Five biggest training camp battles to watch as Sharks enter 2025-26 NHL season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
What are the Sharks’ biggest NHL training camp battles?
San Jose opens camp on Thursday, hoping to snap its streak of six consecutive seasons without reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs.
That quest will start in camp, and with these key battles.
In favor of top prospects Michael Misa and Sam Dickinson, who will get pushed off the roster? Will any other rookies challenge for an opening night job? And will Yaroslav Askarov emerge as No. 1 between the pipes?
Who Gets Pushed Out?
On the surface, there are 22 obvious roster spots, of 23, that already are filled by experienced players.
There are 13 forwards: Macklin Celebrini, Ty Dellandrea, William Eklund, Adam Gaudette, Barclay Goodrow, Collin Graf, Carl Grundstrom, Philipp Kurashev, Ryan Reaves, Jeff Skinner, Will Smith, Tyler Toffoli and Alex Wennberg.
There are seven defensemen: Vincent Desharnais, Mario Ferraro, John Klingberg, Nick Leddy, Timothy Liljegren, Shakir Mukhamadullin and Dmitry Orlov.
There are two goalies: Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic.
Notably, this group doesn’t include forward Misa and defenseman Dickinson.
Misa and Dickinson are expected to break camp with the Sharks, which, barring injury or another move, will force out one of the above 22.
Waiver-exempt winger Graf is the obvious choice to head down to the AHL.
The Sharks also could try, conceivably, to pass Dellandrea, Desharnais or Grundstrom through waivers. Desharnais could have some trade value.
My prediction? Misa and Dickinson break camp with the Sharks. While the path of least resistance is sending Graf down, I think he’ll be too good in camp to demote. Grundstrom and his $1.8 million AAV should pass through waivers without a claim, opening the door for both Dickinson and Misa to start the season at SAP Center.
Could Another Prospect Surprise?
After Misa and Dickinson, the Sharks still are stocked with prospects who could make the big club.
Up front, Patrick Giles and Zack Ostapchuk actually are obvious Sharks fourth-line center candidates. If not them, veteran Dellandrea should be able to play 4C in a pinch.
Wingers Egor Afanasyev, Igor Chernyshov, Cam Lund and Quentin Musty represent different sides of the prospects coin: Five years separate 24-year-old Afanasyev and 19-year-old Chernyshov.
Chernyshov, Lund and Musty, however, are better served in more of a top-nine scoring role, which is a tough job to earn in the NHL, even on the cellar-dwelling Sharks. If Celebrini, Smith and Wennberg are your top three centers, presumed wingers Eklund, Gaudette, Graf, Kurashev, Misa, Skinner and Toffoli figure to be ahead of Chernyshov and company.
Gaudette and Misa also can play the middle.
On the blueline, waiver-exempt Luca Cagnoni and not waiver-exempt Jack Thompson both played in the NHL last year.
An outstanding preseason from any of these youngsters could force the Sharks’ hand.
My prediction? Among the forwards, Giles or Ostapchuk, just because of positional need, is most likely to start with the Sharks. But my guess is that Dellandrea can pass at 4C this year.
Cagnoni goes to the San Jose Barracuda, as does Thompson, after he passes through waivers.
So barring injury, I don’t think any of these non-Misa or Dickinson youngsters crack the opening night roster.
Who Makes PP1?
It has been a long time since the Sharks have had enough talent to field two effective power play units.
Forwards Celebrini, Toffoli, Eklund, Smith, Skinner, Kurashev, Misa, Gaudette and Wennberg, and defensemen Klingberg, Orlov and Mukhamadullin, should be the foundation of at least a marginally improved PP. San Jose’s man advantage was 26th in the NHL last year.
So who’s on the top power play group?
Celebrini, leading goal-scorer Toffoli and quarterback Klingberg figure to be shoo-ins.
Eklund, Smith and Skinner are other possibilities. And keeping in mind that an ideal power-play unit isn’t just your most skilled players, Gaudette and Wennberg can play net front and win faceoffs.
Best guess for opening night? Klingberg mans the top, left-hander Celebrini and right-hander Smith on the flanks, Toffoli high slot, and Gaudette net front.
Can Orlov Be Go-To Defenseman?
Orlov, 34, signed the richest AAV contract in franchise history for an outside free agent this past summer.
While it’s for just two years, the rearguard’s $6.5 million AAV is a statement.
Can the 2018 Stanley Cup winner bring some stability to the Sharks’ blueline?
Orlov was an excellent No. 2 on that Washington Capitals squad, and while the 30-something is not likely that player anymore, he should be an all-around upgrade over previous de facto Sharks No. 1s like Ferraro and Jake Walman.
After a couple so-so seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, we’ll see what Orlov has left in the tank soon.
Askarov or Nedeljkovic?
The stage has been set for super prospect Askarov, acquired from the Nashville Predators for essentially two first-round draft picks, to take the top job in the Shark Tank.
Last year, Sharks general manager Mike Grier sent reclamation project success Mackenzie Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche. This past summer, the Sharks traded for Nedeljkovic, a veteran goalie who profiles more as a 1B than 1A.
The San Jose net is meant to be Askarov’s for now and the foreseeable future. There are no Juuse Saros-like obstacles in this organization.
But as they say, that’s why they play the games. Askarov hasn’t exactly been given the starting job, but safe to say he’s expected to seize it, if not by opening night, but sometime during the course of his current two-year bridge contract.
It’s put-up-or-shut-up time for the 2020 No. 11 pick.
Askarov should be given every opportunity to be the No. 1 goalie in San Jose, so barring injury, it’ll be a major upset and at least a minor disappointment if he’s not leading the Sharks onto the ice on Oct. 9 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
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