{"id":411583,"date":"2026-07-25T02:49:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T02:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/411583\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T02:49:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T02:49:21","slug":"where-sharks-roster-stands-after-nhl-free-agency-draft-nbc-sports-bay-area-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/411583\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Sharks roster stands after NHL free agency, draft \u2013 NBC Sports Bay Area & California"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note:\u00a0Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California\u2019s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on\u00a0San Jose Hockey Now<\/a>, listen to him on the\u00a0San Jose Hockey Now Podcast<\/a>, and follow him on Twitter at\u00a0@Sheng_Peng<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What will the Sharks\u2019 opening night roster look like?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a tough thing to guess in late July, but here are some of my ideas.<\/p>\n

Macklin Celebrini<\/a>, Michael Misa<\/a>, Zack Ostapchuk<\/a> and Alex Wennberg<\/a> lead the way at center.<\/p>\n

Igor Chernyshov, Ty Dellandrea, Adam Gaudette, Barclay Goodrow, Collin Graf, Mason Marchment, Kiefer Sherwood, Will Smith, 2026 No. 2 pick Ivar Stenberg, and Tyler Toffoli are on the wing.<\/p>\n

Barring injuries or a trade, that looks like a solid group of 14 forwards to start the season. It\u2019ll be a challenge for any other Sharks\u2019 forward prospects to crack this line-up.<\/p>\n

On the blueline, Sam Dickinson, Michael Kesselring, Darnell Nurse, Dmitry Orlov, and Jacob Trouba project as opening night shoo-ins.<\/p>\n

Prospects Nolan Allan, Luca Cagnoni, and Eric Pohlkamp appear to be competing for, at the moment, two roster spots. Veteran Libor Hajek shouldn\u2019t be ruled out either.<\/p>\n

In goal, Yaroslav Askarov<\/a> and Alex Nedeljkovic<\/a> figure to be the tandem.<\/p>\n

So what will the Sharks look like on opening night? Here\u2019s an early guess.<\/p>\n

Chernyshov-Celebrini-Smith<\/p>\n

What will Celebrini do next?<\/p>\n

The hockey world waits with bated breath. The sky is the limit for the 20-year-old Hart Trophy candidate, who dominated the NHL, Olympics, and World Championships last season.<\/p>\n

The bigger question for the Sharks: Who\u2019s their next star up front? Celebrini needs help.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s cerebral playmaker Smith, who\u2019s got 100-point potential. And it could also be 6-foot-2 Chernyshov, who complements the WillMack duo perfectly with his size and speed and skill.<\/p>\n

This could be the line of the future for the Sharks.<\/p>\n

Marchment-Misa-Toffoli<\/p>\n

For the Sharks to take the next step, they\u2019ll need Misa to emerge as a true two-way force.<\/p>\n

It might not happen this coming season for the 2025 No. 2 pick, but he appears to have the talent to be the best second-line center in the NHL one day.<\/p>\n

Putting skilled veterans around Misa could be the best way to unlock the 19-year-old\u2019s ability.<\/p>\n

6-foot-5 Marchment will make space along the boards and the front of the net, and the two-time 20-goal scorer has soft hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan score and play in traffic,\u201d an NHL scout said of the Sharks\u2019 big free agent signing up front. \u201cGets in dirty areas and has good skill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toffoli struggled last season, but the four-time 30-goal sniper is the team\u2019s most proven scorer this side of Celebrini.<\/p>\n

The 34-year-old winger may not have staying power in the top-six this season, but it behooves the Sharks to give the veteran a chance to find his scoring touch early in the season.<\/p>\n

Stenberg-Wennberg-Graf<\/p>\n

Wennberg was tasked with the Sharks\u2019 toughest defensive match-ups last year, but if Misa emerges as a legitimate two-way pivot, that should lighten the veteran center\u2019s workload.<\/p>\n

