“Sharks Locker Room: Why Gushchin Should Make the Premiere List… and Why He Maybe Not”

So where does Danil Gushchin fit into the San Jose Sharks lineup?

He's not Chuck Norris, so he's not going anywhere he wants to go.

But providing five assists, like he did in the San Jose Sharks' last-second 6-5 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, should be worth something. The Sharks scored three goals in the final three minutes to rally from a 5-3 deficit.

Gushchin is now tied with Mat Barzal for the NHL preseason lead with nine points.

“He’s done a lot of good things and obviously helped our hockey club in every game he’s played in,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “He’s put himself in a good position.”

However, here lies the challenge for Gushchin.

First, he is exempt from deliverance. The Sharks won't risk losing him by sending him to the AHL.

Second, he is a 5-foot-11 winger who needs to play on the front three lines and on the power play to maximize his abilities.

San Jose's top six includes Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund, Mikael Granlund, Will Smith, Tyler Toffoli and Fabian Zetterlund.

They're not taking Celebrini, the 2024 first overall pick – and arguably the Sharks' most impressive preseason player alongside Gushchin – out of the top six.

Toffoli is a three-time scorer with 30 goals and the team's most significant free agent signing. Granlund led the Sharks with 60 points last year. Zetterlund led San Jose with 24 goals last season. Eklund, the seventh overall pick in 2021, was second on the Sharks with 45 points last year.

That leaves Smith fourth overall in 2023. And to be fair, the admittedly much older Gushchin has clearly outperformed Smith so far in the preseason.

However, it looks like Smith will at least get his first look at the NHL until he proves he can't handle it.

So how about the third line? Can Gushchin flank likely midfielder Alex Wennberg?

To be honest, there is a bigger traffic jam there than in the top six.

Ty Dellandrea, Barclay Goodrow, Carl Grundstrom, Luke Kunin and center Nico Sturm are proven veteran bottom-six forwards.

None of these forwards are waiver-exempt.

Don't underestimate wingers Dellandrea, Goodrow, Grundstrom or Kunin – despite their modest offensive potential, they are capable of doing whatever it takes to win hockey games. All of them have a good claim to increased minutes in the third line.

Take, for example, what Warsofsky said about Kunin scoring the fourth and tying score in the Sharks' comeback.

“He’s a hockey player, right? He is a competitor, he is mentally and physically tough and gives everything he has. Great teammate. I can’t say enough good things about Luke Kunin,” Warsofsky said of the Sharks’ alternate captain. “He’s in great shape. He's moving better. I think tonight was his best game of the preseason. He makes plays. I really liked him throughout the training camp. He made a huge impact on our younger players and was a great leader.”

A lot of the same can be said about Dellandrea, Goodrow or Grundstrom.

I'm not saying Gushchin can't displace any of these wingers in the top nine, but it's not clear cut.

Anyway, that's 12 strikers, excluding Gushchin, who I mentioned.

Not to mention Klim Kostin and Givani Smith, who both have different qualities and both completed good training camps.

San Jose could start the season with 14 forwards…but might it be better for Gushchin to play with the San Jose Barracuda instead of being in and out of the Sharks' lineup?

For the record: I think Gushchin should be on the premiere list – he deserves it – and figure it out later.

Gushchin may be an early starter, but like last season, I like his chances of landing a job.

If that means risking Kostin or Givani Smith coming off waivers, then so be it. In any case, they are not slam dunks that you can claim as your own.

However, I would understand if GM Mike Grier decided to move Gushchin, who is off waivers, down to keep Kostin and Givani Smith off waivers.

Kostin isn't exactly reliable, but he's a truly enticing talent, a sometimes immobile 6-foot-10 who has the hands of a smaller man.

Smith has come a long way since last season, when he wasn't always playable – he's made a lot more appearances this preseason, both offensively and defensively, and he's the only real heavyweight on the Sharks' roster. If he can be a net winner on the ice, he is very valuable.

There are good reasons to keep both over Gushchin.

Make no mistake, the ability for Gushchin to travel freely between the Sharks and Cuda throughout the year is part of it.

Warsofsky reminded us: “If there is someone who goes down, that doesn’t mean they won’t help us at some point this year. There are a lot of factors at play.”

Warsofsky spoke after the game about the performances of Danil Gushchin, Ethan Cardwell, Mackenzie Blackwood, Klim Kostin, Luca Cagnoni, Jack Thompson and Givani Smith.

Warsofsky on Gushchin's five-assist performance:

Yes, impressive. Really good at the end of the game, I liked his performance. I know the points will stand out, but it's just the effort to get the puck back on the (equivalent) goal, the effort on the wall to play (rush) on the Cardwell goal. Really impressive.

I thought he had a really good camp. It is a discussion we will have in the next day or two and we will make a decision. But he did a lot of good things and obviously helped our hockey club in every game he played in. He has put himself in a good position.

Warsofsky on Cardwell:

Both guys (Gushchin and Cardwell) have put themselves in a good position.

They both made mistakes, and they made mistakes tonight. What I like about them is that they are mentally strong. They keep playing. They keep competing.

Cards loses their man (Dorofeyev on his hat-trick goal) down the stretch. Goose has made some decisions away from the puck that needs cleaning. But here too they continue to play. This is a game full of bugs. Everyone is going to make mistakes, but we just stuck with it, not just these two guys, but as a group.

We moved the cards up there and played a little with Sturmy in the middle of the second third. I thought this gave this variation a bit more energy.

Warsofsky, on Blackwood:

I liked him. I don't think we really helped him much. We sacrificed a lot and large periods of time.

He made some big saves, probably too much work (more) than we want to give him.

Warsofsky about Kostin:

He was solid. He just needs to find more consistency in his game. And he knows that. He and I talked about it. Obviously scores a nice goal. He does some plays. He's just a little inconsistent from shift to shift. But I thought he tried to make more use of his height and be more physically active tonight.

Warsofsky on Cagnoni, Thompson and Givani Smith:

Cags was really good. He obviously lost his guard in front of the net when he conceded one goal and he has to continue to work on that. But you saw his game grow as the game went on. He calmed down.
Obviously some nerves probably played a role when he played in Las Vegas in front of a really big crowd, with the entire NHL team, but I thought his game got better.

I really liked Gio early on. Did some really good things. He has looked good throughout camp.

And Thompson has done some good things too. So we have to make some tough decisions, Mike and his staff, and we're going to sit down and talk and find the best people that we think can help us.

And if someone fails, that doesn't mean they won't help us at some point this year. Many factors play a role here.

But I can't be more proud of the players, not just here tonight but at home too. It was a really tough training camp and they worked so hard, we asked a lot of them and they were very attentive, they worked at it and they came together as a group, so it's a nice evening to end on.