San Jose Sharks
Sharks Locker Room: Respectable Depth at Wing?
Perhaps surprisingly, the San Jose Sharks appear to have built genuine forward depth, especially at the wing.
At the beginning of the season, how many Sharks wingers did you trust to offer consistently winning minutes?
These were opening night lines:
Kurashev-Celebrini-Smith
Eklund-Wennberg-Toffoli
Skinner-Dellandrea-Graf
Goodrow-Gaudette-Reaves
Tyler Toffoli was the top winger here, coming off a 30-goal campaign.
William Eklund and Will Smith had excellent sophomore and rookie campaigns, respectively.
Besides that?
Collin Graf had a promising rookie year, but he wasn’t a middle-six staple yet.
Philipp Kurashev, Jeff Skinner, Barclay Goodrow, and Ryan Reaves were all coming off down seasons.
The Sharks’ forward depth looks significantly improved now, and that’s not just because Pavol Regenda, mostly with the San Jose Barracuda this season, popped in a hat trick in a 7-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Graf has provided both secondary scoring and is the team’s best penalty killer.
Kurashev, Goodrow, and Reaves, in different roles, have enjoyed bounceback campaigns.
And the Cuda haven’t skipped a beat with the Sharks: Regenda, acquired in a minor league trade last year, has five goals in just four games. Ethan Cardwell, who’s been incubating with the Barracuda for three seasons, has provided speed and energy in victories. Igor Chernyshov, a 2024 second-round pick, looks like a budding star.
This doesn’t include center Zack Ostapchuk, acquired for Fabian Zetterlund last Trade Deadline, who’s solidified the San Jose Sharks at 4C. This frees up another solid secondary scorer in Adam Gaudette to line up at wing.
No doubt, center Macklin Celebrini’s ascension from Calder Trophy finalist to bona fide superstar is the No. 1 reason for San Jose’s 20-18-3 record, but this wing at depth is a big reason why the Sharks have gone 4-4-0 since losing their second-leading scorer Smith and Kurashev to injury on Dec. 13. Gaudette has also been in-and-out of the line-up with a couple lower-body injuries.
Chernyshov has been the biggest beneficiary from the Smith absence: Recalled to take Smith’s place next to Celebrini on the top line, the power winger has three goals and eight points in eight games.
This is a good problem to have, especially when Smith gets healthy.
At full strength, that’s about a dozen wingers who have helped you to the fringes of a wild card playoff berth, so far. They may not all be everyday NHL’ers, but they don’t need to be.
It does appear that the San Jose Sharks’ depth at center and defense, top to bottom, isn’t quite this impactful right now. The Sharks could really use a Chernyshov-like comet, especially on the blueline.
But credit GM Mike Grier and his professional and amateur hockey ops personnel who, seemingly overnight — but really, through a lot of planning — have rebuilt the Sharks’ organizational depth at wing back to respectability.
Ryan Reaves
Reaves, on importance of standing up for Macklin Celebrini:
Anytime any player gets hit like that on our team, there’s going to be a response. Especially one of the best players in the world. I think you got to make sure you send a message that you don’t do that to them. That’s just how it goes.
William Eklund
Pavol Regenda
Regenda, on message during first intermission:
We got to wake up. They jumped on us. First goal, I didn’t backcheck enough, I kind of take a breath, didn’t backtrack all the way down. That cost us a goal.
Ryan Warsofsky
Warsofsky, on San Jose Sharks’ slow start:
There’s times where, we do start on time, we have good energy, we play the right way, and there’s times where we don’t. We got to figure that reason, the reasons out why that happens. A lot of it is self-inflicted with our puck play.
Warsofsky, on pulling Yaroslav Askarov:
There’s some goals there he probably wants back. I think the second one would be one of them. So Asky’s been playing some pretty good hockey. Again, we forget that he’s still developing as a goalie in this league and to be a No. 1. This is probably a learning moment for him.
Walked past Mukhamadullin postgame, he’s in a suit. Nothing obvious.
Also saw Kurashev, who has a cast of some sort (unsure if hard or soft) on his left hand/arm #SJSharks
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) January 3, 2026
Warsofsky offered no update about Shakir Mukhamadullin’s injury post-game.
Wing is the Sharks area of greatest depth.
