Sharks Acquire Timothy Liljegren from Maple Leafs for Matt Benning + Draft Picks

 The Sharks made a trade yesterday afternoon, acquiring puck-moving defenseman Timothy Liljegren from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Matt Benning, a conditional 2025 third-rounder, and a 2026 sixth-rounder. 

This trade came as the Sharks are searching for more offense from their blue line. Liljegren is a former first-round selection (17th overall) by the Maple Leafs in 2017 and has appeared in only one game for Toronto this season. The 25-year-old puck-moving defenseman often found himself as a healthy scratch for the Leafs this season and needed a change of scenery. Last season for the Leafs, Liljegren registered three goals and 20 assists for 23 points in 55 games along with one assist in six Stanley Cup Playoff games. In total, Liljegren has 14 goals and 51 assists for 65 points in 197 regular-season games plus one assist in 13 playoff games for the Leafs. He will join the Sharks in time for their next game at home against the Blackhawks but won't be making his Sharks debut just yet. 

As for Matt Benning, in large part due to missing a majority of last season due to a hip injury, he has fallen down the Sharks blue line depth chart and has practically become expendable on this Sharks roster, recording no points in seven games this season. In terms of the conditional third-round pick in 2025, Toronto will receive the earlier selection of the Sharks' two third-round picks in 2025 previously held by the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche. 

Overall, this is definitely an upgrade for the Sharks blue line that should be able to generate more production on offense. In addition, Timothy Liljegren is younger than Matt Benning and should earn more opportunities to contribute on this Sharks team than if he had stayed with the Leafs. 

Sources: NHL App, San Jose Hockey Now

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 11 Recap: Sharks 4, Kings 2 (10/29/24)

 The Sharks return home and pick up their second win of the season in a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. 

The opening period was scoreless and controlled by both teams’ penalty kills, certainly an improvement over the past several first periods. However, the first goals of the game occurred early in the second period, starting with Jake Walkman teeing one up for his first goal in teal and the first goal by a Sharks defenseman this season, with assists from Nico Sturm and Carl Grundstrom. The Kings responded just under a minute later on Akil Thomas’ first goal of the season to even it up at one, which stood for the remainder of the middle frame and six minutes into the third period. 

Fabian Zetterlund puts the Sharks on top early in the third period with his sixth goal of the season, with assists from Alexander Wennberg and Jake Walman. LA responded soon after with Alex Laferriere scoring to even the game at two. About two minutes later, Tyler Toffoli scored his sixth goal of the season to put the Sharks back ahead on what would stand as the game-winner, which ties Zetterlund for the team lead in goals. Jake Walman recorded his second assist and third point of the night on the Toffoli go-ahead goal, making him the fourth active NHL defenseman to register three-point games in consecutive days. Lastly, in the final minute of the third period, the Sharks added an empty-netter from William Eklund for his second goal of the year for good measure, with Luke Kunin and Mario Ferraro collecting the assists on the Eklund empty-netter. 

Vitek Vanecek had a bounceback performance from his previous start on Saturday, earning his first win as a Shark with 26 saves on 28 shots against. Earlier today, the Sharks recalled Ethan Cardwell from the Barracuda, who made his NHL debut tonight against the Kings, and placed Ty Dellandrea on the IR. 

Overall, it's great to see the Sharks get off to a better start than in their past several games and carry their positive momentum over from their massive first win in Utah Monday night to earn their second consecutive win of the 2024-25 campaign. Let's see if they can make this more of a streak on Thursday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks in a very winnable matchup at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: ESPN, NHL PR, NHL App 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 10 Recap: Sharks 5, Utah Hockey Club 4 (OT) (10/28/24)

 A miraculous comeback in the third period propels the Sharks to their first win of the season in a 5-4 overtime victory over the Utah Hockey Club. 

