Winners & Losers From The San Jose Sharks’ Offseason Moves | Is Askarov The BIGGEST Winner?

Winners & Losers From The San Jose Sharks’ Offseason Moves | Is Askarov The BIGGEST Winner?

With the dust all but settled in free agency, who are the Sharks biggest winners and losers? You’re Locked on Sharks, your daily podcast on the San Jose Sharks, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello, welcome to Locked On Sharks, the premier hockey podcast covering your favorite team in the Bay Area. My name is JD Young, caretaker at the Reef, also the co-host of Locked On NHL. I want to thank you for making Locked on Sharks your first listen, proudly part of the Locked Onet. We cover your team every day. And if you want to be in every day, all you have to do just follow wherever you get podcast. And of course, you can watch on YouTube as well. And today we’re going to be examining some of the winners and losers from the Sharks free agent moves as right any action that you take or don’t take causes a ripple effect on the roster. So uh we’re going to be looking at why Yaros Vascarov is a massive winner after the Sharks offseason moves and uh why the second line center is a big loser for the San Jose Sharks among some other uh operations here. So, um, but before we get to all that, do want to let you guys know that today’s episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code locked on NHL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. So, um, with every action or inaction that Mike Greer makes and decision he makes, right, there’s going to have a ripple effect of, uh, what this means for other players on the roster. And, uh, with that, some people are maybe in a better spot than they were kind of heading into the off season and some people are maybe in a little bit more precarious spot uh, heading into training camp. So, we want I kind of wanted to look at some of the players who I thought kind of were big winners this off seasonason despite uh not being on the ice doing anything right now. And I think you have to start with Yarosov. Ask is a massive winner for the San Jose Sharks uh this this off seasonason. And um with Ascarov, yes, I know people are going to be like, “Well, they just drafted Joshua Ravensburg and um you know, a first round, they just spent a first round pick on Joshua Ravensburg and how can Ascarov be a winner with a potential replacement for him in the fray.” I say, “Let’s calm down.” Ravensburgen who again you’re you’re probably not going to see be an impact player for San Jose for several years from now, right? Um and the hope is with Ascarov that he plays well over these next two seasons that he earns himself a fat contract and cementss himself to be um the San Jose Sharks long-term starter. Why I do think this off seasonason was a big win for Ascrov is two reasons. Uh one, I do think the defense is improved over what we saw especially at the end the end of last year, right? Um bringing in John Clingberg, who I know is injuryprone, but um feel like he has said it himself, he’s feeling the best he’s had in years. Uh he’s feeling healthy. He hasn’t had to rehab this off seasonason. he can actually train for the off seasonason and you’re getting a guy who is very motivated to go out and prove it and try to get himself one last nice contract. Um, you bring in Demetri Orv who has, yes, maybe lost a little bit of a step with with Carolina and you saw that especially in the playoffs, but um, he is a massive improvement defensively over anything the Sharks had last year when it comes to just playing straight defense. And, uh, is going to be a huge, huge improvement to their ability to get the puck from point A to point Z or B, right? Like he is great at, you know, digging into his analytics and digging into his stats. is very good at getting the puck out of his zone and getting the transition going the other way. And Nick Lety, who I think will be an improvement and a guy again also entering the last year of his deal um was cut by by the Blues and uh is healthy now, right? Is a guy who dealt with injuries and I don’t think ever came back to being what you would expect with Nick Lei. All three of these guys, especially Clingberg and um and Lety, both those guys are in big kind of prove it type of situations and Orlav like I think all three of these guys have a a big opportunity to be provide a much better defensive group than what we saw from the Sharks last year. Um, and for Ascarov, the second thing too that makes him, I think, a huge winner is the Sharks didn’t go out and get like a a competition. And, um, I’m not saying Duck is, you know, Alexander Nel Nadelovic isn’t a good goalie. Like, I I think he can be a really good goalie, but they kept in mind like we want to get a good partner who can push Asarov, but be a good teammate. and even hearing from Nadelkovich himself um like that is his role. He knows what his role is is to kind of guide and steer Ascarov through a first full season in the NHL. Um I think this the Sharks have set Ascarov up to really kind of have a a big season and cement himself as a full-time NHL player. uh one and two an upper echelon goalie especially with a hopefully improving roster. So I think for Ascarov with the moves that were made this off