GDT: Preseason game 1: Sharks vs. Golden Knights 5pm Streamed on sharks.nhl.com

[Hodge]

The 2023 draft was considered historically good and some other great prospects like Perreault, Cowan, Nadeau, and Brindley were also drafted in that range.

Yeah so he should be valued similar to those guys. Not as the 15th best prospect in the league according to Elite Prospects.

 

[Saskatoon]

I think what you are seeing in Musty is bad habits already impacting his game from playing in a league that isnt challenging him and a coaching staff that isnt demanding he play a complete game.

He either needs to switch teams or switch leagues.

Rumors are London wants to trade for him which would be ideal IMHO

 

[Juxtaposer]

If you wanted a middle-six mucker instead of Quentin Musty, then you shouldn't have drafted Quentin Musty. You don't draft a guy only to change everything about him that has made him successful up until this point.

I also just don't think that wingers really have enough defensive impact on a game to prohibit a young winger from playing until he's a good two-way player.

 

[gaucholoco3]

Warsofsky said to the media that Musky’s offense shows but his game without the puck needs improvement. He’s not making the Sharks until he develops a B game. Nico Sturm is EXACTLY who he needs to be with on the ice.

Forcing players to change their game completely without allowing them to use their strengths is how you ruin prospects.

Musty will not make the NHL because of his forecheck or “B” game. You put him in positions with skilled players to succeed in the offensive zone which is what will ultimately get him to the NHL. If he can’t create offense in the NHL with skilled players then he is out of the league or that’s when you have him reinvent himself. If he can create offense in the NHL with skilled line-mates but gives up too much on the other end then you have him work on those things or pair him with a player that can cover his shortcomings.

Musty should be with Smith and Zetterlund. That line can be used as a scoring line with heavy O zone starts. If he can’t produce in 9 games with those players then he should get sent back.

I would start the season with:

Kostin - Celebrini - Toffoli
Eklund - Granlund - Dellandrea
Musty - Smith - Zetterlund
Goodrow - Wennberg - Kunin

I think Wennberg or Grundstrom could take Kostin’s Spot and Kunin might take Dellandrea’s spot.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Forcing players to change their game completely without allowing them to use their strengths is how you ruin prospects.

Musty will not make the NHL because of his forecheck or “B” game. You put him in positions with skilled players to succeed in the offensive zone which is what will ultimately get him to the NHL. If he can’t create offense in the NHL with skilled players then he is out of the league or that’s when you have him reinvent himself. If he can create offense in the NHL with skilled line-mates but gives up too much on the other end then you have him work on those things or pair him with a player that can cover his shortcomings.

Musty should be with Smith and Zetterlund. That line can be used as a scoring line with heavy O zone starts. If he can’t produce in 9 games with those players then he should get sent back.

I would start the season with:

Kostin - Celebrini - Toffoli
Eklund - Granlund - Dellandrea
Musty - Smith - Zetterlund
Goodrow - Wennberg - Kunin

I think Wennberg or Grundstrom could take Kostin’s Spot and Kunin might take Dellandrea’s spot.

I would definitely swap Wennberg with Kostin or Dellandrea in that sort of lineup. The Sharks aren't paying Wennberg 5 mil to anchor the 4th line. That's Sturm's job. Wennberg is going to fill some top-nine role. I would expect that he's the guy they go with on Celebrini and Toffoli's wing if nobody steps up and takes it. And if someone does, he'll be on Smith's wing to help defensively and be a secondary playmaker.

 

[Mattb124]

There is a big difference between working on improving aspects of a player’s game that are sub-standard and changing everything about their game. Musty was drafted for his offensive potential, but it is hyperbolic and incorrect to suggest that having him improve on aspects other than his offense will ruin him as a player.

Quite the contrary, there are lots of players (Nikolay Goldobin is perhaps the most Sharks-centric example) who didn’t stick in the NHL in part because they never rounded out their game.

 

[LilLeeroy]

Yeah so he should be valued similar to those guys. Not as the 15th best prospect in the league according to Elite Prospects.

So top 30ish instead of top 15?

Does Stramel still need to be above all of them?

 

[mogambomoroo]

I think Musty just needs to round out his game enough to really understand and keep up with NHL dynamics/speed. Offence is something he has, but he needs to find how to get that offence to fit NHL standards. That's why I think there is so many different opinions on him, because his profile looks like the real deal but still needs to learn a trick or two to become a real NHL player.
That's why I think it's important to have both Musty and Dickinson playing and learning with actual NHL talent through this pre season.

 

[CupfortheSharks]

Forcing players to change their game completely without allowing them to use their strengths is how you ruin prospects.

Musty’s strength is generating offense when his team has the puck. Nobody is suggesting he should stop doing that. About half the time he is on the ice, the other team has the puck. Why not become a great player then too. It’s not one or the other. See Macklin Celibrini.

 

[Juxtaposer]

There is a big difference between working on improving aspects of a player’s game that are sub-standard and changing everything about their game. Musty was drafted for his offensive potential, but it is hyperbolic and incorrect to suggest that having him improve on aspects other than his offense will ruin him as a player.

