Now that we're at the Olympic Break, it's a good time to take a look at the Sharks' season so far and grade each individual player's performance to this point. Since there are many players to grade, I will split my grades across 3 articles: Forwards, Defensemen, and Goaltenders, along with my grade for the Sharks and their season.Â
For this exercise, I will only be grading players currently on the Sharks 23 man roster or on IR. So players like Igor Chernyshov or Nick Leddy won’t be graded in this exercise. Let's get into starting with the forwards.Â
Macklin Celebrini - Grade A+++
During my quarter season grades, I gave Macklin Celebrini an A++, that diden’t seem to quite do it justice, as since then Macklin has gotten even more dominant. Celebrini has 81 points in 55 games this season, along with a team-leading 28 goals. He is also currently suiting up for Canada at the Olympics at just 19 years old. In his second season in the league, Macklin is having arguably the greatest individual season in Sharks history. And is the most significant reason the Sharks are close to a playoff spot. What more needs to be said?Â
Will Smith - Grade A+
Despite struggling with a shoulder injury that kept him out of action for 13 games, Smith has gotten right back up to speed with 39 points in 42 games, with 10 points in his last 10 games. The 20-year-old has come into his own this season and has established himself as a core piece for the Sharks, along with Macklin, going forward. Smith will likely never get the credit he deserves with Celebrini grabbing the headlines, but the Sharks struck gold with Will Smith in what was viewed initially as a disappointing outcome at the 2023 draft.
William Eklund - Grade B
Eklund has had a solid season, scoring 11 goals and 35 points through 51 games, good for a 50-point pace. However, there has really been no step forward for Eklund; he is the same player now as he was the prior season for the most part. At 23, this was a season where you're hoping to see a big step forward in his development, especially after his improvement from his rookie season to last year. That jump has not been there. Eklund is still a good player; he provides offense with his speed and playmaking and creates scoring chances for his team, but it’s looking more like he is just a good top-6 piece as opposed to a top-line piece for the Sharks going forward.
Alex Wennberg - Grade A
Wennberg has become a very important piece for the Sharks this season. The 31-year-old has 37 points in 55 games and has been one of the Sharks' best defensive forwards. Without Wennberg, the Sharks likely wouldn't be having the success they have had this season. A major reason the Sharks felt the need to sign Wennberg to a 3-year, $ 18 million extension. Wennberg likely won’t have this big of a role throughout the life of that contract, but for this season alone, he deserves an A.
Tyler Toffoli - Grade B
Toffoli’s game has picked up as the year has gone on, and he currently sits 4th in team scoring with 36 points in 55 games. Still its been a streaky season for the veteran who provided consistency the season prior. When Toffoli is scoring, he adds significant value to the team and is an excellent complement to their young forwards. When he isn’t scoring, his on-ice value leaves a lot to be desired. Toffoli has never been a great skater, but this season, there have been some signs that he may be slowing down, and it shows in the eye test on both ends of the ice.Â
Colin Graf - Grade A
Graf is probably the biggest riser for the Sharks this season. After putting together a nice rookie campaign and showing signs that he could be an NHLer despite going undrafted, was a win for the Sharks. This season, Graf has taken it a step further and shown legitimate top 6 potential. The 23-year old has 15 goals and 31 points through 54 games, proving to be both an excellent complementary piece for the Sharks' top forwards, but also one of the team's top Pkers and defensive forwards. Graf is an incredibly intelligent and hard-working forward, and it shows on the ice. It will be very interesting to see what the Sharks do with him this offseason as a pending RFA.
Phillip Kurashev - Grade B
After a strong start to the season, Kurahshev has had a tough go of things, suffering an injury in December that kept him out of action for a month and a half. In that time, the Sharks' depth up front continued to grow as players stepped up in his absence, leaving his long-term future relatively murky. Still, his 17 points in 34 games on a relatively cheap contract make him a decent depth piece upfront and a potential trade chip at the deadline. If the Sharks opt to retain him, they retain his rights for another season due to his RFA status.
