San Jose Sharks
Sharks Locker Room: Welcome to Reality, Macklin Celebrini
Welcome to (the reality of) the San Jose Sharks, Macklin Celebrini.
Despite Celebrini’s best efforts — two goals and seven of San Jose’s 26 shots — the Sharks lost 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild.
The 2024 first-overall pick scored spectacular goals, especially his second strike.
Where we you during Macklin Celebrini's first multi-goal game? pic.twitter.com/e1xrQR0y6w
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) November 8, 2024
But that wasn’t enough, as San Jose was battered by a simply better team.
“That’s the type of team, hopefully, we can start building in the future,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said of the 9-2-2 Wild. “Heavy, physical, fast team that can get on teams, [that’s] their identity.”
The Sharks aren’t close to that…yet.
That’s not to excuse Celebrini for his share of the loss. The 18-year-old struggled with turnovers, especially in the opening frame. As the team’s first-line center, he has a lot to improve.
This season is all about growing pains, Celebrini included.
Anyway, Celebrini is going to have a lot of nights like this in his rookie campaign, “Celebrini impresses, but the Sharks…”
The important thing for the future of the franchise?
Well, we saw it tonight, even in defeat.
After the game, Warsofsky called out William Eklund, and praised video coaches Nick Gialdini and Cody Ward.
Celebrini reflected on facing Marc-Andre Fleury, for the first and perhaps the last time.
Finally, Mikael Granlund got into how the San Jose Sharks can get better.
Ryan Warsofsky
Warsofsky, on Sharks’ defensive struggles tonight:
It starts with our breakouts, turn over some pucks, go back with a couple pucks, which we don’t want to do, and then they end up in the back of our net.
Warsofsky, on dropping Eklund to the 4th line: “Need more from Eky.”
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 8, 2024
Warsofsky, on how William Eklund can get better:
Impact the game. Somehow, some way. He knows that. We’ve talked about it. We’re going to continue to work with him, help him, and get through this.
Warsofsky, on Celebrini’s two goals:
Mack obviously had two goals, but we lost the hockey game, and there’s some things Mack needs to do better and the rest of our group.
Warsofsky says Walman will travel on this road trip.#TheFutureIsTeal flies out tomorrow, I’ll see you all from New Jersey for practice on Saturday
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 8, 2024
Warsofsky, on what he’d like to emulate about the Wild:
Their heaviness. The way they skate, they get on attack. That’s the type of team, hopefully, we can start building in the future. Heavy, physical, fast team that can get on teams, [that’s] their identity.
Warsofsky, full of praise for his video coaches Nick Gialdini and Cody Ward, who got 2 Wild goals waved off tonight: "These guys are super-prepared for every call. They look at it in depth. They look at every call that's made in the National Hockey League, goal scored, not called…
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 8, 2024
Warsofsky, on the communication flow with video coaches Nick Gialdini and Cody Ward:
[Assistant coach] Brian Wiseman is on the radio with them. We obviously have the TVs on the bench, so we look at [that] but they were on it.
Macklin Celebrini
Celebrini, on how he’s feeling in his second game back from injury:
I’d be feeling better if we won today.
Celebrini has no interest in talking about himself when the team loses.
On his performance tonight vs. last game: "Better."
On if it's cool to get a couple goals on future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury: "Yeah. I mean, you score to try to help the team win, and we didn't."
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 8, 2024
Celebrini, on how San Jose Sharks can improve defensively:
It comes from all of us, like I made some bad plays today, just not being connected. You got to be connected as a five-man unit on the ice, and when you’re not, especially against players like that, they can take advantage of it. We just got to be, we got to talk more. We got to figure out how to play. We got to play harder. [Not] let them just walk around our zone.
Celebrini, on Marc-Andre Fleury’s last season:
He’s been in the league longer than I’ve been alive, I think. So it’s been amazing to watch his career, obviously, the runs he had with Pittsburgh and Vegas, and even in Chicago and now Minnesota. He seems like a great personality, and it’s been fun to watch his off-ice antics as much as his on-ice.
