SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks, with forwards Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and William Eklund, among others, obviously have some foundational pieces in place up front as they try to become perennial playoff contenders in the years ahead.

The question for the Sharks as they attempt to take the next step is whether they can find or develop a defenseman or two that can regularly provide offense and be a threat from the back end.

“It’s no secret. You need top defensemen, and they’re hard to find,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “You hope to develop them, whether that’s through the draft or through the minors, whether that’s a free agent or a trade. We’ll figure that out at some point.”

Going into Wednesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, the Sharks had 131 points from the nine defensemen who had played games with the team this season, a total that ranked 21st in the NHL.

Dmitry Orlov, signed through next season, led the Sharks with 34 points in 76 games, but John Klingberg, Mario Ferraro, Nick Leddy, and Vincent Desharnais, who have combined for 59 points, are all pending unrestricted free agents.

The Sharks are optimistic that rookie Sam Dickinson, who put up eye-popping numbers in major junior hockey, can help in that area, but it might take time. Dickinson, who turns 20 in June, had 13 points in 66 games this season before Wednesday.

“Just building confidence in myself, just continuing to get more comfortable in my skates and how I can play,” said Dickinson, who had 122 points in 72 games, regular season and playoffs, for the Memorial Cup champion London Knights last season.

“Being confident in the fact that I can make a lot of things happen on the ice and be a really good player. That’s been big for me.”

Getting some offense from the defense corps can translate into regular-season success. Of the top 12 teams in defensive scoring, 11 were in a playoff spot as of Wednesday. The Sharks entered their game against the Oilers just outside of a playoff spot with six games to play

The Oilers have the NHL’s top scoring defenseman in Evan Bouchard, who had 89 points before Wednesday. The Anaheim Ducks, the Sharks’ opponent on Thursday, are led by Jackson LaCombe on defense with his 55 points and 24-plus minutes of ice time per game.

As teams, the Oilers were seventh in the NHL in defensive scoring with 193 points, and the Ducks were 10th with 180 points.

Beyond Orlov and Dickinson, pending restricted free agent Shakir Mukhamadullin, who was a scratch on Wednesday, could still figure into the Sharks’ long-term plans.

Barracuda defenseman Luca Cagnoni is tied for ninth in the AHL in scoring with 40 points in 65 games, and draft picks Leo Sahlin-Wallenius and Eric Pohlkamp have offensive upside, although it’s unclear if any of them would be ready for the NHL next season, as questions continue as to what the Sharks’ defense corps might look like beyond this year.

“We have some guys that have really stepped up on our team,” Warsofsky said. “Dmitry Orlov, Dickinson’s come a long way. (Ferraro) has had a solid season. We’re going to focus on the guys that we have on our roster.”

BROSSOIT NOMINATED

Barracuda goalie Laurent Brossoit has been selected by the San Jose chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association as its 2025-26 nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

The Masterton Trophy is awarded each season under the trusteeship of the PHWA to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

Brossoit, 33, persevered through two knee surgeries, missing the entire 2024-25 season, and the mental anguish of not knowing if he would play in another game before he made his first professional start in nearly 18 months in December.

Brossoit then started his first NHL game in almost two years last month when the Sharks faced the Ottawa Senators.

“He’s been through a lot,” Warsofsky said. “Obviously, with all the surgeries, he could have easily given up, and he stuck with it, and he worked extremely hard to get back to the National Hockey League, and I don’t think he’s done by any means.”

In 24 games with the playoff-bound Barracuda this season, Brossoit has a record of 15-8-1 with a .909 save percentage. The Barracuda play in Henderson on Friday.

LINEUP CHANGES

Klingberg played his first game since March 24 on Wednesday as he took the lineup spot of Mukhamadullin, who was a healthy scratch for the first time since the Sharks played in Edmonton on March 18.

Mukhamadullin had played in 19 of the last 20 games before Wednesday, collecting a goal and three assists and averaging 18:39 in ice time. Warsofsky said Mukhamadullin’s game is in a better spot now than it was before the Olympic break, as he missed 11 games in January with an injury.

“He’s done some good things, and he’s improved in some areas,” Warsofsky said. “I think there are some areas we’ve got to continue to work on, but I think he’s playing better than he was probably coming off the injury earlier in the year.”

The Sharks also reinserted Adam Gaudette in the lineup in place of Ty Dellandrea.