With the 2025 NHL Entry draft in the books and most of the major free agency signings done, the San Jose Sharks forward lines look like they are, for the most part, set for the start of training camp. There is, of course, the potential for trades that could change things, but this game of sorts is creating lines based on who the Sharks have in the fold right now, assuming training camp were to start today.
General Manager Mike Grier is rumored to be looking for a top-six forward, but who the heck isn’t at this point in the summer? Most of the teams are on the hunt for one of those. We’re going with the status quo until we hear otherwise. With that in mind, here’s how we think the lines will/should shake out to start the season.
First line – that 70s line
William Eklund – Macklin Celebrini – Tyler Toffoli
Reuniting the 70s line will help fulfill the needs of what has to happen further down the roster, given that the Sharks want to see if Will Smith can become the second-line center of the future. Honestly, it’s most likely that Michael Misa will be the second-line center of the team’s future, and Smith will play on a line with Celebrini, but we’ll go with the idea that this is Smith’s season to try out the second-line center role.
The 70s line is our top line this season, and it’s not horrible. After all, this is a line that helped Toffoli reach the 30-goal mark and helped Eklund reach a career high of 58 points. I think Toffoli hits another 30-goal season and Eklund breaks 60 points. Eklund also breaks 20 goals this season so we’re happy with the 70s line.
Second line centered by Will Smith
Alex Wennberg – Will Smith – Philipp Kurashev
This will be another learning season for Smith, but this time he has something that he didn’t have at the start of last season: confidence. That could be all the difference in the world, and it could make this an incredibly impactful second line to start the season.
I’m going to flank Smith with Wennberg because Wennberg offers that veteran support that the 20-year-old is going to need. We’re also going to add Kurashev to the line, not just because he’s a wildcard, but also because of what I want to do further down the lineup. Kurashev has demonstrated that he can play alongside skilled players (think Conner Bedard in Bedard’s rookie season) when given the opportunity. Kurashev gets to start on the second line this season, and if he isn’t instantly impactful, he may find himself quickly replaced with one of our alternate forwards below.
Reuniting OHL buddies on the third line
Igor Chernyshov – Michael Misa – Adam Gaudette
The third line will feature a combination of rookies and a veteran to round things out. I think if the Sharks had not drafted Misa as second overall, then Chernyshov would have started out in the AHL and then moved up after getting some experience, but Misa believes that he’s ready for the NHL and given the youth movement in San Jose, giving him the same treatment as Smith and Celebrini seems like a good call.
Offering Misa a partner who he’s familiar with so that he can grow with them will also be key. Enter Chernyshov, the Smith to Misa’s Celebrini. The two players are already familiar with one another. They combined for many a goal with the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL last season.
We’re bringing both of them up at the same time and letting them develop together in the low-stakes environment of the third line. I think, eventually, Quentin Musty will factor in as the third on a second line with the Sharks, but right now, my gut says that Musty needs another year to mature in the AHL, while Chernyshov is mature enough to make the jump to the NHL immediately. That’s just a gut feeling, mind you.
We’re finishing off the third line with Gaudette so that the duo has a responsible third forward to help it learn the ways of the NHL. Not only will Gaudette help balance out the mistakes that Misa and Chernyshov are sure to make, but he’s going to keep them even-keeled during the ups and downs of the season. He will be the veteran presence the duo needs on the third line, there to talk them through plays from the bench.
Fourth line of scraps, penalty killers
Barclay Goodrow – Ty Dellandrea – Carl Grundstrom
Which leads us to the fourth line. The scraps.
This isn’t going to be a scoring machine, but it’s really all the Sharks can throw over the boards. Someone along the lines of Ethan Cardwell, Zach Ostapchuk, Cameron Lund or Collin Graf would be better alternatives, but I don’t believe that the Sharks coaching staff will lean away from the “veteran” depth. It’s unfortunate, but this is where the team is at the moment.
Look for Goodrow, Dellandrea and Grundstrom to take on a majority of the penalty killing minutes for the Sharks this season because they’re the veteran forwards under contract with the team at the moment.
Alternate forwards
Egor Afanasyev – Patrick Giles
As much as I would like to believe that Cardwell, Ostapchuk, Lund or Graf will be playing with the Sharks next season, the truth of the matter is they’ll likely spend the season with the Barracuda. The Sharks aren’t likely to move off of players like Goodrow, Dellandrea or Grundstrom as long as they’re on the books. Wild cards will include Afanasyev who could earn his playing time after spending a season in the KHL. He could get the Klim Kostim treatment and, if he performs well, take playing time away from Grundstrom or Dellandrea.
Another alternative might be Giles.
Both players could find their way into the lineup first if there are injuries that knock other players out for long periods of time.
Conclusion
As it stands now, this isn’t a playoff-bound team, but it is a group of forward lines that stand to score as much as, if not more than, they did last season. Celebrini and Smith will both take strides in development. Yes, there will likely be bumps along the way, but Misa and Chernyshov are upgrades over Sturm and Kunin on the third line. Goodrow, Dellandrea and Grundstrom can’t regress much further than the five, one and three goals they scored, respectively, last season. Overall, though, this is offensively an upgrade over last season, so we’re trending in the right direction.