Adam Gaudette - Grade B
Gaudette has come as advertised; he provides goal scoring and positional versatility and has been a solid bottom-six scoring option with Power Play time. His 13 goals are good for 5th on the Sharks despite only playing 11 minutes a night. Like Kurashev, Gaudette could be a victim of a logjam upfront, but his extra year on his deal makes it more likely he sticks around for another season.Â
Michael Misa - Grade B+
It hasn’t been an incredible season for the recent 2nd overall pick by any stretch, but the expectations were likely skewed due to Macklin Celebrini’s rookie season the year prior. Still, Misa has started to come into his own over recent weeks after returning from his loan to the World Juniors. Misa has been more aggressive and assertive with the puck on his stick, and despite only having 8 points in 18 games, his own ice development at the NHL level has been very promising this season, and it looks more likely that the Sharks have their 2C of the future behind Macklin Celebrini.
Pavol Regenda - B+
Regenda has been a really nice story over the past two months. The 26-year-old has 8 goals and 9 points in 16 games, and has filled in nicely for injured Sharks forwards. He provides an element to the Sharks powerplay that they lack in front of the net and has made the most of that opportunity. For a player viewed as an AHL depth piece going into the season, it’s been a major win for the Sharks. Looking ahead, however, Regenda likely does not have a long-term future with the Sharks. While he has scored goals in bunches in the NHL this season, he is not known for his goal-scoring in the minors, and his game needs a lot of work for him to become a full-time NHLer. So while it is a nice story, it likely won’t last for Regenda.
Jeff Skinner - F
Skinner has been a massive flop for the Sharks this season and is their biggest miss from last year’s free agency. Skinner has 13 points in 32 games, with almost all of them coming in the first 2 months of the season. Skinner’s value is built entirely on his goal scoring, and with just 6 goals to this point, it’s not nearly enough to keep him in the lineup. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Skinner on waivers at somepoint in the future, as his role with the Sharks does not seem to be there at this point.
Barclay Goodrow - D
Is Goodrow still a good hockey player? No. But he has been better for the Sharks as the year has gone on; his 9 points in 55 games are already an improvement over the year prior. While that's not saying much, it keeps him from getting an F. He does bring some value on the PK and in the locker room, and while his contract is an albatross, it's far from the biggest concern for the Sharks.
Ryan Reaves - C+
Reaves has been a fun part of this year’s Sharks team. He has gelled with the locker room and become a leader off the ice, and added a little bit of Swagger to the Sharks, which was sorely needed after the Sharks had lacked identity for a long time. Still, his on-ice value is limited as expected, with just 3 points in 46 games playing about 8 minutes a night. Still its hard to believe that one of the most hated players in Sharks history has become a fan favorite overnight.Â
Zack Ostapchuk - C+
While it doesn’t show on the stat sheet, Ostapchuk has taken a step this season. The big center can really skate and adds some physicality to the lineup. His potential as a play-stopping physical center is clear, and it's understandable why the Sharks coveted him. Still, with just 3 goals and 4 points through 32 games, you would like to see more offense if he is ever going to be more than a 4th line player.
Ty Dellandrea - B-
Dellandrea has been injured for a while, and it’s unclear when/if he will return this season, but the 25-year-old has played really well this season when healthy. If the Sharks can make the playoffs down the stretch, adding back Dellandrea in the fold as a penalty killing 4C could really help with their push down the stretch.Â
Kiefer Sherwood - Incomplete
The Sharks acquired the injured Sherwood a couple of weeks ago, and since he has played only 1 game since being acquired from the Canucks, I will not be grading him at this time. That being said, he should be set up nicely to contribute down the stretch if he can find some chemistry with Celebrini and Smith. The Sharks may need to work out an extension first, however, as the deadline is looming, and his pending UFA could make things interesting for Grier and the Sharks.