If so, Wennberg can take on a more balanced role this coming season, which could also mean shepherding 18-year-old Stenberg, at least at first.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d expect Stenberg to be a top-six fixture by the end of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cStenberg with Celebrini-Smith or Misa-Toffoli would allow him to play off the pass and with possession more often,\u201d Jack Han<\/a>, author of Hockey Tactics 2026, pointed out.<\/p>\n

Graf and Sherwood could be interchangeable on this line? Graf offers a little more playmaking and defense with the same 20-goal upside.<\/p>\n

Sherwood-Ostapchuk-Gaudette<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to see $5.75 million man Sherwood on the fourth line, but consider it a tribute to a deeper Sharks forward corps, and not any condemnation of the veteran winger\u2019s game. He also provides legitimate depth.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarchment’s health and continued availability is always a question mark,\u201d Han said. \u201cMaybe this year is the year that Toffoli’s speed falls off completely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sherwood\u2019s crash-and-bang game also does fit up and down the line-up. He and Ostapchuk could also be the foundation of a new Sharks\u2019 \u201cidentity\u201d line, a more attack-dog mentality. Gaudette, meanwhile, has real finishing ability.<\/p>\n

While Goodrow and Dellandrea are more stereotypical fourth-line fits, Sherwood and Gaudette together could potentially bring more offense out of Ostapchuk.<\/p>\n

The Sharks are happy with Ostapchuk as their fourth-line pivot, but they would be over the moon if the 23-year-old took another step offensively.<\/p>\n

Not a lot of teams around the league can roll four dangerous scoring lines, so here\u2019s a chance for head coach Ryan Warsofsky to dominate his fourth line versus fourth line match-ups, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like Dellandrea as a depth player,\u201d Han said. \u201cI think he\u2019s better defensively and reads the game better than Gaudette.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nurse-Trouba<\/p>\n

Lots of pundits weren\u2019t thrilled about the additions of these aging, expensive defenseman this off-season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you run Nurse-Trouba against top lines, you’re cruising for a bruising,\u201d Han remarked.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, many do think that they\u2019re clear upgrades for a Sharks defense in need of significant improvement.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s put them to the test on opening night as the Sharks\u2019 top pairing. While no one is expecting them to be elite No. 1 and 2 defensemen, they just need to be a sight better than what San Jose deployed last year.<\/p>\n

Right-hander Nurse still skates well enough to play with the aggressive Trouba.<\/p>\n

Dickinson-Kesselring<\/p>\n

The Sharks are hoping that Nurse and Trouba can still be reasonable facsimiles of top blueliners, and they also hope that 20-year-old Dickinson and 26-year-old Kesselring can emerge as middle-pairing defenders this season too.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tall order, but the young defensemen have the talent to pull it off. They\u2019re both big and mobile with some offensive gifts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d rather try Nurse-Kesselring; Kesselring is more mobile than Trouba,\u201d Han said. \u201cSee if Dickinson can carry Trouba. It also forces you into a more balanced top-four because you\u2019re going to have to shelter the third pair more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cagnoni-Orlov<\/p>\n

Among their five established blueliners, the Sharks don\u2019t have a clear No. 1 power play quarterback.<\/p>\n

The 21-year-old Cagnoni is a star in that role in the AHL, but can he do the same for the big club? Let\u2019s find out early.<\/p>\n

Dropping Orlov to the bottom pairing isn\u2019t a statement about his game; the veteran Russian was San Jose\u2019s No. 1 defenseman last year, and still capable of second-pairing minutes on a playoff team.<\/p>\n

But 5-foot-9 left-hander Cagnoni will need some protection defensively, which a physical vet like Orlov can provide.<\/p>\n

Allan is not waiver-exempt, so he appears to be a good option for No. 7 defenseman. Pohlkamp can get seasoning with the San Jose Barracuda and hopefully run their power play, and maybe earn a late-season call-up.<\/p>\n

So is this line-up enough to get the Sharks into the playoffs?<\/p>\n

\u201cMisa and Dickinson are the biggest X-factors,\u201d Han said. \u201cBecause if they perform at 75th percentile or better, then the Sharks have playoff-level depth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast<\/a><\/p>\n

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