season uh it is clearly Ascarov’s team when it comes in uh at Nets and again like you spent a first round pick on Ascarov last summer. Um you’ve been kind of you know were very patient with him this year wanted him to play another full season in in the AHL. we saw glimpses and flashes of him in the NHL be brilliant at times. Um, and now, you know, I think it’s time for him to kind of to take that next step and the Sharks, I think, have done a good job of putting him in a position to succeed and at least attacking uh the defensive group in front of him. And, you know, that doesn’t even include Shakir Muk McDullan taking a next step. And if Sam Dickinson sticks around too, there is reason to believe that the defense can make some improvements this season. Um, speaking of the defense, right, with all the new additions, uh, I think one person who’s really hurt by this, uh, has to be Henry Thrun, who of course is also, uh, you know, kind of subject to trade rumors right now. Right? You’re looking at the defense right now. There’s uh you know eight names uh Orlav Lety Clingberg Ferraro Lilligran Dehares, Thrun, Muk Magdullan and that doesn’t even include Sam Dickinson and Jack Thompson. Uh Jack Thompson who’s an RFA right now still waiting for his contract. Um and Sam Dickinson who we know is going to get a I think would have to have a miserable uh training camp and preseason to not get a chance to play NHL games at least to start the season. Um I I’m fully believe Thr might be the uh the guy left behind here with all the new additions, right? Uh we spent some time earlier this week kind of talking about the big trade candidates between Ferraro, Lilligran and Thrron. But you know, even if the Sharks do trade Ferraro or Lrian to open up a spot, I it does feel like Henry Thrron is going to be at the bottom of the pecking order here uh for the Sharks again, right? Muk Madillan who showed a lot um before he got injured last year. Sam Dickinson who’s you know a a 11th overall pick and had one of you know a an excellent uh season in juniors and the Sharks have talked about how important Dickinson is to their future. They’re going to put everything that they can to potentially succeed. And yes, I know Henry Threaten was a trade that Mike Greer made for and you know was uh you know a third that Sharks traded a third round pick for him, but we just haven’t really kind of seen the growth that you would hope to and expect from Henry Thun and um you know Thrun’s been on this team the last two seasons and we know how this defense has been the last two seasons. I’m not placing it all on the feet of Henry Thrun, but like at some point you have to make uh you have to kind of move on and and give some other guys an opportunity. And I think uh for the Sharks and for Henry Thr, he might unfortunately be the guy who kind of gets left out as new players and are added into the phrase. So, uh, yeah, I I think though defensively like, you know, Lilligrin and Ferraro, two other guys you could maybe discuss, but they might potentially get traded here for like and with Thrron, you know, we we know his trade value isn’t going to be too high. if nobody’s willing to kind of take him on, he might just become, you know, the de facto seventh defenseman for the Sharks, not get a lot of playing time, or maybe he’s subject to waiverss, um, and then playing in the AHL uh, for for the San Jose Barracuda and kind of stuck kind of in in between right now. So, um, yeah, Ascrov big winner, Henry Thran, unfortunately looks like a big loser from this off seasonason with all the new additions. So, uh, we’re going to talk about the second line and kind of what it means for, uh, some players there, spec specifically the second line center, uh, and some of the young kids. So, we’ll get to that here in just one second. Ever wish manager money felt easier? With Monarch money, it can. 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Code lockdown NHL for half off your first year. All right, before we continue, do of course want to thank you for making Locked on Sharks your first listen if you haven’t yet. Perfect time to uh even though it’s the off season, right? Uh perfect time to subscribe wherever you get podcasts and of course you can watch on YouTube as well as we uh start to kind of dig through the rubble of the off season and start getting you ready for a new season of San Jose Sharks hockey. So again, make sure you’re following along wherever you get podcasts and of course you can watch on YouTube as well. All right. Um, so I think a loser has to be the second line center and we don’t know who that’s going to be and that’s going to be one of the big uh stories for training camp whether it’s Will Smith uh who we know Mike Greer wants to at least give an opportunity to be uh a center right now and we’ll talk about some of the young players here in a minute. um or if it’s Alex Wenberg um if he kind of holds down that spot. I think those are your two big candidates to be second line centers. But the Sharks, right, we we know that they tried at least reached out to some of the big names and Brock Besser who of course resigned with the Conucks and Nicole Ellers who you know signed with Hurricanes and some of you know maybe the top end forwards in this