Smith Chernyshov, Graf and Eklund are all legit top 6 sorts. All are good fits for a top line. With Gaudette, Toffoli (not a great season thus far) Kurashov, that’s 3 lines worth of wingers with a bit extra. Heck, its going to be tough to send Regenda back down. Lund and Musty getting close. There’s a bit too much on the wing. A logjam. That resolves a bit with Smith moving into the 2C role…
I went back and rewatched the first period and a half and could not isolate when Shak got hurt. Anyone see the injury live at the game or watching from home?
I thought he got crunched into the boards in the corner at one point? Not looking great for his long term availability. Can’t ever seem to stay healthy.
Yikes!! Yeah, not looking good for him…
Wennberg extension!
If it’s not 8-years (doubt it) I’d have to says it’s a 6×5.75 to keep him in the window that’s opening.
Ok cool, at least we have clarity. I hope it’s less time. I wonder if this means Misa is going back to the OHL? He’s looked good the last couple games apparently. Or could this mean someone like Bystedt is about to be trade bait to solve the defense?
3yrs @ $6AAV, perfectly reasonable with the rising cap.
Didn’t he say 2 years in the video? Maybe the accent threw me off. I can’t believe Grier got him for so short a term and low dollar. I expected 4x7mil min on the open market.
ok 3 years works. Gives prospects time to marinate.
looks like we got em at 3×6 👌
Yes sir! Very happy about this. I know Snarkshorts says don’t get attached to players (particularly vets) but I have always disagreed. Sports is indeed about emotion and of course there is the business side. This is an important signing.
https://puckpedia.com/player/alexander-wennberg?695ad4774f6a9
They still have almost too much cap space next season. But Celebrini will pbly get $12AAV for 5 yrs in his bridge contract.
They have almost no D signed for next season though. That’ll eat up a bunch.
Just please do NOT re-sign Ferraro. Sharks can now trade Ferraro, Eklund and maybe a center prospect or a 1st for the right defender.
Ferraro, Eklund, Bystedt and a 1st for a Dahlin caliber player is something I can stomach. That deal wouldn’t happen at the TDL though, unless Ferraro is extended, so probably best to get as much as possible for him when he’s the most valuable and then use those assets in such a deal
Perfect
You never know, it could happen at the TDL if a team like Buffalo is in the shitter. Need to start looking at teams who might be in sell, rebuild mode in the next 4 weeks.
Money and years, I am very good with this, it’s a very team friendly deal based on his contributions.
It’s funny because I’ve been thinking about The Wennberg as the overpay that is necessary to bring in good players that would otherwise not consider the Sharks. Now, the original guy signs a contract for more money and more years and I think it’s a bargain, and that says a lot about how far the team and the player have come. And about how the rising cap has changed an awful lot
Well, it’s mostly the cap though. With the cap skyrocketing the way it is he could’ve easily gotten seven or more on the open market. To me he’s worth more than grandlund at this point dollar wise.
I don’t disagree with anything you said, I was merely stating the obvious that I don’t think anyone thought Wennberg was worth The Wennberg when he signed that deal. I think it was Zubair on the podcast this week who made an excellent point that the Sharks have done a better job than anyone of rehabilitating distressed assets and profiting, and while this didn’t result in Grier’s usual “get a pick for a guy” ending, I think maybe it shows that Grier thinks we are entering a new phase. Wennberg is now seen as a piece of the puzzle in… Read more »
Oh yeah I know, I was just marveling at the discount and lack of term on this deal IMO. Like I said I was fine either way with him. Seeing him in person sitting up close was a revelation though. He was the 2nd most impressive player on the ice in the game I got to see live. If they can get him back to 3C next season this team will be a huge problem for the rest of the league. Sharks are like the old school Raiders were. They were famous for taking other peoples junk and winning with… Read more »
Yeah, none of the stuff we talked about at the beginning of the year is applicable now because this team is a year ahead of where we thought they were.
I believe this move is in keeping with what GMMG stated in his exit presser at the beginning of last offseason and subsequent pressers he’s held since. He has stated multiple times he is building and I have reiterated it for months. He stated he wasn’t going to be hunting for assets for the future but would rather add to what he has and retain players if possible. This extension is the n keeping with that but also is key in the development of his young centers. Misa should return to take the 3C but that’s definitely up in the… Read more »