The Utah Hockey Club gained a 2-0 lead late in the first period on goals from Dylan Guenther and Matias Maccelli. The beginning of the opening period before Utah scored twice featured a good ol’ tilt between Givani Smith and Liam O’Brien at center ice, which from my understanding was pre-coordinated to occur right after faceoff. 

Early in the second period, Fabian Zetterlund got the Sharks on the board and back in this game, with assists from Danil Gushchin and Henry Thrun, only for Utah to regain their two-goal lead soon after on Matias Maccelli’s second goal of the game. With seconds remaining in the middle frame, Mikhail Sergachev scored to give Utah a 4-1 lead for the Hockey Club’s biggest lead of the night so far. 

Entering the third period, it seemed as if the losing skid to begin the season was bound to reach double digits again like last year, but the Sharks remained resilient. The miracle comeback began at around the 15-and-a-half-minute mark of the third period when Fabian Zetterlund deflected a shot by Mikael Granlund for his second goal of the game, with Jake Walman recording the secondary assist. Seconds later, a similar setup play led to Mikael Granlund scoring his fifth goal of the year to cut the Sharks deficit to one, with Jake Walman and William Eklund collecting the assists. Just over a minute after, Tyler Toffoli came through with his fifth goal of the season to tie the game at four, with assists from Jake Walman and Alexander Wennberg, marking a career-high three-assist night for Walman. 

The three late-period goals in the third forced overtime, where a clear hooking penalty on Michael Kesselring against William Eklund led to a 4-on-3 man advantage for the Sharks, in which Alexander Wennberg scores his first goal of the season to complete the incredible comeback and earn the Sharks a massive first win of the season. Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli assisted on the OT game-winner by Wennberg. 

Mackenzie Blackwood was in net for San Jose’s first win of the season, recording 19 saves on 23 shots against. 

Another feat worth noting from the Sharks’ first win of the 2024-25 campaign is that Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky became the fourth-youngest head coach in NHL history since 2000 to earn his first big-league win. This was certainly the best Sharks game I watched all season, and it had an electric playoff and emotional roller coaster feel to it, especially in the third period when the comeback was underway. In addition, we can all be grateful that it took one less game than it did last season for the Sharks to earn their first win of the season. Hope this team can seriously build on this miraculous first victory and form at least a bit of a win streak from here. The Sharks return to action at home tomorrow night, hosting the Los Angeles Kings at 7 pm PT in the second game of a nationally-televised doubleheader on ESPN. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 9 Recap: Golden Knights 7, Sharks 3 (10/26/24)

 The Sharks got off to yet another slow start and and unsurprisingly trailed the entire game, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights 7-3 in their ninth consecutive defeat to start their 2024-25 campaign. 

Considering the underlying circumstances of this one, I am not shocked at all by how this game went down. The Golden Knights kicked things off by scoring three goals in the first period via Tanner Pearson, Jack Eichel, and Brett Howden. As for the third goal of the first period by Vegas, the primary assist went to Tomas Hertl in his first game against his former team, and something about Tomas Hertl in a Knights uniform still doesn't sit well with me and many other Sharks fans. 

Late in the second period, the Sharks got on the board to cut their deficit to two on Mikael Granlund's fourth goal of the year, with assists from William Eklund and Mario Ferraro. The Golden Knights followed the Sharks' first goal of the contest with two from William Karlsson and Pavel Dorofeyev to give Vegas a four-goal lead, while Nico Sturm got one back for the Sharks right before the end of the second period. 

The Knights weren't done yet, with Mark Stone scoring in the third period to make it 6-2, while San Jose responded soon after on Luke Kunin's second goal of the year, with Fabian Zetterlund picking up the lone assist on this goal. Vegas finished this one off with about three minutes remaining in regulation on Brett Howden's second goal of the game, with Tomas Hertl picking up his second assist of the night on this last goal. 

This Sharks team did not do Vitek Vanecek any favors in this one, completing his night with 35 saves on 42 shots against. 

