The youngest head coach in the NHL is attacking his new job with gusto.
Ryan Warsofsky was around for last season’s 19-win disaster with the San Jose Sharks as an assistant coach. The 36-year-old was tabbed to succeed David Quinn, and he’s starting from a rock-bottom place the franchise hasn’t been since its earliest days. It’s a dream realized, though, and Warsofsky was overcome with emotion at his June introduction to the media.
The reality is a hard job, ahead as the Sharks lay a new foundation. But with his first official game coming in Thursday’s opener against St. Louis, Warsofsky is trying to change a losing narrative. The presence of Macklin Celebrini as their young new headliner has uplifted a fan base, but that can only go so far.
“Energy and the excitement around the whole organization, the city, is great and we need that,” Warsofsky said. “And that’s huge for us. But energy and excitement is not going to win us hockey games. We got to now focus in on how we want to play. We’ve got to be a hard-working team, a structured team.”
The new faces aren’t limited to Celebrini and it changes the dynamic of their depth chart. Let’s take a look.
Centers
There isn’t any hiding it by the Sharks. Celebrini is directing the top line as he heads into his NHL debut next week – providing he recovers from the crash into the boards in Tuesday’s exhibition game that left him with a lower-body injury. Is the 18-year-old already San Jose’s best player? That’s heady stuff for any No. 1 overall pick joining the league … but he just might be that.
Some wondered if Will Smith might need a little AHL seasoning, or to start out with the Sharks on right wing given the increased forward depth this season. But with Logan Couture remaining shelved and the club’s need for another offensively wired center, that’s an opening the 19-year-old playmaker can slide into. It could be good for Smith, who’ll draw plenty of attention but can also draft behind Celebrini.
If Celebrini isn’t fit to go on opening night, Alex Wennberg could handle the 1C role in the short term. Warsofsky had the veteran in the youngster’s place during a recent practice. Otherwise, Wennberg should be solid on the third line and take some of the harder minutes, so Celebrini and Smith don’t always deal with the toughest matchups.
Speaking of fits, Sturm will be better served as the 4C, allowing other forwards to slide into more ideal spots. Entering a contract year, Sturm can be a big-bodied penalty killer who will win faceoffs (60.1 percent last season, 56.1 percent career). Ethan Cardwell has had a very strong camp. The 22-year-old was one of AHL San Jose’s best last season and it would be no surprise to see him make his NHL debut at some point.
Left wing
William Eklund’s minus-45 rating from last season is unsightly, but he improved down the stretch, as he had six goals and 15 points with just a minus-2 in his last 14 games. It capped off a nice second half, in which he had 27 points in 35 games. What’s possible in his second full season? It feels like a 20-goal, 50-point year is in the cards — or more if he clicks with either Celebrini or Smith.
Mikael Granlund’s 60-point season in 69 games was a feat on a talent-starved club. The Sharks’ lack of depth at center helped, as his 20:58 average ice time was the most of his 12-year career. The club can use another season like that out of the 32-year-old for the purposes of potentially trading him as an pending UFA before the deadline, but prime offensive opportunities might not be as plentiful.
Klim Kostin had five goals and 10 points in 19 games after coming over from Detroit, where he struggled mightily. Inconsistency has kept the 25-year-old from advancing in his career as a power forward. The Sharks bringing back Barclay Goodrow for a second tour made news, after the veteran initially was sour about the New York Rangers putting him on waivers. But Goodrow, who has three years left on his contract, is on board.
Danil Gushchin led AHL San Jose in point-per-game average and has two goals and two assists in his six games with the Sharks. He had a big game last week against Anaheim and has made a favorable impression on the staff. “He was all over the ice,” Warsofsky said. “He was using his skating. Hunting pucks. He was getting underneath guys. Using his leverage. Things that we’ve talked to him about, he’s started to grasp and he’s started to pick up.”
Gushchin’s camp performance has allowed him to stick around to the final weekend of preseason. The 22-year-old Russian has taken advantage of Thomas Bordeleau’s absence. Bordeleau, 22, ended last season strong, but his bid to lock down a job was wrecked by a lower-body injury early in camp. He’s considered week-to-week.
Right wing
Tyler Toffoli signed a four-year deal with a full no-move clause to get some stability after playing on five teams in a five-year span. It doesn’t hurt to earn $24 million with that contract. The Sharks had the cap space, and paid to give Celebrini someone who has been a proven finisher, as evidenced by Toffoli’s 260 career goals, with 67 coming the last two seasons.
Fabian Zetterlund also showed some finishing ability in 2023-24, as he led San Jose with 24 goals. Seventeen of those were at even strength as the 25-year-old’s breakout cemented a top-six role. It’s a notable year for Zetterlund, since he can be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent. Could the Sharks look to extend him if he gets off to a strong start?
