San Jose Sharks' Henry Thrun (3) skates on the ice during warmups before their game against the Winnipeg Jets at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier mentioned in August after he brought back two forwards and a defenseman as part of the Erik Karlsson trade that there were still openings for some of the organization’s younger players to be a part of the NHL team’s 23-man roster.
“I expect them to come in hungry and ready and if they perform and outplay the veteran guys, then they’ll get the opportunity and we’ll figure the rest out for sure,” Grier said then. “I don’t want to block anyone’s pathway.”
Two months later, it’s fair to say two of the organization’s best prospects, forward William Eklund and defenseman Henry Thrun, have been outperforming some of their veteran teammates, and are looking to be with the Sharks when they open the regular season in a week’s time against the Vegas Golden Knights.
It’s up to Grier, coach David Quinn, and other members of the Sharks’ hockey operations department to decide if Eklund and Thrun, and perhaps even center Thomas Bordeleau, have done enough to warrant roster spots right now, thereby forcing the team to place a veteran on waivers.
Teams have to get their rosters down to 23 players by Oct. 9, and as of Thursday morning, the Sharks still had 34 players in camp.
Here’s a look at who is trending up and who is fading out in terms of the competition for spots on the Sharks’ roster.
Forwards (19)
LOCKS: Alexander Barabanov, Anthony Duclair, Michael Granlund, Tomas Hertl, Mike Hoffman, Luke Kunin, Kevin Labanc, Nico Sturm, Filip Zadina, Fabian Zetterlund
TRENDING UP: Thomas Bordeleau, William Eklund, Givani Smith
IN THE MIX: Ryan Carpenter, Oskar Lindblom, Jacob Peterson
LONGSHOTS: Quentin Musty
IR CANDIDATES: Logan Couture, Mitchell Russell
ANALYSIS: Couture still hadn’t skated as of Wednesday, and it would be a surprise at this point to not see him start the season on injured reserve. If that happens, a precious roster opens and Hertl, Granlund, Sturm, and Bordeleau could be the four centers to start the season.
Lindblom and Peterson have had their moments in camp but nothing spectacular. Tuesday against the Golden Knights, Lindblom didn’t check Gage Quinney hard enough below the goal line, allowing the Vegas forward to muscle his way to the front of the net for a scoring chance. That had to have been noticed. Meanwhile, Quinn felt Eklund had his best game of the preseason and was also complimentary of Bordeleau and Thrun.
Eklund has been the Sharks’ best forward in their last two preseason games. He isn’t just knocking on the door. He’s trying to kick it in. Right now it’s hard to imagine the Sharks not keeping him for the start of the season, but these decisions can be made with more than just the short term in mind. When Grier said the Sharks will “figure out the rest” if a young player makes a serious roster push, did he mean before, or shortly after, the start of the season? Maybe we’re about to find out.
Quinn has also liked what he’s seen from the rugged Smith, who has played the way the Sharks have wanted him to in the preseason. Musty remains in camp for now but missed a lot of time with an upper-body injury, too much to seriously consider him for a roster spot. Russell is still working through an injury and will likely be reassigned to the Barracuda once he’s healthy.
The Sharks have to decide whether to have 13 or 14 forwards. That could depend on how many defensemen they feel they need to keep.
Defensemen (13)
LOCKS: Matt Benning, Kyle Burroughs, Mario Ferraro, Nikolai Knyzhov, Jan Rutta, Marc-Edouard Vlasic
TRENDING UP: Henry Thrun, Ty Emberson, Jacob MacDonald
IR CANDIDATES: Radim Simek, Nikita Okhotiuk, Artem Guryev, Valtteri Pulli
ANALYSIS: It’s a banged-up defense corps and that could make the Sharks’ decision on who remains on the 23-man roster a little less complicated. Simek (lower body) seems like a candidate to start the year on IR and Okhotiuk, Guryev, and Pulli were skating away from the main training camp group as of earlier this week. It’s possible that any one of those three could also be on IR, putting off a decision, in Okhotiuk’s case, on whether to keep him on the roster or place him on waivers.
Meanwhile, Thrun has picked up where he left off late last season with some steady, reliable play, plus two goals and two assists, in three preseason games. Quinn likes him, too, in case you haven’t heard. Emberson also impressed in his one preseason game and it wouldn’t seem to make much sense for the Sharks to place him right back on waivers just days after claiming him. But nothing is guaranteed.
Where does that leave MacDonald? A lot can happen over the next few days but if the Sharks keep Thrun and Emberson, MacDonald might have to be placed on waivers.
Goalies (2)
LOCKS: Mackenzie Blackwood, Kaapo Kahkonen
ANALYSIS: Quinn has liked what he’s seen from his two goalies as the Sharks try to improve upon last season’s league-worst save percentage of .881. That’s not just on the goalies, as it’s also incumbent on forwards and defensemen to help take away Grade A opportunities. Kahkonen had a strong game Tuesday with an 18-save shutout, and he and Blackwood will likely form a 1A and 1B-type tandem this season.
Originally published at Curtis Pashelka