Team Teal also achieved a historically bad feat with this loss, as they became the first NHL team to ever become winless in their first nine games in back-to-back seasons. This skid and misery clouding this Sharks team seems like it will never end, but something has to give at some point. They will eventually snap out of this, but no one knows when yet and what exactly it will take for them to do so. San Jose will earn another attempt to get its first win of the season on Monday, when they travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Hockey Club in the first-ever regular season game between these two teams at 6:00 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via Twitter/X 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 8 Recap: Kings 3, Sharks 2 (10/24/24)

 The Sharks performed well in the second and third periods, but another disastrous first period leads to their eighth straight defeat to start their 2024-35 campaign, a 3-2 loss to the LA Kings. 

The Kings jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, with Jordan Spence scoring first and Warren Foegele scoring the next two to cap off a dominant opening period by LA. The first period also featured a fight breaking out between Luke Kunin and Andre Lee to try to get things going for Team Teal. 

San Jose stopped the bleeding in the second period and got a goal back, as Mikael Granlund picked the corner to score his second goal of the season to get the Sharks on the board. Jack Thompson and Alex Wennberg were credited with the assists on the Granlund goal, which occurred on a Sharks power play. Late in the third period, Mikael Granlund scored another power play goal for his second of the game to cut the Sharks’ deficit to one, with both Thompson and Wennberg each collecting their second assists of the game. Although they couldn’t get the victory, it was great to see this Sharks squad not give up after their terrible first period and improve their game during the last 40 minutes of this contest. 

Mackenzie Blackwood finished his night with 27 saves on 30 shots against. 

Not only did Mikael Granlund have his best performance of the season so far, this was huge for my fantasy team, and he has been a consistently great and productive forward for the Sharks this year. This Sharks team continues to remain more competitive than what their record indicates this season, and their first win of 2024-25 should be around the corner very soon. Team Teal travels to Vegas for their next game on Saturday against the Golden Knights at 7 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 7 Recap: Ducks 3, Sharks 1 (10/22/24)

 The Sharks performed well during certain times of this game but were unable to solve Lukas Dostal for the most part, dropping the first game of this road trip to the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 3-1. 

The first period was scoreless, but one aspect worth noting is that Will Smith was the closest he’s gotten so far to scoring his first NHL goal, but he was denied on a brilliant save by Lukas Dostal. The Ducks scored first early in the second period via Troy Terry to get things going, while the Sharks followed that up with the equalizer early in the third period on Mikael Granlund’s first goal of the season, with assists from William Eklund and Jack Thompson, the secondary assist being Thompson’s first NHL point. Soon after, the Ducks went back ahead on a goal from Leo Carlsson, with these three goals coming on each team’s respective man-advantages. Lastly, Anaheim finished this one off on an empty-netter from Alex Killorn with about two minutes remaining in regulation to seal the victory for the Ducks.

Mackenzie Blackwood was back in the crease for the Sharks and had a solid performance in Anaheim despite not earning the win, recording 37 saves on 39 shots against. Earlier today, in a rather unsurprising move, the Sharks activated both Thomas Bordeleau and Shakir Mukhamadullin off of the non-roster injury list and assigned them to the Barracuda in the AHL. 

Now that the Nashville Predators earned their first win of the season in a 4-0 shutout over the Boston Bruins, the Sharks remain the only winless team in the NHL this season. We all hope that this changes for the better as soon as possible, but with Macklin Celebrini being sidelined for at least another two weeks, it’s still anyone’s guess when this Sharks team will find the win column for the first time this season. Next up, the Sharks remain in So Cal but head up the freeway north to LA to face the Kings for the first time this season on Thursday at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, Curtis Pashelka via Twitter/X, NHL App 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 6 Recap: Avalanche 4, Sharks 1 (10/20/24)

 The Sharks were more competitive back home than in their previous game in Winnipeg, but missed opportunities leave the Sharks still searching for their first win of the season in a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. 

