike Grier were to simply place players on waivers or shuffle them down to the AHL against their wishes to make room for the Misas and Chernyshovs of the world, it would send the wrong message around the league. Future free agents would not trust that they would be treated fairly by this management team. They might be hesitant to sign with the Sharks organization.
Organizations consistently in contention, like F**k Vegas, might do something like this, but it’s not something a rebuilding team like San Jose can do. Grier needs free agents to buy in. He needs them to believe they’ll be treated fairly.
So, whether you like it or not, whether it’s fair or not, and whether it’s best for the young player or not doesn’t matter at this time because until Grier can make a trade, fans are going to have to deal with the fact that this may not be Chernyshov’s time. The good news is that Chernyshov’s recent play has made it crystal clear to GMMG that he doesn’t need to trade for a top-six forward at the trade deadline since the Sharks already have one in the fold.
