San Jose Sharks
Sharks Locker Room: Why Gushchin Should Make Opening Night Roster…And Why He Might Not

So where does Danil Gushchin fit into the San Jose Sharks’ line-up?
He’s not Chuck Norris, so not anywhere he wants.
But putting up five assists, like he did in a last-second San Jose Sharks’ 6-5 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, should count for something. The Sharks scored three goals in the last three minutes to rally from a 5-3 deficit.
Gushchin is now tied with Mat Barzal for the NHL preseason lead with nine points.
“He’s done a lot of good things, and he’s obviously helped our hockey club in every game he’s played in,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “He’s put himself in a good spot.”
Here’s the challenge for Gushchin though.
First, he’s waiver-exempt. The Sharks don’t risk losing him if they send him down to the AHL.
Second, he’s a 5-foot-8 winger who needs to be playing on your top-three lines and power play, to maximize his skill-set.
San Jose’s top-six is shaping up to be Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund, Mikael Granlund, Will Smith, Tyler Toffoli, and Fabian Zetterlund.
You’re not taking 2024 first-overall pick Celebrini — and arguably, the Sharks’ most impressive preseason player besides Gushchin — off the top-six.
Toffoli is a three-time 30-goal scorer and the team’s marquee free agent signing. Granlund led the Sharks with 60 points last year. Zetterlund led San Jose with 24 goals last season. 2021 seventh-overall Eklund was second on the Sharks with 45 points last year.
That leaves 2023 fourth-overall Smith. And honestly, the admittedly much-older Gushchin has soundly outperformed Smith so far in the preseason.
However, it looks like Smith will get at least a first NHL look until he proves that he can’t handle it.
So how about the third line? Can Gushchin flank likely third-line center Alex Wennberg?
Frankly, there’s a bigger logjam there than in the top-six.
Ty Dellandrea, Barclay Goodrow, Carl Grundstrom, Luke Kunin, and center Nico Sturm are proven veteran bottom-six forwards.
None of these forwards are waiver-exempt.
Don’t sell wingers Dellandrea, Goodrow, Grundstrom, or Kunin short — despite their modest offensive potential, they’re capable of doing all kinds of things that help you win hockey games. All of them have a good claim for elevated third-line minutes.
Take, for example, what Warsofsky said about Kunin, who scored the fourth and tying goals in the Sharks’ comeback.
“He’s a hockey player, right? He’s a competitor, he’s tough, mentally, physically, gives you everything he’s got. Great teammate. I cannot say enough good things about Luke Kunin,” Warsofsky said of the Sharks’ alternate captain. “He’s come in great shape. He’s moving better. I think tonight was his best game of the preseason. He’s making plays. I’ve really liked him all training camp. He’s came in and been a huge influence for our younger players and been a great leader.”
A lot of those things, you can also say about Dellandrea, Goodrow, or Grundstrom.
I’m not saying Gushchin can’t supplant any of these wingers in the top-nine, but it’s not clear-cut.
Anyway, that’s 12 forwards, besides Gushchin, that I’ve mentioned.
That’s not mentioning Klim Kostin or Givani Smith, neither waiver-exempt, who bring different qualities and have both had good training camps.
San Jose might start the season with 14 forwards…but could Gushchin be better served playing with San Jose Barracuda, instead of being in and out of the Sharks’ line-up?
For the record, I think Gushchin should be on the opening night roster — he’s earned it — and figure it out later.
Gushchin might be in and out of the line-up at first, but like he has in the preseason, I like his chances of seizing a job eventually.
If that means risking Kostin or Givani Smith to waivers, so be it. They’re not slam dunks to be claimed, anyway.
That said, I’d understand if GM Mike Grier opts to send waiver-exempt Gushchin down to keep Kostin and Givani Smith off waivers.
Kostin is not necessarily reliable but a truly tantalizing talent, an at-times unmovable 6-foot-4 force who’s got a smaller man’s hands.
Smith has come a long way from last season, when he wasn’t always playable — he’s made a lot more plays this preseason, both offensively and defensively, and he’s the only true heavyweight on the Sharks’ roster. If he can be a net positive on the ice, he’s very valuable.
There are good reasons to keep either over Gushchin.
Make no mistake, the ability to freely shuttle Gushchin back and forth between the Sharks and Cuda all year is a part of it.
As Warsofsky reminded us: “If there’s someone that goes down, it doesn’t mean they’re not going to help us at some point this year. There’s a lot of factors that go into that.”
Warsofsky spoke after the game about the performances of Danil Gushchin, Ethan Cardwell, Mackenzie Blackwood, Klim Kostin, Luca Cagnoni, Jack Thompson, and Givani Smith.
Warsofsky, on Gushchin’s five-assist performance:
Yeah, impressive. Really good at the end of the game, liked his effort. I know the points will stand out, but it’s just the effort to recover that puck on the [tying] goal, the effort on the wall to make the play to [Sturm] on the Cardwell goal. Really impressive.
I thought he’s had a really good camp. It’s a discussion that we’ll have going forward, the next day or two, and we’ll make a decision. But he’s done a lot of good things, and he’s obviously helped our hockey club in every game he’s played in. He’s put himself in a good spot.
Warsofsky, on Cardwell:
Both those guys [Gushchin and Cardwell] put themselves in good positions.
They both have made mistakes, and they made mistakes tonight. What I like about them is they’ve been mentally tough. They keep playing. They keep competing.
Cards loses his guy [Dorofeyev on his hat trick goal] on the track. Goose made some decisions away from the puck that needs to be cleaned up. But again, they keep playing. This is a game of mistakes. Every guy’s gonna make mistakes, but we just stuck with it, not just those two guys, but as a group.
We moved Cards up there, playing with Sturmy a little bit midway through the second period, I thought that gave that line a little bit more energy.
Warsofsky, on Blackwood:
I thought he was good. I don’t think we really helped him that much. We gave up a lot and big chunks of time.
He made some big saves, probably too much work, [more] than we want to give him.
Warsofsky, on Kostin:
He was solid. He’s just gotta find more consistency in his game. And he knows that. Him and I have talked about that. Obviously scores a nice goal. He’s making some plays. He’s just, shift to shift, is just a little bit inconsistent. But I thought he tried using his size more tonight, being more physical.
Warsofsky, on Cagnoni, Thompson, and Givani Smith:
Cags was really good. Obviously, lost coverage on the one goal against in front of the net, and that’s something that he’s gonna have to continue to work on. But you saw his game grow as the game went on. He calmed down.
Obviously, probably some nerves played into account, playing in Vegas, in a really big crowd, their full NHL team, but I thought his game got better.
I thought Gio was really good early. Did some really good things. He’s looked good all camp.
And Thompson did some good things too. So we have some tough decisions to make, Mike and his staff, and we’ll sit down and talk and find the best guys that we think can help us.
And if there’s someone that goes down, it doesn’t mean they’re not going to help us at some point this year. There’s a lot of factors that go into that.
But I can’t be more proud of the players, not just here tonight, but back home. It’s been a really hard training camp, and they’ve worked so hard, we’ve asked them to do a lot of things and they’ve been very attentive and they’re working at it and they’re gelling together as a group, so this is a nice night to finish it off.