The Avalanche scored the first goal of the game via Ross Colton to get things started early in the opening period. Later in the first period, Ross Colton scored his second goal of the game to extend the Avs’ lead to two. Soon after, Luke Kunin sent John Ludvig into the boards, resulting in a scuffle between Kunin and Josh Manson, with Kunin getting two minutes for roughing, and Manson getting a double-minor for roughing. This sequence of events led to a Sharks power play in which William Eklund scored his first goal of the season in his return to the lineup to get the Sharks on the board, with assists credited to Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli. 

Although there were no score changes in the middle frame, the Sharks had a solid second period, highlighted by Henry Thrun’s first career NHL fight against Logan O’Connor. The Avalanche went back ahead by two in the third period on Joel Kiviranta’s first goal of the season and added one more late in the third period on an empty-netter from Cale Makar for his third point of the night. 

Vitek Vanecek received the start in net for San Jose, registering 18 saves on 21 shots against. Some encouraging developments from the Sharks regarding Macklin Celebrini, as he has begun skating again while still week-to-week with a hip injury. 

Team Teal hits the road again for its next four games, this time staying in the West starting on Tuesday in Anaheim against the Ducks at 7:15 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 5 Recap: Jets 8, Sharks 3 (10/18/24)

 The Sharks conclude their first road trip of the season with an 8-3 blowout loss to the Winnipeg Jets. 

The Jets jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the first period on goals from Josh Morrissey and Nikolaj Ehlers. Soon after, Tyler Toffoli got the Sharks on the board with his fourth goal of the year, snapping a Sharks 0-for-10 power play goal skid, with assists going to Jake Walman and Mikael Granlund. The Jets followed that up with two more goals later in the first period via Ehlers again and Neal Pionk. 

Early in the second period, Winnipeg made it 5-1 via Kyle Connor, knocking Mackenzie Blackwood out of the game and finishing his night with 13 saves on 18 shots against. The Sharks added to their scoresheet later in the second period on Luke Kunin’s first goal of the season, with assists from Carl Grundstrom and Cody Ceci, to cut their deficit to three through two periods of play. 

Winnipeg wasn’t done yet, with Cole Perfetti scoring near the ten-minute mark of the third period to extend the Jets’ lead back to four. Team Teal answered back seconds later on Fabian Zetterlund’s third goal of the year, with assists from Toffoli and Mikael Granlund. The Jets followed those up with two more goals from Perfetti and Vladislav Namestnikov to complete Winnipeg’s blowout victory over San Jose. 

Vitek Vanecek was inserted into the game early in the second period, compiling 15 saves on 18 shots against in relief for Blackwood. On the other hand, William Eklund did not play against the Jets in Winnipeg due to an upper-body injury, while the rookie phenom Will Smith was a healthy scratch due to load management. Danil Gushchin and Givani Smith were inserted into the lineup Friday night in place of Eklund and Will Smith. 

Like their previous game in Chicago, the Sharks had a disastrous first period in Winnipeg that they could never recover from, except things went worse for them against the Jets tonight. On top of a few young star forwards out of the lineup and it being the second game of a back-to-back, I saw this contest as nothing more than a forgettable scheduled defeat for this Sharks team. With the Colorado Avalanche earning their first win of the season in a 4-3 OT victory over the Anaheim Ducks, the Sharks are now one of only two NHL teams without a win so far this season, with their record standing at 0-3-2 through their first five games of the 2024-24 campaign. The other team without a win so far this season is the Nashville Predators, who are currently 0-4-0 to start the new season. Next up, the Sharks return home to face the Avalanche on Sunday at 5 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, Curtis Pashelka via X, NHL App 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 4 Recap: Blackhawks 4, Sharks 2 (10/17/24)

 A slow start doomed the Sharks in this one, leaving them to play catch-up from there as San Jose loses 4-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks. 

