Speculation: 2023-24-25 Sharks Roster Discussion

weastern bias

worst team in the league
Feb 3, 2012
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View attachment 904524

Get the best out of Smith to find passes to Toff and Celebrini, Eklund does great work behind the net and can set up tons of combo plays with Celebrini. This sets up easy one timers for Walman from Smith too which puts his best attribute to work. Don’t have tons of grit but Celebrini is going to have to do a lot of the lifting to get pucks off the wall. He’s good at that.
You ought to save these detailed visualizations for your premium subscribers
 

Saskatoon

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Aug 24, 2006
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Yea the guy up top needs to be a really good distributor which I don't think Walman is...could see him in one of the trigger positions or them running five forwards
 

Kcoyote3

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You ought to save these detailed visualizations for your premium subscribers
these hot takes are free.99

Yea the guy up top needs to be a really good distributor which I don't think Walman is...could see him in one of the trigger positions or them running five forwards
Smith would be the primary distributor, Walman just up top as a shooter mostly
 

Barrie22

Shark fan in hiding
Aug 11, 2009
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Couture should slot in as the 2nd line LW who will end up taking faceoffs.
Why would we want couture taking faceoffs? He has been terrible at faceoffs for 10 years in a row. And even at his very best he was just average.
 

Patty Ice

Mighty Luca
Feb 27, 2002
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View attachment 904524

Get the best out of Smith to find passes to Toff and Celebrini, Eklund does great work behind the net and can set up tons of combo plays with Celebrini. This sets up easy one timers for Walman from Smith too which puts his best attribute to work. Don’t have tons of grit but Celebrini is going to have to do a lot of the lifting to get pucks off the wall. He’s good at that.

What is going on with the Smilth?

If that is a new nickname (Smith + filth) I am all for it.
 

Devilsfan2326

Registered User
Oct 4, 2011
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Couture should slot in as the 2nd line LW who will end up taking faceoffs.

I'd be shocked if he ever plays hockey again.

If he does manage that, I expect he'll continue to decline in effectiveness. He hasn't been a play driver for a while (which is less important for the power play, of course).
Thanks, what about the success of Granlund last year? Does that continue with Celebrini shaking things up this year? I remember someone saying he is really dependent on learning the styles of his line mates in order to produce.
 
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SoftDumpInTheCorner

Registered User
Jun 29, 2010
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I see this roster in two parts; pre trade deadline and a post deadline roster.

The pre deadline roster puts Granlund in the 1C position with Eklund and Zetterlund riding shotgun. The jury is still out how Smith and Celebrini will be played. It would not shock me to see them both paired in some sort of sheltered version in a 3rd line role averaging 13-15 mins and getting some power play time.

Eklund-Granlund-Zetterlund
Kostin-Wennberg-Toffoli
Goodrow-Celebrini-Smith
Kunin-Sturm-Dellandrea
Grundstrom/Bordeleau

Walman-Ceci
Ferraro-Rutta
Thrun-Benning
Vlasic

Blackwood/Vanecek

Post deadline, we should see the emergence of Askarov as a spot starter role with whichever goalie is not traded. Celebrini and Smith should see action apart. Personally I would like to see Celebrini/Smith semi sheltered here if they decide to keep some of their pending UFAs. But I think it’s possible they put Wennberg in the 1C, Smith moves to the middle as a 3C & Celebrini in the 2C with Zetterlund on the RW.

Eklund(f1)-Wennberg-Toffoli
Kostin-Celebrini-Zetterlund(f1)
Bordeleau-Smith-Dellandrea
Grundstrom-Goodrow-Graf

Walman-Ferraro
Thrun-Benning
Mukhamadullin-Vlasic
Thompson

Askarov/Vanacek

The post deadline roster does look a pretty rough. And of course injury does become a factor for the youngsters. The forward and defense take a big roster hit as Im sure Granlund, Sturm, Kunin, Ceci, Rutta & Blackwood will be dealt. I wouldn’t oppose to holding onto Rutta if the trade offers are weak just to help settle the defense.