group. Um the the Sharks tried to at least go out and get a a top six forward um to pair with whoever, you know, to at least give another option there. uh just kind of struck out and you know I I think Phil Kersev has a you know is probably going to be your on your second line by default and um you you might have some other guys here like Adam God or whomever kind of in the fray as well but um we we you know you feel like it’s going to be probably Ekkan Celibbrini to Foley as your top line or maybe it’s you know if Will Smith doesn’t win the job maybe Smith is on on that first line there but There’s not a lot of juice on that second line right now, right? Um, and it feels like it’s going to be right. It’s going to be Wenberg, Smith, Kersev, or something like that right now, which doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. And maybe maybe you split up, right, the Eklan Celibbrini to Foley line. Maybe you break up the 70s line and try to kind of balance things out of here a little bit, which is, you know, an option the Sharks do have, but it’s still like it feels like you have five top six forwards and you’re kind of missing that one guy. I do feel bad for that second line center because again like Celibbrini is is kind of set up with success and no matter how they they mix and match it even if maybe they run an Eklan Cbrrini Smith uh line or whatever they do but it just feels like that second line center you’re you’re missing a dude on that line um unfortunately but but winners out of this is the young players right and specifically I I think you point to three guys in the system who have a chance to potentially crack the Sharks opening night roster. Uh Michael Misa, who we talked about yesterday. We did the whole deep dive on Misa. Um Igor Chernishov um and Quinton Musty. And you look at because the Sharks inability to go land a legitimate top six winger this off season, the door is wide open for one of these, especially one of these three players to go out and win a job opening night. winning a job opening night and keeping the job uh two different things as you can point to Daniel Gushin last year, right? Who won an opening night roster uh and lasted about 10 games in the NHL before he spent the rest of the year in the AHL or majority of the season in the AHL um w with the Barracuda. So again, we’re still we’re still in the kind of, you know, just projecting and and trying to figure things out here. But you do feel like, you know, I if I had to kind of rank them, I think Misa’s got the clearest path, right? And yes, I know he’s he’s the rawest of the not the rawest, but you know, he’s the youngest and least experienced of the the players, but uh of course, right, he has a draft pedigree as a second a second overall pick. Um you know, we talked about yesterday just how clean of a prospect he is and his ability, I think, to fit in and play NHL games right now. And even if you took the Will Smith approach of being very cautious with him the first, you know, half of the season, like he’s still going to get plenty of opportunities to play big-time minutes on the second line and play on the power play and do all those things um as you kind of get him ready and get him geared up for the rest the second half of the season and you know and beyond. But um I think for for him like he would right now I think be the number one slot there. Um and then Igor Shernishov who looked amazing uh with the Barracuda last year uh even better playing with Michael Misa uh with with Sagenov in the OHL. Um, and as a guy who has played professional hockey, you know, against grown men as a 17, 18 year old in the KHL, and a guy who does have those hard skills combined with those soft skills, like you could see him easily come into training camp and just be better than everyone else um, and like win a job outright opening night. And I think he’s a guy where uh you know I think one of the the nice things about about Shernov is his flexibility where if you want to put him on the third line and let him uh play a little bit lesser role, he’s shown in the KHL and yes the KHL and NHL are different but he has shown that he’s been able to produce and play that kind of tough skill kind of hard-nosed type of game over there or if you want to let him play on the top, you know, play top six minutes. he has enough skill and and he has uh he’s got a big boy body already at, you know, 6’2, 200 pounds already. Um like he’s a guy who I think can fit into many different roles and kind of do whatever you need um there. But um and even Quinton Musty, right? I I made the case for Quint Musty who I think should spend the season um playing in the AHL to kind of continue his game and continue his development just because for him Quinton Musty is like he’s of the like he’s a very special skilled player but just maybe his game isn’t as rounded as polished as the other two guys and I think spending some time in the AHL just like what we saw with William Meckllin right spend an entire year in the AHL was much better for it right uh Quinton M if he spends the season or a good chunk of the season in the AHL kind of rounding out his game. Uh I I do think he is going to be better for it, but would you be completely completely shocked if Musty came into