The Blackhawks got on the board first in the opening period via Taylor Hall to begin this game. Chicago extended its lead to two later in the first period on Tyler Bertuzzi’s first goal as a Blackhawk, the first power-play goal given up by the Sharks this season. Right as the second period began, Nick Foligno tapped in a pass from Teuvo Teravainen to make it 3-0 Blackhawks, digging a deeper hole for the Sharks to climb out of. Late in the second period, the Sharks finally got on the board on Tyler Toffoli’s third goal and fourth point of the season supplied by an excellent feed from William Eklund. Fabian Zetterlund also picked up an assist on Toffoli’s third goal of the season. 

Within the first three minutes of the third period, Jason Dickinson scored to extend Chicago’s lead back to three, while the Sharks responded soon after when Fabian Zetterlund redirected a pass from Mikael Granlund for his second goal of the season. William Eklund picked up his second assist of the night on the Sharks’ second goal of the game as well. 

Vitek Vanecek was given his second start in teal in Chicago, recording 23 saves on 27 shots against. 

Team Teal stepped things up late in the second period but wasn’t able to recover from their unproductive first period and most of the middle frame. On a more positive note, Tyler Toffoli has been a great addition to this Sharks team this season, and this team as a whole will improve once Macklin Celebrini returns to the lineup from injury. San Jose is back in action tomorrow night, traveling to Winnipeg to face the Jets to close out their first road trip of the season at 5 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 3 Recap: Stars 3, Sharks 2 (SO) (10/15/24)

 San Jose had a great duel with the Stars in its first road game of the season but unfortunately gets buried 3-2 in the skills competition in Dallas. 

The Sharks and Stars were scoreless through the first period, with both teams’ scoring chances and save opportunities fairly even during the opening period. However, San Jose and Dallas would trade goals in the second period, beginning with Tyler Toffoli’s second goal of the season to put the Sharks on the board first, followed soon after by Matt Duchene scoring to even it up at one for the Stars. Team Teal would in real the tie three minutes later when Nico Sturm set up Ty Dellandrea to score his first goal as a Shark against his former team. Dallas would answer back once more, this time via Roope Hintz to even it up at two through two periods of play. 

Both teams remained deadlocked at two throughout the third period to force bonus hockey. This one had to be decided in a shootout, in which the Stars scored on all three of their attempts via Jason Robertson, Matt Duchene, and Wyatt Johnston to earn the win and extra point in the standings. 

Mackenzie Blackwood had his best performance of the new season in net so far, registering 36 saves on 38 shots against, some of which were huge and clutch in big situations. I was low-key hoping for a low-scoring affair between these two teams since both goalies on the ice tonight in Blackwood and Jake Oettinger are both on my fantasy team, and both goalies performed well. 

Despite starting the 2024-25 campaign 0-1-2 and still searching for their first win, the Sharks are very much competitive and in their first three games, with two of those three needing at least OT or a shootout to determine them. This is certainly an improvement over how they began last season so far. If they can keep up their current level of compete, it won’t be long before their efforts pay off and the Sharks earn their first win of the season. Next up, Team Teal travels to Chicago to face the Blackhawks for the first time this season on Thursday at 5:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 2 Recap: Ducks 2, Sharks 0 (10/12/24)

 The Sharks get shut out 2-0 by the Anaheim Ducks in their second game of the 2024-25 season. 

Team Teal had initially struck first in the opening period via Fabian Zetterlund, but it was overturned after the Sharks entered the zone offsides prior to scoring. Both the Sharks and Ducks remained scoreless through the first two periods, but the Ducks finally broke the ice with nine minutes remaining in the third period, as Isac Lundestrom found the back of the net to get Anaheim on the board. Trevor Zegras added one more for the Ducks with an empty-netter with about two-and-a-half minutes left in regulation to seal the Sharks’ fate in this one. 