There are some expectations this year I would like to see the Sharks do this year: Continued growth from the young guns starting with Eklund hitting the 60 point mark. Having Celebrini and Smith notch a .60-.70 ppg season. Establish some more of the young guys into specific roles like Dellandrea and Graf. Will be keeping a close eye on their pending RFA’s specifically Bordeleau and Kostin to see if there is any growth or next step potential. Grier to get more assets in either picks or players.

Lastly the elephant in the room, Couture. Warsofsky should probably rearrange his captaincy at this point. It makes zero sense to continue having an off-ice captain and just give it to Barclay Goodrow already. There’s a lot to be said about a undrafted free agent that goes on to win multiple cups.

This season will probably get ugly. Outside of what was listed above, there isnt much expectations from this roster. But the theme needs to be growth. A bottom 5 finish is in the cards more so than a bubble playoff team.
 

mogambomoroo

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I see this roster in two parts; pre trade deadline and a post deadline roster.

The pre deadline roster puts Granlund in the 1C position with Eklund and Zetterlund riding shotgun. The jury is still out how Smith and Celebrini will be played. It would not shock me to see them both paired in some sort of sheltered version in a 3rd line role averaging 13-15 mins and getting some power play time.

Eklund-Granlund-Zetterlund
Kostin-Wennberg-Toffoli
Goodrow-Celebrini-Smith
Kunin-Sturm-Dellandrea
Grundstrom/Bordeleau

Walman-Ceci
Ferraro-Rutta
Thrun-Benning
Vlasic

Blackwood/Vanecek

Post deadline, we should see the emergence of Askarov as a spot starter role with whichever goalie is not traded. Celebrini and Smith should see action apart. Personally I would like to see Celebrini/Smith semi sheltered here if they decide to keep some of their pending UFAs. But I think it’s possible they put Wennberg in the 1C, Smith moves to the middle as a 3C & Celebrini in the 2C with Zetterlund on the RW.

Eklund(f1)-Wennberg-Toffoli
Kostin-Celebrini-Zetterlund(f1)
Bordeleau-Smith-Dellandrea
Grundstrom-Goodrow-Graf

Walman-Ferraro
Thrun-Benning
Mukhamadullin-Vlasic
Thompson

Askarov/Vanacek

The post deadline roster does look a pretty rough. And of course injury does become a factor for the youngsters. The forward and defense take a big roster hit as Im sure Granlund, Sturm, Kunin, Ceci, Rutta & Blackwood will be dealt. I wouldn’t oppose to holding onto Rutta if the trade offers are weak just to help settle the defense.

There are some expectations this year I would like to see the Sharks do this year: Continued growth from the young guns starting with Eklund hitting the 60 point mark. Having Celebrini and Smith notch a .60-.70 ppg season. Establish some more of the young guys into specific roles like Dellandrea and Graf. Will be keeping a close eye on their pending RFA’s specifically Bordeleau and Kostin to see if there is any growth or next step potential. Grier to get more assets in either picks or players.

Lastly the elephant in the room, Couture. Warsofsky should probably rearrange his captaincy at this point. It makes zero sense to continue having an off-ice captain and just give it to Barclay Goodrow already. There’s a lot to be said about a undrafted free agent that goes on to win multiple cups.

This season will probably get ugly. Outside of what was listed above, there isnt much expectations from this roster. But the theme needs to be growth. A bottom 5 finish is in the cards more so than a bubble playoff team.
I would personally try everything to keep Granlund and Ceci for couple of years if they match with this group. Help the youngster having a guaranteed veteran help for couple of years.

About the captaincy, I would vacate it until Celebrini is ready for it in couple of years.
 
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coooldude

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Jul 25, 2007
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I see this roster in two parts; pre trade deadline and a post deadline roster.

