CPF Hockey

Monday, October 7, 2024

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

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

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.

Friday, September 20, 2024

Sharks Sign Aaron Dell and Joey Keane to Professional Tryouts

Training camps are fully underway in the NHL, with preseason games beginning this weekend. This also means that CPF Hockey is back with some important Sharks news and notes from the first few days of training camp. Let's begin:

The Sharks have signed a familiar face in goalie Aaron Dell and defenseman Joey Keane to professional tryouts. Dell spent this past season with the Kings organization in the AHL with the Ontario Reign, registering a 2.57 GAA and a .914 SV% in 12 games. Joey Keane is a third-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2018 and played for Spartak Moskva in the KHL the past two seasons, recording 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points in 102 games. In addition, Keane was a member of current Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky's Chicago Wolves team that won the Calder Cup in 2022.

As for Sharks training camp, there are four players dealing with injuries that will keep them away from training camp activities for some time. Logan Couture, Yaroslav Askarov, and Shakir Mukhamadullin are each dealing with lower-body injuries, while Marc-Eduoard Vlasic is dealing with an upper-body injury. The latter three's statuses are day-to-day, while Logan Couture will likely start the 2024-25 season on the IR.

Lastly, the Sharks begin their 2024 preseason Sunday evening against the Vegas Golden Knights at 5 pm PT. Stay tuned to CPF Hockey for more updates and other content coming soon.

Sources: Sjsharksnews via Instagram, Curtis Pashelka via Twitter/X

Friday, August 23, 2024

Sharks Acquire Yaroslav Askarov from Predators

The Sharks swung for the fences and made a big trade with the Predators Friday afternoon, acquiring goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov, forward prospect Nolan Burke, and a 2025 third-round pick originally from the Colorado Avalanche from the Nashville Predators. The return to Nashville from San Jose consists of forward prospect David Edstrom, goalie Magnus Chrona, and a conditional 2025 first-round pick originally from the Vegas Golden Knights.

This is a huge and sneaky good trade for Team Teal, as they are getting the biggest fish in this deal in Yaroslav Askarov, who is deemed the best goalie prospect in the NHL and the Sharks' goalie of the future. This significant trade came about due to Yaroslav Askarov recently requesting a trade from the Predators, as he didn't see an opportunity to become the primary goaltender in Nashville after the Preds signed goalie Juuse Saros to an eight-year contract extension this offseason. Drafted 11th overall by the Predators in 2020, Askarov primarily spent the past two seasons in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals, posting a 30-13-1 record, six shutouts, a 2.39 GAA, and .911 SV% in 44 games this past season, along with 26 wins, a 2.69 GAA, and a .911 SV% as an AHL rookie during the 2022-23 season. He also has a 1.47 GAA and a .943 SV% in two games with the Predators this past season. In total, Askarov has registered a 2.58 GAA and a .914 SV% in three NHL games with Nashville. In addition, Askarov helped guide the Admirals to the AHL Western Conference Finals for the past two seasons and represented Milwaukee in the AHL All-Star Classic in 2023 and 2024. Soon after this trade was completed, the Sharks signed Askarov to a two-year contract extension worth $4 million ($2 million AAV). He will almost certainly start next season as the Barracuda’s starting goalie in the AHL, but it won’t be long before Askarov earns more opportunities to shine in net at the big league level with Team Teal.

The other prospect acquired by the Sharks in this blockbuster deal, Nolan Burke, appeared in one game for the Admirals last season along with 47 ECHL games for the Atlanta Gladiators. During those 47 games for the Gladiators last season, Burke recorded five goals and ten assists for 15 points.

Overall, this trade helps solidify the goaltending position for the Sharks for many years to come and accelerate the Sharks’ rebuild by adding the best goalie prospect in the NHL. I am so grateful the Sharks pounced on this opportunity and didn’t have to give up a king’s ransom in return. This trade is a massive win for San Jose, and I am even more excited for this Sharks team to take further steps in its rebuild and compete for the playoffs once again sooner than later.

Sources: Sjsharks.com NHL Discussion via Instagram, Multiple sources via X

Sunday, August 18, 2024

Sharks Acquire Cody Ceci from Oilers

The Sharks and Oilers made a somewhat unexpected trade Sunday night, with San Jose acquiring defenseman Cody Ceci and a 2025 3rd-round pick from Edmonton in exchange for defenseman Ty Emberson.

This trade occurred so the Oilers could clear some cap space to potentially match recent offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues for forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg. Ceci is a big, right-shot defenseman who brings an established veteran presence and a well-rounded game to the Sharks blue line, with the penalty kill being one of his greatest strengths. This past season with the Oilers, Ceci recorded five goals and 20 assists for 25 points in 79 games, along with two goals and three assists for five points in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He led all Oilers defensemen in shorthanded time on ice with 205:08 and ranked fourth among team defensemen in time on ice per game with just over 20 minutes. He also ranked third on the Oilers in blocked shots with 106 and sixth in hits with 91, and the 2023-24 season marked Ceci's second season of his career in which he tallied 20 or more assists. In total, Cody Ceci has 48 goals and 163 assists for 211 points in 786 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Edmonton Oilers, along with four goals and 15 assists for 19 points in 88 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

As for Ty Emberson, he is a younger, cost-controlled option at defense for Edmonton who spent most of the 2023-24 season injured. During the 30 games he appeared in last season for San Jose, Emberson registered one goal, nine assists, and ten points.

Overall, this trade sort of came out of left field considering it took place on a Sunday night in the middle of August, but it is a rather decent trade that could turn into something special for Team Teal. I understand that the Oilers do not have much draft capital to give up at this time, but I cannot really complain about this deal.

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, Locked on Sharks Podcast

Friday, August 2, 2024

Sharks Sign Igor Chernyshov to Entry-Level Contract

The Sharks have signed their 2024 second-round, 33rd overall pick, Igor Chernyshov, to his entry-level contract.

Many scouts and analysts claimed that Chernyshov was a draft steal when San Jose selected him with the first pick of the second round in this year's draft. During the 2023-24 season, Chernyshov registered three goals and one assist for four points in 34 games with Dynamo Moscow of the KHL, along with 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 22 games with MHK Dynamo Moscow of the MHL. Signing his ELC guarantees that Chernyshov will be playing in North America next season, but where exactly has yet to be determined. Either Chernyshov will begin the 2024-25 season in the OHL with the Saginaw Spirit or the AHL with the Barracuda. The Spirit own his CHL rights, while the Barracuda are desperate for more scoring and want to get back to the Calder Cup Playoffs as soon as possible. I am curious to see and find out where Igor Chernyshov ends up and how he performs in his first season in North America.

In other news, Sharks color analyst Bret Hedican announced that he will be leaving the Sharks broadcast booth and joining the San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks' AHL affiliate, as a player development analyst. Hedi has spent the past ten seasons with the Sharks as a color commentator on both the TV and radio sides, and is one of the best analysts in the industry. He was also previously an NHL defenseman for multiple seasons, with his most notable accomplishment being winning the Stanley Cup as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. Hedican's replacement in the Sharks broadcast booth has yet to be announced, but he will be missed by everyone in the Sharks organization and Sharks fans everywhere.

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, San Jose Mercury News