The San Jose Sharks set their season-opening roster yesterday, featuring two goaltenders and 21 skaters.
In goal, the Sharks stuck with Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek. Yaroslav Askarov had been assigned to the AHL last week, so there was no confusion in terms of who would make up the Sharks' tandem to start the year.
However, in a move that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen before, the Sharks opted to carry 15 forwards and just six defensemen, for their 21 skaters.
On the blue line, all the expected candidates made the roster: Matt Benning, Cody Ceci, Mario Ferraro, Jan Rutta, Henry Thrun, and Jake Walman. Meanwhile, Marc-Edouard Vlasic will begin the season on injured reserve.
Up front, the Sharks’ 15-player forward group composed of the following players: Macklin Celebrini, Ty Dellandrea, William Eklund, Barclay Goodrow, Mikael Granlund, Carl Grundstrom, Danil Gushchin, Klim Kostin, Luke Kunin, Givani Smith, Will Smith, Nico Sturm, Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg, and Fabian Zetterlund. Logan Couture and Thomas Bordeleau will also begin the season on injured reserve.
It’s a really interesting decision from the Sharks, and it’s good to see a player like Danil Gushchin crack the roster. At the same time, San Jose is also kicking the can down the road a little bit, in terms of making a decision on their roster. They won’t stick with only six defensemen on the roster long-term, and as soon as some of their injured players are ready to go, space will have to be made on the roster.
Still, the Sharks have a lot more structure within their lineup with the veterans they added, as well as a wave of young talent to be excited about. There’s a bit of energy around the team entering the season, and hopefully, it’ll be the first step back towards icing a competitive team.
San Jose will open the season on Thursday, when they host the St. Louis Blues.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM OCTOBER
- Sharks poised for a more exciting season despite rebuild
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