Plenty of questions remain as GM Wilson once again wants to give the kids a chance
Since the NHL established Jan. 13 as its start date, some teams have acted fast to snap up available free agents and shore up their rosters for the upcoming 56- game season.
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson has been noticeably silent by comparison.
The Shark s have about $ 2. 3 million lef t under the NHL’s salar y cap of $ 81.5 million to spend if they so choose. It’s not a ton of money to play with, but it’s enough to add a depth forward or defensemen, or both, considering experienced free agents are signing at bargain- bin prices.
But Wilson wants to see how this team — with a healthy roster and some younger players that gained a bit of NHL experience last season — comes together and starts the year before he decides what to do next.
“Some teams have cap space, some teams don’t have cap space. We’ve left
a little bit available,” Wilson said. “We’re open to listening. We’ve got a bunch of younger guys that really had opportunities last year, but I really think they’re ready now.”
Assuming the roster stays the same over the next few days, here’s what we see as the Sharks’ greatest competitions going into the start of training camp on Thursday in Scottsdale, Ariz.
THIRD LINE CENTER >> Someone’s got to take over what was largely Joe Thornton’s role with the Sharks in recent years. Joel Kellman figures to be a strong candidate considering how reliable he was on the defensive end in his time with the Sharks last season.
K ell man played 31 NHL games in 2019-20 and saw his responsibilities increase in the second half after Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl suffered injuries. Kellman didn’t look out of place, and although he does not have terrific offensive upside, he perhaps best fits in with how the Sharks want to play this season.
Otherwise, there’s a ton of questions about the other candidates.
Is this the year Dylan Ga mb re ll establishes himself as a full- time NHL centerman? What about Antti Suomela? Is Swedish free- agent acquisition Fredrik Handemark ready for that role, or might he be better suited to start the season on the fourth line or in the AHL? Did Maxim Letunov and Alex True really benefit from their brief time with the Sharks last season? Can Sasha Chmelevski crack the roster and make his debut?
Heck, if all else fails, you might see Patrick Marleau or Ryan Donato as San Jose’s third- line center. But the Sharks would be better off if someone else took command of that spot.
THIRD LINE RIGHT WING >> We can safely assume Kev in Labanc will be the Sharks’ first-or secondline right- wing er, and we’re guessing Timo Meier or Donato will be the other RW in the topsix forward group. But what about the third line?
Noah Gregor got plenty of looks at right wing toward the end of last season and certainly has the speed to play in the NHL. Gambrell might be a candidate to play here, too, giving the Sharks a righthanded option to take faceoffs if Kellman is the centerman.
As more proven players, Matt Nieto and Stefan Noesen also figure to be options here. It’ll be interesting to see, too, if Joachim Blichfeld or John Leonard with their offensive capabilities can make a case to start the season in the top- nine forward group. With their skill sets, they seem better suited for a third-line role than one on the more blue- collar fourth line.
NO. 1 GOALIE >> It’s reasonable to assume Martin
Jones and Devan Dubnyk will each play at least 20 games this year, especially considering the Sharks play on back- toback nights 12 times and will average a game every other day over the course of three- and- ahalf months.
Who winds up being the Sharks’ No. 1 goalie likely won’t become apparent until after the first three or four weeks of the season. Still, a 13- day training camp can help set the tone, even if there are only two scrimmages. Ultimately, the Sharks will be better served if a healthy and real competition emerges between Jones and Dubnyk.
There may also be a competition as to who the Sharks’ taxi squad goalie will be, Josef Korenar or Alexei Melnichuk. But that’s secondary for now.
Defenseman Br inson Pasichnuk, who was the captain of the Arizona State hockey team for the last two years, signed with the San Jose Sharks as a free agent in the spring.
SIXTH DEFENSE MAN >> The Sharks’ top two defense pairs are likely set. Marc-Edouard V la sic will probably skate with Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns will be with Radim Simek. The Sharks, though, need a defenseman to pair with Mario Ferraro, and they appear to have some intriguing, if unproven, options.
Jake Middleton figures to be the most sensible choice, even though he’s a left shot like Ferraro. He played 10 games for the Sharks last season, including nine under then- interim coach Bob Boughner. And at 6-foot- 3 and 210 pounds, has the kind of size San Jose might be looking for in a third pair defenseman. The other defensemen at camp with NHL experience are Nikolai Knyzhov and Trevor Carrick.
But it will be interesting to see if Ryan Merkley makes a serious bid for a roster spot. The Sharks’ 2018 first-round pick has tantalizing offensive skill, as evidenced by his 76 points in 60 games for the OHL’s London Knights last season. He could make an ideal partner for Ferraro — the offensive whiz with the more stay- at-home type, and Boughner has said he wants his defensemen to be more active.
Free- agent signee and Arizona State alum Brinson Pasichnuk should feel at home at camp in Scottsdale and could also make a push.
Even if some players aren’t part of the 23-man roster at the end of camp, they could be added to the taxi squad and still be available at a moment’s notice. But they have to start building that trust now.
“Some of those guys may not play the first weekend or the first couple weekends,” Boughner said of the ta xi squad group .“But at some point in time with this condensed schedule, those guys are all going to see their fair share of games.”