Vitek Vanecek made his Sharks debut in net against the Ducks, recording 28 saves on 29 shots against. On the other hand, Lukas Dostal recorded his second career shutout, stopping all 30 shots he faced. Another notable highlight of this contest was a scrum near the end of the first period in which Frank Vatrano cross-checked Klim Kostin, and Kostin answered back by clocking Vatrano in the chin. 

On the other hand, Macklin Celebrini has been placed on the injured reserve and did not play in this game due to a hip injury. He will also miss the next two games as well, his injury status is currently week-to-week, and Jack Thompson was called up from the Barracuda in a corresponding move as a result. On a more positive note, the Sharks’ goalie of the future, Yaroslav Askarov, registered a shutout in his first start with the Barracuda in the AHL, stopping all 22 shots he faced in a 5-0 victory over the Ontario Reign. 

Overall, this was a very winnable game for San Jose, with the game being scoreless for most of regulation, but the Sharks’ offense didn’t show up and couldn’t register a goal when they needed to the most. The Sharks hit the road for their next three games against Central Division opponents, starting on Tuesday in Dallas against the Stars at 5 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NBC Sports Bay Area/California, Curtis Pashelka via X, NHL App 

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Sharks 2024-25 Game 1 Recap: Blues 5, Sharks 4 (OT) (10/10/24)

 San Jose remained competitive for much of its 2024-25 season opener and held a 4-1 lead through two periods of play, but a late third-period collapse resulted in the St. Louis Blues winning 5-4 in overtime. 

The Sharks struck first at around the seven-minute mark of the first period, with Macklin Celebrini scoring his all-important first NHL goal, which was a spin-o-rama shot that deflected off of Blues defender Matt Kessel and into the net. William Eklund and Jake Walkman each registered assists on the Celebrini goal for their first points of the season and Walman’s first point as a Shark. Celebrini became the youngest player in Sharks history to score in his NHL debut and the first Sharks player to score in his NHL debut since Danil Gushchin on April 1, 2023. This initial lead didn’t last for long, as Pavel Buchnevich scored about two minutes later to even things up at one for the Blues. Later in the first period, Macklin Celebrini set up Tyler Toffoli to score his first goal as a Shark to give Team Teal a 2-1 lead heading into the second period, with Jan Rutta collecting the other assist on the Toffoli go-ahead goal. This made Celebrini the first NHL player with a multi-point performance in his big-league debut since Auston Matthews scored four goals in his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Ottawa Senators in 2016. 

The Sharks extended their lead twice in the second period, first by Fabian Zetterlund on the power play with assists from Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli, and followed by a shorthanded breakaway goal by Barclay Goodrow late in the middle frame to push the Sharks' lead to three. It all came crumbling down for San Jose in the third period, as the Blues mounted their comeback with three unanswered goals from Radek Faksa, Ryan Suter, and Justin Faulk to tie the game at four to force overtime. It only took 45 seconds into the bonus period for Brayden Schenn to score the game-winning goal to complete the Blues' comeback and end the season opener in disappointing fashion for the Sharks. 

Mackenzie Blackwood received the starting nod in net for San Jose for the season opener, finishing his night with 35 saves on 40 shots against. On a side note, it was a somewhat pleasant surprise to see Danil Gushchin make the Sharks opening night roster out of training camp. Gushchin had a fantastic preseason to earn his spot on the Sharks roster to start the 2024-25 season, which is always great to see. In addition, the new center ice design for this season at SAP Center in San Jose looks absolutely incredible, and I consider it an upgrade over the the fin center ice design from last season. 