camp and and just looked awesome and he looked very good? And again, I know prospect scrimmage, you don’t want to overact, but he legitimately looked like one of the best forwards out there. Um him and Shernov, I think you could argue, looked like two of the best forwards out there. um in at least in that scenario and and Musty is a guy who the Sharks do think very highly of right and what they kind of expect for him. So um you can also throw Cam London in here as well who played with the Sharks last year but I do think he is is very much on the uh Colin Graph path to success of just start the season in the AHL like let’s you got a taste of the NHL last year start the season in the AHL marinate for a little bit and then we’ll pull you up and you’re gonna like have a good second half of the season. So, um, you know, there there’s plenty of of of jobs and opportunities despite some of the moves that the Sharks made this off season. They didn’t really solidify that second or I guess that third person on the second line here for for them. And, uh, I do think like that’s going to be one of the most intriguing uh intriguing options and battles going into training camp and see who can who can take a job there. So, uh, we’re going to finish up by looking at the bottom six and kind of, uh, some of the winners and losers, uh, from there. So, we’ll get to that in just one second. All right, before we finish up, do of course want to thank you for making Lockdown Sharks your first listen today. For your second listen, check out the Locked On NHL podcast. There’s no offseason. Uh we’re bringing you the daily uh leaguewise stories that matter the most with local coverage you love from Locked On. Find Locked on NHL on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast. Okay. Um the bottom six and I, you know, just kind of clumping a lot of these guys in here. Um I will say a a big winner for me for the the bottom six here. Um, a couple winners here I think though. One big one is Colin Graph, right? And Graph could be a guy who you you look at as a potential top six guy, but I think Graph is is most likely suited to play on that third line. Um, and yes, I know there’s some there’s still questions about who’s going to be the third line center and if it’s Wenberg, uh, or if it’s, you know, whomever else, but I do think, you know, maybe it’s a guy like Kersev or maybe it’s a guy like Adam Card. Um, I do think this third line’s going to be much better. At least that’s the hope because of a guy like Colin Graph, right? Um, and I think Colin Graph is a very good player and I think he’s quickly earned the trust of the coaching staff, right? As a guy who’s excelled on the penalty kill last year despite never playing penalty kill uh before in his life. Um he’s a guy who we saw the scoring touch start to show up at the end of the season and I think Colin Graph is going to be set up to have a nice season because of again I just think especially at this end of the season after the Granland trade that third line center was a a big question mark for the Sharks and I think they’re they’re in a little bit better spot right now whether it’s you know God or whether it’s uh Wenberg like the hope is your hope hope is Al Alex Smith. Uh, Alex Smith wins the second line center. Uh, Will Smith wins the second line center position, right? And Wenberg becomes your third line center. And then you have a really nice kind of downthe-m middle trio here. Um, and then, uh, Wenberg playing with better wingers like a Colin Graph and, you know, whomever else they get. Like that’s that’s the hope here. So, um, another quick winner uh, because of some of the moves. I do think Tai Dandria is set up to have uh a really nice kind of secured his role like he was a guy who played center for the Sharks kind of that fourth line center for them last year and um yes again I think Godet’s in the mix here um but I think DARIA is a guy who probably feels really really safe about his position and where he is at in the roster. Uh, one guy who probably does not feel great about his position, especially with the additions, has to be Carl Grundstrom. Uh, right, Grundstrom was in and out of the lineup a lot last year, and I know he dealt with some injuries, but he was a healthy scratch at a time. And you look again, right, Marco Goodro’s not coming out of the lineup despite some of the pleas from Sharks fans, like he’s a guy who’s just going to be in the lineup every night. Um, you know, you feel with Dandri and his ability to play center wing. Um, play some penalty kill. Um, you know, Adam Goddet like as a kind of a speedy scoring guy who can again add uh play center and wing just the flexibility that all those guys have and then Colin Graph who we just mentioned um like kind of stapling himself as a potential third liner here. It probably does not spell well for Grundstrom to be playing a lot here. And that doesn’t include if guys like um Shernov or Ethan Cardwell or Zakoscha or Eeyore Aphanosv if any of these guys can even pop onto the roster as well. Um, Gruntstrom probably feels like he’s going to have to have a a big big time uh training camp this offse training camp to kind of really secure his his spot. And as a guy who really didn’t play a lot in special teams