With the regular season rapidly approaching, the San Jose Sharks will soon be forced to make some tough decisions.

At the start of training camp, defenseman Sam Dickinson’s spot on the Sharks’ opening-night blueline seemed like a lock, but that could be changing. With Luca Cagnoni appearing to have secured a spot on the team and the first power-play unit, only one lineup spot on the blue line remains. Most teams carry two extra forwards and one extra defenseman.

After a slow start to training camp, defenseman Nolan Allan has begun to turn heads. He isn’t flashy, and doesn’t need to be. He has been steady and nearly mistake-free in the exhibition games he’s played. Allan has played in all three preseason games and earned one assist while posting a +5 rating.

The same can’t be said for Dickinson. From the start, the decision-making mistakes that plagued his rookie season are still popping up. Dickinson has one assist and is +2 in two games. Although he hasn’t been bad, Allan’s lower mistake total than Dickinson’s is catching the coaching staff’s eye.

“Just his composure, the way he plays, shift in and shift out. He takes hits to make plays. He’s physical. He has an identity to himself. He’s really come into his own,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said on Saturday morning. “I think it was 10-0, and he’s still playing really hard the other night. I thought that was very good to see.”

While the 2024 NHL Draft’s 11th overall pick has shown growth in training camp, he hasn’t separated himself enough to escape a position battle. Dickinson started training camp with Jacob Trouba as his defense partner. Going into Saturday’s preseason finale, that has changed. Allan has taken his place next to Trouba. That pairing was solid in the San Jose Sharks’ 10-0 win on Thursday.

Cagnoni and prospect d-man Eric Pohlkamp won’t be in the lineup on Saturday, while both Allan and Dickinson are. Dickinson is paired with Dmitry Orlov on Saturday. Orlov has been paired with Cagnoni throughout camp.

#SJSharks lines at morning skate:
Marchment-Celebrini-Smith
Chernyshov-Misa-Toffoli
Stenberg-Wennberg-Graf
Goodrow-Ostapchuk-Sherwood
Dellandrea-Leason

Nurse-Kesselring
Allan-Trouba
Dickinson-Orlov
Cagnoni-Pohlkamp

— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) September 26, 2026

As roster decisions come down to the wire, the Sharks will likely look at players who are and aren’t waiver-eligible. Of the three defensemen in a competition, Dickinson, Allan, and Pohlkamp, only Allan is waiver-eligible. Cagnoni isn’t eligible, but SHD projects him as a near-lock for opening night.

Dickinson could be sent down to the AHL to play a bigger role than he would on the Sharks. He’d likely get top power-play time, something he’s never done with the Sharks. He’d be on the top pair as well, likely with Pohlkamp if he’s sent down too. But if Pohlkamp goes down, Dickinson likely stays in the NHL.

Pohlkamp has played one professional hockey game in his career. The San Jose Sharks have shown patience with defensemen in the past. A perfect example is Cagnoni. Despite two very strong training camps, he was sent back to the AHL both times for more seasoning. Now that seasoning appears to have worked. Cagnoni looks like he’s an established NHL-quality player. Pohlkamp also needs to play and get top PP time, which he’ll do with the ‘Cuda if he’s there.

That leaves Dickinson and Allan for the No. 6 and 7 spots on the blue line. Saturday’s game is a big test for Dickinson to prove he’s taken a step toward staying in the lineup. When asked what the Sharks might be thinking for their opening-night lineup, Warsofsky didn’t show his hand.

“Yeah, we’ll see. Again, it’s a few days away,” Warsofsky said.

With a near-NHL lineup being dressed on both sides, the front office can get the most accurate evaluation of Dickinson and Allan. SHD believes Cagnoni and Pohlkamp are scratches because their fate is set. Anything can happen, so nothing is set in stone until the official roster is submitted by 5 p.m. ET on Monday.