It looks like the dust has settled on free agency and the San Jose Sharks have settled on the forward lines for the time being. The biggest addition on the first day of free agency was forward Mason Marchment. Two days later, the Sharks signed first-round draft pick Ivar Stenberg to his entry-level contract. While it’s not a guarantee that the forward will play for the Sharks on opening night, most experts are pretty sure that the kid will be on the 23-man roster.

The subtractions include the loss of William Eklund, who was traded away in mid-June for the 9th overall pick in the 2026 entry draft. The team also allowed Philipp Kurashev, Pavol Regenda and Ryan Reaves to leave in free agency.

So with those changes in mind, here’s a too early look at what we think the forward lines will look like next season. The lines are stacked in the way I guess the Sharks coaching staff will roll them out, not the way that I would ideally like to see them rolled out.

First line – Ivar Stenberg/Igor Chernyshov – Macklin Celebrini – Will Smith

I think that Stenberg makes the team out of the gate, but that the Sharks slow play his start just like they did Will Smith. It won’t be to the extent they did with Michael Misa, because I think they’ll avoid the contract cap issues they had last season, which prevented Misa from playing his 9th game until much later in the season. Just the same, I think Stenberg takes it slow coming out of the gate.

When he’s in, Stenberg plays with Macklin Celebrini and Smith, just to see what the kid can do. I can see him being explosive alongside Celebrini and coming into camp and earning that spot on the top line. That’s not to say that Igor Chernyshov doesn’t deserve to be there too. When Stenberg doesn’t play, Chernyshov will move up to the first line to play alongside Smith and Celebrini.

Second line – Mason Marchment – Alex Wennberg – Kiefer Sherwood

Michael Misa isn’t second-line center material just yet, so the job goes to Alex Wennberg. New addition Mason Marchment will play alongside Wennberg on the left side, and look for Kiefer Sherwood to at least start on the right wing. This isn’t to say that I think this should be the second line, but I think that this will be the second line that the Sharks coaching staff will trot out. The staff will use this as the shutdown line as well as an energy line. It will get 20 minutes a night and most likely the toughest matchups of any given night. This will be the line that the coaching staff will lean on.

Third line – Igor Chernyshov/Tyler Toffoli – Michael Misa – Collin Graf

Given the way last season ended, I think that Chernyshov has earned his spot in this lineup at least to start the season. So, when he’s not playing on the top line with Celebrini and Smith, he’ll move down to the third line with Misa and Collin Graf. However, when he’s up on the top line, look for Tyler Toffoli to play on the third line.

Don’t look at this as a demotion for Chernyshov. This should be a second line, but Misa has to earn that second line spot, and until he does, he’s going to “drag” Chernyshov down with him. But I think this is the season that both players prove they’re second liners.

Graf is on the other side. He’s a good utility player and makes more sense on the third/second line than he does on the top line with Celebrini and Smith.

Fourth line – Barclay Goodrow – Zack Ostapchuk – Adam Gaudette/Tyler Toffoli

Barring any more trades, the coaching staff is likely to roll out a fourth line of Barclay Goodrow on the wing with Zack Ostapchuk playing center and Toffoli on the wing when Stenberg is in the lineup. If Stenberg is out of the lineup, I would like to see Adam Gaudette on the wing for the simple fact that Gaudette’s shooting percentage is so much higher than Ty Dellandrea’s, but Dellandrea may get the call first, depending on what team the Sharks are playing.

As the season wears on, the lineup is likely to change. Look for Goodrow to lose his role of “enforcer” as the season progresses, and Marchment/Jacob Trouba take over that role. I could also envision a midseason trade if, at the trade deadline, the Sharks add a piece and someone gets moved out to add depth on the blueline.

Extras – Ty Dellandrea/Ethan Cardwell/Adam Gaudette

Finally, and this is where things are going to get a little sticky, the Sharks have three forwards that they’re going to have to figure out what to do with, and none of them are waiver-eligible. Dellandrea, Gaudette and Ethan Cardwell.

Dellandrea is the most likely of the bunch to get stolen off the waiver wire if he were to get there since he’s a center with the ability to kill penalties and he has some grit. Gaudette is a close second since he scored 17 goals in 66 games last season. Either one is going to have other teams at least thinking about taking a free shot at them. Cardwell could clear, but he’s a 23-year-old prospect with potential, which could have some team looking to upgrade.

The Sharks will likely push Cardwell down when everyone’s making decisions at the start of the season and hope that no one picks him up because everyone’s finalizing rosters. But if San Jose chooses to call him up midseason, a decision will have to be made.

Other forwards who are waiver-exempt and might push for a spot this season include Cameron Lund, Filip Bystedt, and Quentin Musty.