Mikael Granlund
Granlund, on how San Jose Sharks can improve:
Thing is, we need to get all five guys over the red line with speed to be able to forecheck. If there’s only one guy forechecking, we’re never going to get the puck back. There’s some things we need to be doing better with the puck, so we are able to forecheck or be in a better spot to defend if we lose the puck. Especially in the beginning [of the game], we need to be able to do a better job with that to put other teams on their heels.
I think a good first step to being better is break up that Ferraro Rutta pairing. Two guys who can’t move the puck together is a recipe to get hemmed in and scored on. I’m no NHL coach but there’s better pairings here and our D doesn’t have to be as bad as it is. I’m hoping they’re just getting Lilly up to speed because he should be taking a top 4 role. Walman first pairing and Lilly second pairing, Thompson third pairing would improve our breakouts in a big way. What I’d like to see is Walman – Ceci… Read more »
Those are the pairings I assumed we’d roll out as soon as we traded for Liljegren. Not sure why we are keeping Ferraro and Rutta together still.
I agree in theory but you can’t send out Thrun & Thompson together. Neither is strong enough on the boards or net front. They’ll get scored on just as much because they can’t end plays. As bad as Rutta is he can make the physical play, he just can’t get it out. 3rd pair needs to be Shak & Rutta.
I’ve felt thrun has looked a lot better in that regard this season personally and I think he could hold his own just as well as Rutta can. I don’t think there’s a need for a guy like Rutta personally, especially so when Shak shows up.
I’ve loved the development of Thrun but he’s still a work in progress as is Thompson. Shak and Rutta are not interchangeable. Different sides, different roles. Thompson is the Rutta replacement for sides and Shak is the Thrun replacement.
Both Celly and Granny mentioning “five guys”, “You got to be connected as a five-man unit on the ice” and “we need to get all five guys over the red line with speed to be able to forecheck“: I don’t think either of them are ducking personal accountability, but they’re not just talking about themselves and their linemates – they’re calling out that the Ds HAVE to be more engaged. They have to be available as a cycle/pass option, they have to be able to keep plays alive, they have to be able to withstand the forwards taking risks, and… Read more »
I had the same exact thought. There were multiple times last night where Celebrini and Granlund went in hard on the forecheck and forced a bad clear that went to an empty point. It’s really, really hard to generate a consistent attack if you can’t trust your defensemen to be an option, either as a helping hand on the forecheck or an outlet to get the puck away from pressure during a sustained cycle. Unfortunately I’m not sure what the Sharks can really do about that with the personnel they currently have. Mukhamadullin should help when he’s ready, but the… Read more »
I was just wondering when we might be able to expect Mukhamadullin to make his season debut…. I haven’t heard/read anything.
As far as future reinforcements – Dickinson’s been having a great season so far it sounds like, I saw something in Daily Faceoff a week or two ago that he’s started the season off really hot (offensively at least). And Polkham (sp?) has been great in Denver. But yeah, neither are going to be helping this season…maybe Dickinson next season but not sure about that.
And what’s the word on Vlasic?
Mukhamadullin has played a pair of games with the Barracuda, but they’ve had the entire week off so he probably needs a few more games to get up to speed.
Rutta was awful. Again.
Also want to see eklund back on top line, drop Granlund to 2nd on W Smiths wing with zetterlund and Wennberg down with 11 & 23. That current third line has run its course and now they need to give Smith a chance to play with scorers. And let that third line do what third lines should instead of this hybrid nonsense.
Agree on Smith. Put him in the top six for a bit now and see what happens. As much as I like Granlund and Celebrini together, Granlund is the perfect running mate for Smith at this point. Get him out there with Smith and Zetterlund, reunite the 70s line and build the third line around Wennberg. Use the depth where you have it. As for Rutta, yikes. He’s been so bad. The one silver lining to Walman’s absence has been seeing Rutta and Thompson in the lineup together. It’s very clear which one brings more value, and hopefully Thompson will… Read more »
Warso always seems so negative and hard on the guys. Hopefully it’s just how it comes across on paper, not in person. There’s a lot to praise here, not just focus on the negatives.
Disagree. He’s honest.