Quite the contrary, there are lots of players (Nikolay Goldobin is perhaps the most Sharks-centric example) who didn’t stick in the NHL in part because they never rounded out their game.

I'm not saying we should allow Musty to sit around waiting for his teammates to get him the puck and never back check, I'm just opposing the idea that he should play with Nico Sturm and shouldn't be allowed to play NHL minutes until he's Zach Benson on the forecheck.

 

[Saskatoon]

This team isn't good enough to develop Musty where he is at

The Sharks are going to get cratered in possession like last year

Hopefully he goes to London and they can round out his game. Getting time with Dickinson and Halts good too

 

[CupfortheSharks]

I'm not saying we should allow Musty to sit around waiting for his teammates to get him the puck and never back check, I'm just opposing the idea that he should play with Nico Sturm and shouldn't be allowed to play NHL minutes until he's Zach Benson on the forecheck.

Look at the lines. Celibrini and Smith are about to take big roles in the NHL as rookies. The should and will only play with established NHL players. Right now, the only better spot that’s realistic for Musty is with Granlund and Eklund. It looks like they prefer to audition Graf instead of a guy who is going back to juniors. Plus the Lunds are going to playing shut down and having to cover for a guy who is weak without the puck isn’t the best preparation. I guess they could play him with Wennberg but to me that’s pretty much the same thing.

I think it’s coming across that I’m down on Musty. I’m not. In fact I’m a big fan. There are just limited roster spots available for offense only wingers. I hope he sees that and rounds out his game.

 

[Alaskanice]

To inform those of you who couldn’t watch the broadcast and those who fancy to rewatch the preseason game against Vegas, it’s been uploaded to YouTube.

 

[gaucholoco3]

Quite the contrary, there are lots of players (Nikolay Goldobin is perhaps the most Sharks-centric example) who didn’t stick in the NHL in part because they never rounded out their game.

Was Goldobin ever given a chance to play with high skill players that could keep up with him. You don’t draft this type of player to play him with low skill bottom six FWs.

I'm not saying we should allow Musty to sit around waiting for his teammates to get him the puck and never back check, I'm just opposing the idea that he should play with Nico Sturm and shouldn't be allowed to play NHL minutes until he's Zach Benson on the forecheck.

I completely agree. Musty like Smith and Celebrini need to play with skilled players. Sturm will not help Musty at all.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Look at the lines. Celibrini and Smith are about to take big roles in the NHL as rookies. The should and will only play with established NHL players. Right now, the only better spot that’s realistic for Musty is with Granlund and Eklund. It looks like they prefer to audition Graf instead of a guy who is going back to juniors. Plus the Lunds are going to playing shut down and having to cover for a guy who is weak without the puck isn’t the best preparation. I guess they could play him with Wennberg but to me that’s pretty much the same thing.

I think it’s coming across that I’m down on Musty. I’m not. In fact I’m a big fan. There are just limited roster spots available for offense only wingers. I hope he sees that and rounds out his game.

Totally, I don't think it's realistic to keep Musty up with the Sharks all year given we already have two teenage forward in our top-9. All I'm saying is that I'd like to see Musty get a shot with a center like Granlund or even like, Wennberg, before he's sent back to the OHL.

 

[Star Platinum]

Look at the lines. Celibrini and Smith are about to take big roles in the NHL as rookies. The should and will only play with established NHL players. Right now, the only better spot that’s realistic for Musty is with Granlund and Eklund. It looks like they prefer to audition Graf instead of a guy who is going back to juniors. Plus the Lunds are going to playing shut down and having to cover for a guy who is weak without the puck isn’t the best preparation. I guess they could play him with Wennberg but to me that’s pretty much the same thing.

I think it’s coming across that I’m down on Musty. I’m not. In fact I’m a big fan. There are just limited roster spots available for offense only wingers. I hope he sees that and rounds out his game.

The other thing is we're already developing two young scoring centers at the same time. A year from now when they're more established, maybe they are the guys supporting other young players. But realistically right now, we can only support so many brand new NHL players at once. Even if Musty were closer to being ready, he'd still have to go back to juniors because the AHL isn't an option and because the Sharks need those four winger spots on the Celebrini and Smith lines to be guys who make their jobs easier - not to someone who has his own developing to do.

My hope is that Musty takes the feedback he's getting right now and works hard on his defense, his puck retrieval, and being more physical in the offensive zone. If he does that, even if he's not scoring 2 points a game it'll be a successful year. What would be unsuccessful is if he goes to juniors, increases his scoring, but doesn't work on those other things.

If you listen to Todd Marchant talk, he talks constantly about how highly talented forwards don't work enough on the non-scoring parts of their game when they're younger because they don't have to. The higher up you go in competition, the less rare the ability to score becomes and then it's the scorers who bring the most of the other stuff that prevail. A guy like Celebrini who has worked hard to be good in all phases is a unicorn. Most elite players are more like Conor Bedard.

It's really way too early to make a call on Musty. He cleared the first hurdle which is being very offensively productive in juniors on a team that cheats for offense, but he's still very early in the development cycle. We'll know much more by the end of this season.

Graf will probably be a victim of the numbers game as well and end up in the AHL waiting for an injury to create an opportunity for him.