Goal potential drops off greatly after that, with Luke Kunin, Ty Dellandrea and Carl Grundström all crash-and-bang grinders who may creep around 10 goals in their best seasons. Kunin battles every night and steps up for his teammates, which was recognized in him being one of the four alternate captains. Dellandrea and Grundström come from Dallas and Los Angeles, respectively, after losing ice time with those teams.
Collin Graf, 22, played his first seven NHL games after winning an NCAA title with Quinnipiac as a sophomore and following it up with another strong 22-goal season in 34 games as a junior. Graf was a top college free agent signing and the Sharks look like they have plans for him, but there are a lot of forwards to beat out. Being a top offensive threat for the AHL Barracuda could be the play.
Left defense
Mario Ferraro is a gamer but he’s also out of his element as a No. 1. The 26-year-old had to be nearly everything for the Sharks’ overwhelmed defense last season. Some upgrades should help ease the burden. Ferraro is still on a very good contract, but he could be attractive before the March 7 trade deadline, as a contending team could have him for two postseasons.
The Sharks got Jake Walman through a salary dump by Detroit, which needed to free up cap space to sign young stars Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. Walman could be their top offensive threat on defense. His big shot is a weapon, and he’ll get more opportunities to unleash it. The 28-year-old has one career power-play goal, but he could get a lot more time on the man advantage. He’ll also block shots.
Henry Thrun often played higher in the lineup last season than you’d expect. He finished with 51 games played while averaging 20 minutes. Thrun’s ice time could take a little bit of a hit, but the experienced gained could help him fend off the Sharks’ up-and-coming slew of defense prospects.
Luca Cagnoni has shown some advanced acumen in the offensive end from the beginning of rookie camp. Some AHL time to further polish his defensive game could help him land in the NHL sooner than later. Shakir Mukhamadullin would ordinarily make a challenge for a spot, but he’s been dogged by a lower-body injury throughout camp. Warsofsky told reporters that he could be practicing soon.
The Sharks took Sam Dickinson with the No. 11 pick, and returning him to the OHL’s London Knights was expected. “I thought there was moments you could see like, ‘Oh, my God, is that a good play. That’s a first-round pick. That’s going to be a future really good NHL player,’” Warsofsky said. “And then there’s times he’s just going to learn. And he knows it and he’s continued to learn.”
Right defense
Having a healthy Matt Benning will help the Sharks ice a more credible right side of the defense. Benning was signed to a four-year deal, but the second year of it was essentially wiped out as he dealt with a hip problem that eventually required surgery. The 30-year-old isn’t a cure-all, but he’s capable.
Cody Ceci was a late-summer acquisition from Edmonton. The Sharks got a 2025 third-round pick, presumably because Ceci is on an expiring deal, but they surrendered young Ty Emberson. But the bigger Ceci, 30, plays a solid defensive game, and while his play in the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final was uneven, the Sharks just need him to be a steady contributor and a stout penalty-killer.
As far as potential trade assets go, Ceci is among their most valuable. Jan Rutta, 34, could be another, given that he’s also on an expiring deal. The Sharks would be wise to give him minutes and build up his value. If Jack Thompson makes the club, he’ll have other fellow right-shots to lean on for guidance. The 22-year-old has had a strong camp and if he becomes a regular, he’d be a nice return in the Anthony Duclair trade.
Marc-Édouard Vlasic is skating on his own but hasn’t participated in any practices or games. Vlasic, 37, looks headed for a similar part-time role once he recovers from an upper-body injury. With just the 2025-26 season left on his contract, the Sharks will have to decide if it’s better to buy out that final year or ride his $7 million cap hit to completion.
Goalie
Mackenzie Blackwood split time with Kaapo Kahkonen last season, but his 41 starts represented the most since his breakout with New Jersey in 2019-20, in which he finished sixth in Calder Trophy voting. Some of his advanced goalie metrics were better than the standard W-L/GAA/SV%, but a more competitive team could see improvement on those. He’s on an expiring contract, so trade value should be factored in.
Vitek Vaněček rejoins Blackwood after the two were teammates with the Devils not that long ago. Don’t let the 17-9-3 record with New Jersey last season fool you. Vaněček did not have a good season, as he fell off badly from previous years and then finished the year on the injured list. San Jose represents a fresh start for the 28-year-old, who’s healthy and can be a quality 1B when at his best.
With Yaroslav Askarov dealing with a lower-body injury all through the preseason, it stands to reason that he’ll get his first action with the Barracuda and then work his way back into being a call-up option. Askarov has been improving but simply hasn’t been able to challenge for one of the two spots. The 22-year-old Russian netminder figures to push for the No. 1 job at some point. That time isn’t now.
Georgi Romanov will get ice time with the Barracuda after splitting 2023-24 between the AHL and ECHL. The 24-year-old ended last season with mop-up duty in the Sharks’ final two games, allowing just one goal on 30 shots. It could be a nice development year for Romanov, backstopping a Barracuda club that should be much improved from last year.
(Photo of Will Smith: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
