Will the San Jose Sharks regret sending Igor Chernyshov down in mid-January?<\/p>\n
Based on Chernyshov\u2019s impact on the Sharks this season, his immediate chemistry with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, and where San Jose is in the standings \u2014 just two points behind the Nashville Predators for the last wild card spot in the West, with two games in hand, after a thrilling 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Monday \u2014 probably yes.<\/p>\n
For what it\u2019s worth, there was never a sense that sending Igor Chernyshov<\/a> down on Jan. 22 \u2014 after three goals and 11 points in his 15-game NHL debut \u2014 was punitive, at all.<\/p>\n From GM Mike Grier\u2019s perspective, the San Jose Sharks had a glut of forwards then. Will Smith had just returned from injury, Philipp Kurashev was about to, and forwards like Jeff Skinner, Adam Gaudette, and Ryan Reaves were getting healthy scratched. Pavol Regenda\u2019s January scoring binge and the acquisition of Kiefer Sherwood also added to a good Sharks\u2019 problem.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re getting healthy, so there will be, probably some more roster decisions to come in the next week to ten days,\u201d Grier said then.<\/p>\n But that said, even back then, Chernyshov seemed too good for the AHL, even if there was value in sending him back. The San Jose Barracuda, for example, used Chernyshov as a top penalty-killer, no doubt a worthwhile experience.<\/p>\n So it might\u2019ve been easy for Grier to fall into a common GM trap of prioritizing the maximization of asset value, more than anything. Remember, before the Trade Deadline, there\u2019s a strict 23-man roster, unlike post-Deadline. So maybe Skinner could still get a draft pick back in the trade? Kurashev is an RFA, so you want to keep his rights? There were credible players, like Regenda, taking Chernyshov\u2019s potential roster spot.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to armchair quarterback now, of course.<\/p>\n But Skinner was eventually waived in mid-February, cleared, agreed to a contract termination, but no one signed him as a UFA. Kurashev is riding the pine during the Sharks\u2019 current three-game points streak.<\/p>\n And Chernyshov?<\/p>\n Well, to quote San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky recently, who is blamed online, but my guess, had no real part in sending Chernyshov down, \u201cHe\u2019s a man out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Anyway, in the end, Chernyshov missed just 14 San Jose Sharks\u2019 games, from when he got sent down on Jan. 22 to his Mar. 12 recall. That was obviously by design, a three-week Olympic break in the middle of it, and eight Barracuda games during that break. Chernyshov probably did get better in those two months in the AHL, too. Perhaps Grier saw him as something of a Trade Deadline \u201cacquisition\u201d.<\/p>\n The Sharks, by the way, went 6-5-3 without Chernyshov. Not bad, but they probably could\u2019ve used the big and skilled Russian winger, especially during that five-game losing streak stretching from before the Olympics and after. Even if that meant waiving Skinner sooner, or the cost of a tough roster decision on Regenda.<\/p>\n Chernyshov has been, simply, that good in the NHL. So good, NHL scouts were openly wondering what he was doing back in the AHL back then.<\/p>\n Chernyshov has provided an instant impact in his return to the Sharks, notching two goals, including the game-winner, against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. He didn\u2019t record a point against the Blues on Monday, but his impact was obvious.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s so big, he\u2019s so fast. I think the D, they panic when he\u2019s on them, because he\u2019s such a big body,\u201d Celebrini said. \u201cAs long as he\u2019s skating and doing his thing and creating turnovers, we\u2019re gonna have a lot of success.\u201d<\/p>\n That was especially evident in an early third period shift, about three minutes in, when Celebrini, Smith & Chernyshov pinned St. Louis down for a good minute.<\/p>\n Just dominating shift from the Chernyshov-Celebrini-Smith line. Welcome to your next decade, Western Conference.<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n We got to see their blend of skills, and also, how they complement each other.<\/p>\n Like Celebrini, Chernyshov is a heavy forechecker, can carry the puck from blueline to blueline, and is a force along the boards \u2014 this allows Celebrini to play off the puck more, and vice versa.<\/p>\n Smith is more of a finesse playmaker, but on a line with two heavy players, instead of just one, that frees him up to do what he does best.<\/p>\n Chernyshov, besides arguably William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli, has shown to be most capable on the San Jose Sharks of playing at the pace that Celebrini and Smith play at. Celebrini wants to play fast and Chernyshov can accommodate.<\/p>\n Smith can also afford to be more deliberate because of the speed that his linemates play at, and the space they occupy. Smith, with time and space, is as dangerous a Shark as there is.<\/p>\n Chernyshov is a player who takes a little load off Celebrini, which the superstar center needs, with all the defensive attention that he gets.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been basically just four games together as a line, if you don\u2019t count the concussion that Chernyshov suffered on the opening shift of the Mar. 14 4-2 win at the Montreal Canadiens.<\/p>\n But even before this, something about Chernyshov-Celebrini-Smith just seemed to fit. And sometimes, what looks good on paper, looks just as good in real life.<\/p>\n And remember, Smith is 21, Chernyshov is 20, and Celebrini is 19, so they\u2019re just scratching the surface of their potential.<\/p>\n Alex Wennberg<\/p>\n Wennberg, on if Celebrini puts a lot of pressure on himself: “I think so. But that’s also what separates him from the rest of us\u2026He’s working extra-hard, harder than everyone else, and that’s why you see he’s one of the best players in the league right now. For sure, he puts\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Macklin Celebrini<\/p>\n Celebrini, on Chernyshov’s forecheck impact on his line: “He’s so big, he’s so fast. I think the D, they panic when he’s on them, because he’s such a big body. As long as he’s skating and doing his thing and creating turnovers, we’re gonna have a lot of success.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Celebrini, on Leddy: “He’s meant a lot to our younger group. I mean, our whole group, but especially our younger group, just his leadership, just the guy he is. He’s one of the best guys. We’ve gotten pretty close to him. It sucks when he was getting sent down and stuff, but now\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Adam Gaudette<\/p>\n Gaudette on his GWG: “Chucky wins another draw. Play was just get a strong-side win. Just get it out. I think it was Mar who threw that out. It just happened to land on my stick. I was shooting that the whole way. I heard Chucky yelling (laughs) We had a ton of chances tonight,\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Gaudette, on Ostapchuk’s growth from last year, and Goodrow too: “He’s come a long way. What I notice the most is his confidence level has gotten a lot higher. He’s not timid out there anymore, and he just plays hard. He’s a big guy. He can skate like the wind. <\/p>\n “We’ve been\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Ryan Warsofsky<\/p>\n Wennberg was hard-matched against Robert Thomas tonight.<\/p>\n Warsofsky: “Wenny had a really good game tonight, he had a tough assignment, and he’s done it all year long\u2026He has to go down as one of the best shutdown centers in the game right now.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t