The Sharks certainly had a greater competitive flair to begin the 2024-25 season, but their defense showed flashes of the past two seasons with its implosion in the third period to sacrifice the lead and drop the season opener in overtime. Luckily this is only the first game of the new season, so this Sharks squad has plenty of time to regroup and improve in all aspects of their game. Also, Macklin Celebrini is definitely something special and already a superstar in the making. Next up, the Sharks host the Anaheim Ducks in their second game of the 2024-25 regular season on Saturday at 7 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, San Jose Sharks & NHL PR, NHL App 

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My 2024-25 NHL Regular Season Standings Predictions

 The 2024-25 NHL regular season begins tomorrow in North America, and it's time to bring back an annual tradition here on CPF Hockey: my regular season standings predictions! As per usual, ahead of the start of every regular season, I give my predictions on how each NHL team will finish in their respective divisions' standings at the end of the regular season. In addition, I try to stay as objective as possible with these, and predictions on how many points each team will finish with at the end of the regular season will not be included in this post. Lastly, I do not expect all of my predictions to be correct, as there are always at least a few surprises that occur every season. Based on how each team improved or did not improve this past offseason and how I feel they will perform in the new season, presenting this year's rendition of my NHL regular season standings predictions: 

Atlantic Division

1) Florida Panthers

2) Toronto Maple Leafs

3) Tampa Bay Lightning

4) Boston Bruins

5) Detroit Red Wings

6) Buffalo Sabres

7) Ottawa Senators

8) Montreal Canadiens

Metropolitan Division

1) New York Rangers

2) Carolina Hurricanes

3) New Jersey Devils

4) Washington Capitals

5) New York Islanders

6) Philadelphia Flyers

7) Pittsburgh Penguins

8) Columbus Blue Jackets

Central Division

1) Dallas Stars

2) Colorado Avalanche

3) Nashville Predators

4) Winnipeg Jets

5) Minnesota Wild

6) St. Louis Blues

7) Utah Hockey Club

8) Chicago Blackhawks

Pacific Division

1) Edmonton Oilers

2) Vancouver Canucks

3) Vegas Golden Knights

4) Los Angeles Kings

5) Seattle Kraken

6) Calgary Flames

7) Anaheim Ducks

8) San Jose Sharks

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Sharks 2024 Preseason Recap

 The Sharks wrapped up their preseason on Saturday, and their season opener is only a few days away. Since the preseason games aren't as important as regular season games, I will briefly recap each Sharks preseason game this year in this post. Let's begin: 

Game 1 (9/22/24): Sharks drop their preseason opener 4-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights. Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli each scored in their Sharks preseason debuts, while Luca Cagnoni recorded assists on each of the Sharks' two goals. Mackenzie Blackwood registered 16 saves on 18 shots against, while Georgi Romanov registered 17 saves on 18 shots against. 

Game 2 (9/24/24): Sharks fall 4-3 to the Anaheim Ducks in their second preseason game of 2024. Will Smith made his preseason debut for the Sharks, while Danil Gushchin, Alexander Wennberg, and Jack Thompson each found the back of the net for Team Teal. Jake Walman also had a big game with two assists on the Sharks' first two goals of the game. Gabriel Carriere recorded 15 saves on 18 shots against, while Vitek Vanecek registered 11 saves on 12 shots against. 

Game 3 (9/26/24): Sharks earn their first preseason win of the year, as they defeat the Ducks 3-2 in overtime in Anaheim. Tristen Robins and Klim Kostin found the back of the net for the Sharks in regulation, with the latter of the two tying the game in the final minutes of regulation to force OT. Luca Cagnoni came through with his first goal of the preseason to win it for Team Teal in the bonus period. Georgi Romanov was excellent in net for San Jose, stopping 32 of 34 shots against. In addition, Ethan Cardwell enjoyed a big performance of his own with two assists in the victory over the Ducks. 

Game 4 (10/1/24): Sharks fall 3-1 to the Utah Hockey Club. Matt Benning scored the only goal of the game for the Sharks, while Macklin Celebrini exited the game in the second period due to a lower-body injury. Fortunately, Celebrini should still be ready to go to begin the regular season. Mackenzie Blackwood went 22-for-25 in save opportunities. 

