Plenty of questions remain for roster
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.
San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson has been noticeably silent by comparison.
The Sharks have about $2.3 million left under the NHL’s salary 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’ great
est 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.
Kellman 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.