and uh mostly was of kind of a five on five type of guy, Grundstrom probably does feel like his spot is is tenuous at best. I I would say, right? and um for for to you know kind of be an everyday type of player and you know maybe the Sharks could potentially you know wave him and and try to bury him in the AHL for a little bit. They’d have a little bit of a cap hit um if he was not that that really matters but um or maybe they just ship him off to you know another team who’s trying to kind of upgrade their or add another body to their their bottom six here. But um if again if you’re if you’re struggling to make the roster of the San Jose Sharks and be an every night player for the San Jose Sharks, probably not a good uh read on on the land how you might fit elsewhere uh in the NHL. Uh is again if you can’t crack the Sharks roster, it’s it’s probably not a good sign for you here soon. But um I know the Sharks did add some pieces and you know with it with the bottom six, but there’s there’s a lot of names down here, right? And especially when you look at some of these Barracuda guys like I mentioned, right? Cardwell who played really well at times with the Sharks last year is a guy who quickly earned that trust to be a doit all type of like play on the penalty kill, play on the power play, play on uh five on five and and quickly earn the trust of the coaching staff. Um, you know, and Zach was stopp who the sharks again that was kind of the big piece that you got from the Fabian Zetland trade and yes trying to be patient with with Stop truck but like they believe he is a long-term solution for them in their bottom six and um you know if he plays your center and then you have good and then you have a guy like uh Deandria who again that flexibility of center wing you know type of player Um, right. Like guys would rather have, you know, GMs and coaches would rather have a guy who can play two positions on a roster than a guy can only play one position. And Dandria is is a guy I think who’s clearly above crunch in the pecking order right now. So, um, yeah, I feel like, you know, even longterm looking at like where the Sharks are at with with some of these pieces here, right? The the good thing is like nobody other than like everybody is is contracts other than I’d say Goodro are pretty movable if you had to. Again, you’re not probably getting anything back for a guy like Carl Grundstrom or even a tie Andrea, but um you know, Goodro and his cap hit and his 15 team no trade list like he again he’s he’s on this roster unless a team like specifically is looking for Barkley Goodro, he’s on this roster right now. Um but and you know none of the like even a guy like Dino Guushian who’s an RFA and we’ll see if he even makes it to training camp unless he might get traded for you know as we just saw with Thomas Bordalow. Um it it does feel like there this could be a very um wishy-washy with guys going up and guys coming down and you know kind of trying to find the right pieces together um on the bottom six uh as you head into training camp and early into the season and uh so but yeah I do think though like Colin Graph got to feel really good about his situation. Uh Carl Grundstrom probably needs to have a big training camp. So that’s going to be it for me today. We’ll be back tomorrow. Uh probably talking to more Askarov. So uh make sure you guys stick around for that. Uh follow along wherever you get podcast. And of course you can watch on YouTube as well. Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at locked on Sharks. Follow me on Twitter and Blue Sky Fryhole. Till tomorrow. Bye friends.

The San Jose Sharks’ offseason moves have dramatically reshaped their roster, prompting a closer examination of the winners and losers within the organization. JD Young provides an insightful analysis of these changes, starting with goaltender Yaroslav Askarov’s improved situation. The addition of defensemen John Klingberg and Dimitri Orlov has bolstered the blue line, potentially offering Askarov better protection. However, these acquisitions have also created uncertainty for players like Henry Thrun, whose position on the defensive corps is now less secure.

In the forward group, the lack of top-six winger acquisitions has opened doors for prospects such as Michael Misa, Igor Chernyshov, and Quentin Musty to compete for NHL spots. This development highlights the Sharks’ commitment to nurturing young talent and their willingness to give prospects a chance at the highest level. Meanwhile, the second-line center position remains a question mark, adding another layer of intrigue to the team’s lineup decisions.

The bottom-six forward group has seen its own share of changes and potential shake-ups. Colin Graph emerges as a significant beneficiary of the offseason moves, while Carl Grundstrom’s role may be at risk. Young’s analysis dives deep into how these roster adjustments will impact the Sharks’ lineup configuration and their developmental strategies for the upcoming season. This comprehensive look at San Jose’s offseason maneuvers offers fans and analysts alike a clearer picture of the team’s direction and the potential implications for players throughout the organization.

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