Game 5 (10/4/24): Sharks lose to the Ducks for the second time this preseason 3-2 in a shootout. Klim Kostin scored in the first minute of the second period, while Henry Thrun scored late in the third period to even things at two to force overtime and a shootout. Vitek Vanecek recorded a whopping 40 saves on 42 shots against in the Sharks' next-to-last preseason game of the year. 

Game 6 (10/5/24): Sharks defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 6-3 in their 2024 preseason finale. This victory was propelled by a five-point performance from Danil Gushchin, featured multiple lead changes, and was accomplished in come-from-behind fashion. Luke Kunin found the back of the net twice in the third period, while Jimmy Schuldt, Klim Kostin, Mario Ferraro, and Ethan Cardwell each scored a goal. Mackenzie Blackwood finished his night with 31 saves on 36 shots against. 

The biggest and most important aspect of these preseason games is for players and prospects in the organization to prove themselves and compete for roster spots ahead of the start of the regular season. Sometimes players who were initially seen as fringe roster players or longshots to make the big league roster will perform exceptionally well in the preseason to make the opening night roster out of training camp, and that is always great to see and hear. In addition, I expect the Sharks to be more competitive this season and at least go from historically bad last season to a normally bad team this season. I am certainly looking forward to seeing how Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith perform during their rookie campaigns and likely place themselves in the Calder Trophy conversation, how new player additions like Tyler Toffoli. Alexander Wennberg, and Jake Walman perform in their first seasons with the Sharks, and players like William Eklund potentially having a breakout campaign in 2024-25. There's plenty more to look forward to with the Sharks and the rest of the NHL in the coming days and weeks, so watch this space as you won't want to miss any of it. 

Source: NHL App 

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Projecting the Sharks' 2024-25 Opening Night Roster

 The Sharks are halfway through their preseason slate of games, and further cuts are being made to their training camp roster. As I am earing these headlines, and based on my knowledge and how I feel about current Sharks players, I want to present my most likely scenario of what the Sharks roster will look like come opening night on October 10 against the St. Louis Blues. After some brainstorming and analysis, here's my final prediction on what the Sharks roster will look like at the start of the 2024-25 season: 

Forward Lines

William Eklund - Macklin Celebrini - Tyler Toffoli

Fabian Zetterlund - Will Smith - Mikael Granlund 

Alexander Wennberg - Nico Sturm - Luke Kunin 

Klim Kostin - Barclay Goodrow - Ty Dellandrea 

Defensive Pairs

Mario Ferraro - Cody Ceci 

Jake Walman - Jan Rutta 

Henry Thrun - Matt Benning

Goaltenders

Mackenzie Blackwood

Vitek Vanecek 

There are some other notes that I want to add to my official Sharks roster projection ahead of the 2024-25 regular season: Logan Couture, Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, and Thomas Bordeleau are dealing with significant injuries that will greatly affect their abilities to play in the season opener. Once Bordeleau begins his recovery process, he will likely spend some time in the AHL with the Barracuda on a rehab stint. I see depth forwards Carl Grundstrom, Danil Gushchin, Collin Graf, and Ethan Cardwell beginning the new season in the AHL with the Barracuda but eventually making their way up to the Sharks at some point during the regular season if the opportunity allows, albeit temporarily. The same can be said for blueline prospects Shakir Mukhamadullin, Luca Cagnoni, and Jack Thompson. A few of these extra players mentioned may also make the Sharks' opening night roster as primarily benchwarmers or healthy scratches on most nights. Lastly, I see the Sharks' goalie of the future in Yaroslav Askarov beginning the 2024-25 regular season in the AHL with the Barracuda and eventually taking over one of the top two spots in the Sharks' goalie tandem later in the season. 

As always, feel free to debate your roster projections in the comments, and stay tuned for the Sharks 2024 Preseason Recap and My 2024-25 NHL Regular Season Standings Predictions heading your way soon. 

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