The pre deadline roster puts Granlund in the 1C position with Eklund and Zetterlund riding shotgun. The jury is still out how Smith and Celebrini will be played. It would not shock me to see them both paired in some sort of sheltered version in a 3rd line role averaging 13-15 mins and getting some power play time.

Eklund-Granlund-Zetterlund
Kostin-Wennberg-Toffoli
Goodrow-Celebrini-Smith
Kunin-Sturm-Dellandrea
Grundstrom/Bordeleau

Walman-Ceci
Ferraro-Rutta
Thrun-Benning
Vlasic

Blackwood/Vanecek

Post deadline, we should see the emergence of Askarov as a spot starter role with whichever goalie is not traded. Celebrini and Smith should see action apart. Personally I would like to see Celebrini/Smith semi sheltered here if they decide to keep some of their pending UFAs. But I think it’s possible they put Wennberg in the 1C, Smith moves to the middle as a 3C & Celebrini in the 2C with Zetterlund on the RW.

Eklund(f1)-Wennberg-Toffoli
Kostin-Celebrini-Zetterlund(f1)
Bordeleau-Smith-Dellandrea
Grundstrom-Goodrow-Graf

Walman-Ferraro
Thrun-Benning
Mukhamadullin-Vlasic
Thompson

Askarov/Vanacek

The post deadline roster does look a pretty rough. And of course injury does become a factor for the youngsters. The forward and defense take a big roster hit as Im sure Granlund, Sturm, Kunin, Ceci, Rutta & Blackwood will be dealt. I wouldn’t oppose to holding onto Rutta if the trade offers are weak just to help settle the defense.

There are some expectations this year I would like to see the Sharks do this year: Continued growth from the young guns starting with Eklund hitting the 60 point mark. Having Celebrini and Smith notch a .60-.70 ppg season. Establish some more of the young guys into specific roles like Dellandrea and Graf. Will be keeping a close eye on their pending RFA’s specifically Bordeleau and Kostin to see if there is any growth or next step potential. Grier to get more assets in either picks or players.

Lastly the elephant in the room, Couture. Warsofsky should probably rearrange his captaincy at this point. It makes zero sense to continue having an off-ice captain and just give it to Barclay Goodrow already. There’s a lot to be said about a undrafted free agent that goes on to win multiple cups.

This season will probably get ugly. Outside of what was listed above, there isnt much expectations from this roster. But the theme needs to be growth. A bottom 5 finish is in the cards more so than a bubble playoff team.
Good thoughts and analysis. I would quibble with some of the lineup decisions, for example I really do think they'll try Celebrini-Toffoli on the 2nd line and I don't think Wennberg ever sees 1C time unless we deal Granlund AND there are injuries, but it doesn't really matter, I liked how you laid it out.
I would personally try everything to keep Granlund and Ceci for couple of years if they match with this group. Help the youngster having a guaranteed veteran help for couple of years.

About the captaincy, I would vacate it until Celebrini is ready for it in couple of years.
I'm with you, I laid this out before re: the situations where they deal vs sign Granlund. I think it's more likely than most are assuming that we try to sign him. Ceci, we'll see.

I think as a "player friendly" GM/Coach, the most likely outcome is that they let Couture retire and give up the C on his own timeline rather than stripping it from him. I think it's 95% he never plays another game, 4% he plays not much more than one more game and 1% he plays again regularly... but they're going to let him drive that and therefore determine whether the C is available.
 
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CHALUPA

Registered User
Oct 9, 2008
1,049
217
San Francisco , CA
I'm with you, I laid this out before re: the situations where they deal vs sign Granlund. I think it's more likely than most are assuming that we try to sign him. Ceci, we'll see.

+1. With Celebrini, I think our goal shifts from asset-building to growth. That means insulating him and Smith for more than half a year. I can see us trying to keep Ceci for for that same reason, if our D’s ability to get the puck out of the zone doesn’t improve size-ably.
 

sampler

Registered User
Aug 3, 2018
648
612
I see this roster in two parts; pre trade deadline and a post deadline roster.

