In a previous post, we took a look at what the Sharks forward lines could look like next season. We found that aside from hoping that prospects take another step in the offseason, there won’t be much addition on offense during free agency. The same might be said for defense, where the Sharks are hoping that young players like Shakir Mukhamadullin, Luca Cagnoni and even Timothy Liljegren take a step forward in development.
Even if we don’t sign any players in free agency, the Sharks already have five NHL defensemen under contract: Mario Ferraro, Liljegren, Vincent Desharnais, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Henry Thrun. We’re assuming that Mukhamadullin, who is a restricted free agent, will re-sign with the team. That gives us six defensemen to work with already.
First pair – Mario Ferraro and Timothy Liljegren
It’s hard to believe, but this is our veteran pairing of the bunch. On a competitive team, the duo of Ferraro and Liljegren would be an elite third pairing and a good second pairing, but the Sharks don’t have that kind of depth.
So, Ferraro and Liljegren will fill the role of top pairing on the Sharks. For Ferraro, next season, the goal is consistency. For Liljegren, the goal will be to make the right choices to fuel a breakout from the Sharks’ zone without allowing too many chances defensively through bad passes and misplayed pucks.
While this is San Jose’s top pairing, this is also the pairing most likely to change as the team approaches the trade deadline. Ferraro’s name has been floating around in trade circles for what feels like forever now. He could be moved in the final season of his contract, though I suspect that General Manager Mike Grier will be cautious. Ferraro has a hefty presence in the Sharks’ locker room, so moving him could have an impact.
As for Liljegren, if he does not take another step to show that he can be a top-four defenseman who can help the team on the right side, it’s hard to see him sticking around until the end of the season. Liljegren, depending on how he performs, could be the perfect trade deadline rental for a team.
Second pairing – Shakir Mukhamadullin, Henry Thrun
If Thrun is going to stick with the Sharks through this season, he’s going to have to learn to play on his off-side. He receives the second pairing defenseman spot on the caveat that he figures out how to play on the right.
Thrun will be paired with Shakir Mukhamadullin, not so much because this is the best option for the second pair, but because it makes way for the third pairing, as we’ll explain in a bit.
We imagine Mukhamadullin will be given a long leash next season, so that he can develop in the NHL. Next season will be about letting Mukhamadullin make mistakes and seeing how he handles those top four minutes. If Thrun can’t hold up his end on the right side, the Sharks have Vlasic to fall back on.
Third pairing – Luca Cagnoni, Vincent Desharnais
A healthy Desharnais would go a long way to evening out the defense for the Sharks. Look for Desharnais to fill a massive space on the right side, serving as a veteran presence much like Jan Rutta did this past season. A steadying force like Desharnais will allow Cagnoni to find his footing in the NHL.
Cagnoni, who was one of the top-scoring defensemen in the AHL as a 19-year-old last season, will have ample opportunity to prove he belongs in the NHL. Pairing him with a large, heavy defenseman like Desharnais, will shield Cagnoni and allow him to find his footing.
This was something the Sharks tried to do toward the tail end of this past season, but the injury to Desharnais cut the plan short. Look for San Jose to jump out with this pairing at least in the preseason.
Seventh defenseman – Marc-Edouard Vlasic
As much as we love Vlasic, he will have to once again serve in a backup capacity. Vlasic is no longer the top-four, minute-eating defenseman that he once was, but he can still be counted on to hold down the fort as a third-pairing defenseman. Vlasic will serve as the perfect fill-in for injured players.
Goaltenders – Yaroslav Askarov, Free Agent
When Grier acquired Yaroslav Askarov at the beginning of the last season, the general manager said there was a plan in place. With Alexandar Georgiev not returning and both of the goaltenders that the Sharks started the 2024-25 season with now entrenched with other teams, it looks like it’s Askarov’s time to shine.
The Sharks go where Askarov leads. In the best-case scenario, Askarov has a Dustin Wolf-like debut, where he performs exceptionally well in his rookie season and takes the Sharks close to the playoffs. In the most likely scenario, it’s a little less than that. This is Askarov’s chance to prove he’s an NHL-caliber goaltender and the Sharks will give him ample opportunity to do it.
As for the other part of this tandem, that’s going to have to be acquired in free agency. While Georgi Romanov might be able to fill the backup role, that would require Askarov to take on the majority of the workload. I doubt that’s something the Sharks want to do. Most likely, San Jose wants someone who can share netminding duties with Askarov, which means the 1B option will need to shoulder at least 30 games.
A player like that is not currently in house, so it will need to be discovered via free agency. According to Puckpedia, the list of UFA goaltenders is pretty short at the moment. There’s seven in total. One of them, Marc-Andre Fleury, is retiring. Another, Georgiev, was told to look elsewhere. That leaves Dan Vladar, Ville Husso, Jake Allen, Vitek Vanecek and Anton Forsberg.
Of them, there’s not one that truly jumps above the rest. A reunion with Vanecek might be good. It’s a “the devil you know” situation there. If not, Vladar might be an option. After all, he served in the same role with Calgary and Wolf this past season. Allen’s been around the league for a long time, he might be a good veteran presence to help guide Askarov. While I have no opinion on Forsberg or Husso, I’m not against them either.
Conclusion
While the Sharks defense will run into some bumps, that’s what happens when you have a rebuilding team, there’s a lot to be excited about. The young players appear poised to take a massive step in development this season, getting some much needed reps against the best players in the NHL.
The Sharks finished the 2024-25 season with a minus-102 goal differential. With a puck moving defensemen, and Askarov in the net, the team could make another leap in that stat next season.
While the Sharks probably won’t make the playoffs, I like to have a glimmer of hope, even a small one, they may not be as bad as people expect next season.
