As we rapidly approach the end of July, it’s reaching a point in the summer where action lulls and rosters are mostly set for the 2026-27 season. With that being said, when training camp approaches this September, there will be a number of players fighting for a job on the San Jose Sharks.
There are three categories of player on each team at this point in the summer: the locks, the bubble players, and the long shots. Over the next three days, we’ll take a look at where each player falls and get a rough idea of what the San Jose Sharks should look like on Opening Night. Today, kick things off with the forwards.
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Locks: Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Mason Marchment, Kiefer Sherwood, Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, Michael Misa, Zack Ostapchuk, Barclay Goodrow
Of the 12 forwards that will take the ice on October 1, nine fall directly into the “lock” category. The reasoning behind some are obvious, Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and Michael Misa are the long-term stars of the Sharks and should be expected to play a big role in the long run.
Others, like Mason Marchment, Kiefer Sherwood, Alex Wennberg, and Zack Ostapchuk, are in the first year of big-money contracts and it would make zero sense for the Sharks to sign the deals if they weren’t going to use them on their everyday roster.
That accounts for seven of the nine players in the lock category, but what about Tyler Toffoli and Barclay Goodrow?
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Toffoli is one of the most well-liked figures in the Sharks’ locker room. Although his play did regress a bit last season, the Sharks are hoping he’ll be able to bounce back this fall. With that being said, even if he doesn’t, there’s not much they can do since he has a full no-trade clause. They could, of course, do what the New York Rangers did to Goodrow and place Toffoli on waivers for someone else to claim, but it’s hard to imagine that would go over well in the locker room. As a result, he seems to be here to stay for at least one more season.
Goodrow, on the other hand, is seemingly a favorite of both Mike Grier and Ryan Warsofsky. He was one of only four players to appear in all 82 games, despite Warsofsky constantly rotating players in and out of the bottom-six forward group. While many fans likely don’t feel that Goodrow should be guaranteed a roster spot this season, and there is some merit to that with his on-ice performance, it seems very unlikely that he’d be taken off of the Opening Night roster.
On the Bubble: Collin Graf, Ivar Stenberg, Igor Chernyshov, Ty Dellandrea, Adam Gaudette
If Collin Graf’s contract were done and we had an idea of what term he’s going to be signed to, he’d easily be a lock for the Opening Night roster. He finished third on the Sharks in goals last season and played very well alongside Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. While he does have the versatility to play a bottom-six role, at this stage, it seems like a waste of his talent.
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As someone who has overcome the odds numerous times to even reach this point in his career though, Graf will find a way to make it work regardless of what happens.
The re-signing of Kiefer Sherwood followed by additions of Mason Marchment and Ivar Stenberg have made it tough to find a spot for Graf in the top-six, or even the top-nine for that matter. While Graf should undoubtedly be on the ice when the Florida Panthers come to town on October 1, it’s hard to tell what the Sharks are planning on doing with him at this point and as a result, he fell to the top of the bubble.
Speaking of Stenberg, while many will likely pencil him in as a lock on the Opening Night roster, the Sharks are at a point where there’s no need to rush him. While he was incredible in the Swedish Hockey League last season, some players struggle to adapt to the tighter confines of a North American rink which could hinder his performance in training camp and during the preseason.
Since he’s coming out of Europe, Stenberg would be eligible to report to the American Hockey League right out of the gate if he were to struggle early on. It seems more likely than not that he’ll take the ice on October 1, but it doesn’t seem guaranteed just yet.
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Igor Chernyshov is another player who has been hampered by the Sharks’ additions over the summer. He seemed like a strong contender to earn his first full-time NHL role this season, but now there’s even less room for him. If he’s not going to be on the ice regularly, sending Chernyshov back to the AHL would be the right call, but it could lead to some frustration in the long run.
Lastly, Adam Gaudette and Ty Dellandrea are in an odd spot. On paper, they’d likely slot in as the Sharks’ 12th and 13th forwards. However, it seems more likely that they’re competing strictly for the 13th forward role. Whoever wins out the battle will likely play very little in the coming season, while the other could be placed on waivers, and likely claimed, when the time comes.
The Longshots: Quentin Musty, Filip Bystedt, Ethan Cardwell, Patrick Giles
Of these four, Quentin Musty has the highest NHL upside at this point in time, which ironically makes him the least likely to earn a spot with the Sharks this season as he’d be better suited to playing top-six minutes at the AHL level.
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Filip Bystedt’s odds of ever getting an opportunity with the team in teal seem slim at this stage, as I discussed in detail earlier this week.
What About Bystedt? Does Filip Bystedt Have a Place in the Sharks’ Future?
What About Bystedt? Does Filip Bystedt Have a Place in the Sharks’ Future?When the Sharks drafted Filip Bystedt with the 27th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, he was a key building piece for a rebuilding team without much prospect quality. Of course, the additions of Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini in 2023 and 2024 respectively, it didn’t take long for Bystedt to fall down the depth chart.
Meanwhile Ethan Cardwell and Patrick Giles are slightly different. They’re never going to be counted on as top-nine forwards at the NHL level at this stage, but they could fill a depth role if the Sharks opted to move any of their bottom-six wingers like Gaudette and Dellandrea for example. It’s very unlikely to happen, but if both players were moved, Cardwell or Giles could sneak into the 13th forward role with a strong performance at training camp.
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There’s certainly a lot to consider for Mike Grier and Ryan Warsofsky when training camp gets underway this fall. One thing is for sure though; they’ll have to make at least a couple of difficult decision.
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