The pre deadline roster puts Granlund in the 1C position with Eklund and Zetterlund riding shotgun. The jury is still out how Smith and Celebrini will be played. It would not shock me to see them both paired in some sort of sheltered version in a 3rd line role averaging 13-15 mins and getting some power play time.

Eklund-Granlund-Zetterlund
Kostin-Wennberg-Toffoli
Goodrow-Celebrini-Smith
Kunin-Sturm-Dellandrea
Grundstrom/Bordeleau

Walman-Ceci
Ferraro-Rutta
Thrun-Benning
Vlasic

Blackwood/Vanecek

Post deadline, we should see the emergence of Askarov as a spot starter role with whichever goalie is not traded. Celebrini and Smith should see action apart. Personally I would like to see Celebrini/Smith semi sheltered here if they decide to keep some of their pending UFAs. But I think it’s possible they put Wennberg in the 1C, Smith moves to the middle as a 3C & Celebrini in the 2C with Zetterlund on the RW.

Eklund(f1)-Wennberg-Toffoli
Kostin-Celebrini-Zetterlund(f1)
Bordeleau-Smith-Dellandrea
Grundstrom-Goodrow-Graf

Walman-Ferraro
Thrun-Benning
Mukhamadullin-Vlasic
Thompson

Askarov/Vanacek

The post deadline roster does look a pretty rough. And of course injury does become a factor for the youngsters. The forward and defense take a big roster hit as Im sure Granlund, Sturm, Kunin, Ceci, Rutta & Blackwood will be dealt. I wouldn’t oppose to holding onto Rutta if the trade offers are weak just to help settle the defense.

There are some expectations this year I would like to see the Sharks do this year: Continued growth from the young guns starting with Eklund hitting the 60 point mark. Having Celebrini and Smith notch a .60-.70 ppg season. Establish some more of the young guys into specific roles like Dellandrea and Graf. Will be keeping a close eye on their pending RFA’s specifically Bordeleau and Kostin to see if there is any growth or next step potential. Grier to get more assets in either picks or players.

Lastly the elephant in the room, Couture. Warsofsky should probably rearrange his captaincy at this point. It makes zero sense to continue having an off-ice captain and just give it to Barclay Goodrow already. There’s a lot to be said about a undrafted free agent that goes on to win multiple cups.

This season will probably get ugly. Outside of what was listed above, there isnt much expectations from this roster. But the theme needs to be growth. A bottom 5 finish is in the cards more so than a bubble playoff team.
I actually kinda like this idea, not so much to shelter the kids, but to maximize returns. If Grandlund goes back to a #2C and #2 pp, his point production will fall 10+ pts into the 45-50 range, and the return will be a 2nd rounder or so. If he gets that top PP time, and 18-20 mins of ice, he'll likely be closer to 60pts, which should be good for a first at the deadline.

The same goes for Ceci in terms of TOI and PP time.

The others like kunin, ruuta, etc are unlikely to have much value no matter what. Maybe kostin?

I am just not sure they will suck as much as everyone expects. have the 'lund line along 1-1A with celly and toffoli..
 

weastern bias

worst team in the league
Feb 3, 2012
11,735
8,739
SJ
I'm honestly glad Draisaitl extended because I want no part of that contract

He's a great player but that would absolutely put a ceiling on our team and blow up our salary structure at the same time, it would be our version of what Toronto did with Tavares
 

Juxtaposer

Outro: Divina Comedia
Dec 21, 2009
50,218
24,163
Bay Area
If anything, that Draisaitl contract basically means our window is now until 2035: Celebrini's ELC plus a ~$10Mx8 contract coming off his ELC.

Draisaitl is definitely worth $14M, but there's absolutely no way the Oilers can be serious contenders past this season with $50M tied up in McDavid/Draisaitl/Nurse/Bouchard and no high-end young players ready to perform on ELCs. Their only real hope, now that they lost Broberg and Holloway, is that some idiot GM (hopefully not Grier...) takes Nurse off their hands.
 

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