Ty Dellandrea isn’t the only San Jose Sharks forward on the roster bubble.
Dellandrea, however, made a statement on Monday, in a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
“He knows. He ain’t stupid. He knows that his job is on the line, really,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Kudos to him. The way he played tonight, he knew it. Played an outstanding game.”
So what’s Carl Grundstrom’s standing?
Like Dellandrea, Grundstrom was brought in last summer to bring professionalism and physicality to the bottom-six. Like Dellandrea, however, Grundstrom suffered an up-and-down campaign.
Warsofsky didn’t mince words: “Similar to what Delly did, he knows what’s going on. There are jobs to be won here, he’s got to grab one of them by playing his towards his identity.”
Grundstrom will get his chance tonight, as the Sharks face off against the Ducks again.
“Getting on the forecheck, stopping the puck up, playing the offensive zone, when you don’t have [the puck] you know what your assignment is. When you’re in tough spots within your shift, you get a puck, you’re making the right play,” Warsofsky said, “those would be the things that Grundy, I don’t care if he zero-zeros across the scoresheet, he’s got four hits, that’s a good night for Grundy.”
That might be a slightly different focus for Grundstrom, who’s got a powerful shot, and had scored at a 15-goal-a-season pace previously with the Los Angeles Kings.
Warsofsky isn’t asking Grundstrom to stop scoring, but seemingly, to prioritize his “B-game” a little more than his “A-game”.
Grundstrom, after all, isn’t likely to score enough at the NHL level, that’s his bread-and-butter. But the stout Swedish winger can be physical and detailed every night.
“That’s what he’s going to be proud in,” Warsofsky said, “and that’s what we’re kind of preaching to him.”
Grundstrom, 27, is a pending UFA with a $1.8 million AAV. It’s time for him to establish himself as an indispensable NHL forward.
“Grundy’s had a pretty good camp,” Warsofsky said. “He’s done some good things, especially in the scrimmages.”
But now, he’s got to do it in a game.
San Jose Sharks (1-2-0)
Yaroslav Askarov will start, and should go the distance.
#SJSharks morning skate lines:
Skinner-Wennberg-Graf
Eklund-Misa-Toffoli
Smith-Kurashev-Lund
Grundstrom-Gaudette-Reaves
Leddy-Klingberg
Mukhamadullin-Orlov
Dickinson-Desharnais
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 1, 2025
Anaheim Ducks (3-2-0)
Ducks morning lines 10/1:
Kreider-Carlsson-Terry
Gauthier-McTavish-Granlund
Vatrano-Strome-Killorn
Johnston-Poehling-Sennecke
Nesterenko-Washe-Colangelo
Sidorov-Gaucher
LaCombe-Gudas
Zelly-Trouba
Minty-Helly
Hinds-Moore
Solberg-Luneau
Dostál-Mrázek-Husso-Clang#FlyTogether
— Zach Cavanagh (@ZachCav) October 1, 2025
Where To Watch
Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks at 7 PM PT at SAP Center. Watch it live on San Jose Sharks digital platforms. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.