SAN JOSE — As the San Jose Sharks enter the final week of training camp, only a few decisions remain when it comes to finalizing their season-opening 23-man roster.
The Sharks continued trimming down their camp number on Sunday and Monday, assigning several players, including 2022 first-round draft pick Filip Bystedt, to the Barracuda of the AHL.
Other players assigned to the AHL were forwards Kasper Halttunen and Tristen Robins, defensemen Ethan Frisch, Jake Furlong, and goalies Gabriel Carriere and Georgi Romanov.
Forward Justin Bailey and defenseman Jimmy Schuldt will be placed on waivers, the Sharks said, and Quentin Musty has been assigned to Sudbury of the OHL.
None of the moves were hugely surprising, although Bailey was someone thought to be in the mix for the 13th or 14th forward spots given his experience.
Robins, Coe, Halttunen, Musty, and Romanov were all long shots to make the Sharks’ roster out of camp, Furlong has yet to play as a professional, and the Swedish-born Bystedt is still learning the intricacies of the North American game.
The Sharks’ training camp roster now includes 38 players. San Jose has three preseason games left and might make more cuts after playing the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday at SAP Center.
Still, only a handful of competitions remain before the Sharks must set their roster by Oct. 7.
Here’s a look at where things stand at each position:
FORWARDS
LOCKS: Macklin Celebrini, Ty Dellandrea, William Eklund, Barclay Goodrow, Mikael Granlund, Carl Grundstrom, Luke Kunin, Will Smith, Nico Sturm, Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, Fabian Zetterlund.
IN THE MIX: Ethan Cardwell, Collin Graf, Danil Gushchin, Klim Kostin, Andrew Poturalski, Scott Sabourin, Givani Smith.
AHL CONTRACTS: Colin White.
INJURED RESERVE CANDIDATES: Thomas Bordeleau, Igor Chernyshov, Logan Couture.
OUTLOOK: Kostin might been on the bubble, but it appears he’s done enough to warrant a spot on the roster, and the Sharks likely do not want to risk losing him on the waiver wire. So if there are no more injuries, the competition might just come down to whether the Sharks want to keep an enforcer like Givani Smith, a more skilled player like Cardwell or Gushchin.
Cardwell’s had a good camp, impressing with his work ethic and hockey IQ. Gushchin’s preseason game against Anaheim last Thursday was the best he’s looked in a Sharks uniform. But the Sharks have also made it clear this preseason that no one should dare take liberties with Celebrini or Will Smith, and Givani Smith has no qualms about playing that enforcer role when needed.
We think the Sharks’ front office will keep Givani Smith and send down Cardwell and Gushchin, who do not require waivers. At that point, the competition will be about who can be the first player recalled from the AHL when an injury occurs.
DEFENSE
LOCKS: Matt Benning, Cody Ceci, Mario Ferraro, Jan Rutta, Henry Thrun, Jake Walman.
IN THE MIX: Luca Cagnoni, Sam Dickinson, Jack Thompson.
AHL CONTRACT: Ethan Frisch.
INJURED RESERVE CANDIDATES: Shakir Mukhamadullin, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Lucas Carlsson.
OUTLOOK: With six roster locks and Mukhamadullin and Vlasic’s timeline for a return to game action …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
