What might the San Jose Sharks' lineup look like on opening night?

To their initial benefit, the San Jose Sharks won’t come into the 2024-25 season looking like the team that trudged through last year’s dreadful season, in which they were NHL’s worst team.

Perhaps one day that misadventure will fade away and the focus can be on the side benefit that is Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the draft and the hub of a franchise rebirth. There is genuine excitement for the first time in years because the Sharks are ripe with possibilities now with Celebrini at the front of a prospect-rich pipeline that’s expected to feed them over the next few years.

But it can’t be ignored how long it takes to reach sustained relevance, the kind that the Sharks once were known for when they made 19 playoff appearances in 21 seasons. They’ve now had five consecutive lottery-bound seasons, culminating in a 19-54-9 bottoming out in 2023-24 that was pockmarked with 11 defeats of five goals or more.

General manager Mike Grier is moving into the next step of his tenure as he enters his third season. There will still be a lot of losing, and likely trade deadline sell-offs, but there will also be a new foundation. And a busy summer of activity will reflect in a much different Sharks team come Oct. 10, when they host St. Louis on opening night.

So long, Kevin Labanc and Mike Hoffman. Nice knowing you, Alexander Barabanov and Jacob MacDonald. Good luck, Kyle Burroughs and Calen Addison. Thanks for your service, Anthony Duclair and Kaapo Kähkönen. Miss you plenty, Tomáš Hertl. Welcome, Tyler Toffoli and Jake Walman. Come on down, Alexander Wennberg and Carl Grundstrom. Let’s see what you’ve got, Ty Dellandrea and Vitek Vaněček.

Lest we not forget, there’s also Celebrini and his potential fellow cornerstone Will Smith. Will the Sharks be better? It’s hard to get much worse than last season, and they shouldn’t be worse with first-year coach Ryan Warsofsky taking over for David Quinn. On paper, they will be better. How much better is up for debate?

Let’s operate under the assumption that long-time stalwart Logan Couture won’t be ready to start the season. That’s just a scenario and not a prediction. Couture missed all but six games last season due to osteitis pubis, a condition in which inflammation between the pubic bones can result in pain and swelling in the groin and lower abdomen. Grier said San Jose’s captain was progressing enough to where he expected him to try skating in July. Even if those sessions go well, he’ll need to get through camp and the preseason.

This lineup has Celebrini and Smith in what could be their position slots for years. Would the Sharks throw both into the NHL as their top two centers from Day 1? That’s a lot for anyone who hasn’t played a single minute in the league, much less players who aren’t even out of their teen years. But this is already an upgrade over the top two lines that they trotted out last season. With Toffoli joining Zetterlund and Eklund, San Jose has three wingers with 20-goal capability.

Granlund was their No. 1 center out of necessity last season. The veteran could easily move back to the middle if there is uncertainty over Smith (or even Celebrini) going regularly against NHL centers right away. But the greater depth helps slot forwards in better positions. The fourth line should be an upgrade, with Sturm centering a useful veteran grinder in the returning Goodrow, the 2019 Game 7 playoff hero.

Dellandrea and Grundstrom were fourth-line fixtures for their prior teams, with Grundstrom showing an ability to move up in the Los Angeles lineup and provide occasional sniping ability in five-on-five play. But while Wennberg helps shore up their center position with another proven pivot and Kunin works best in their bottom six, the Sharks could still find offense being tough to find from their third and fourth lines. However, it’s a group more accustomed to grinding every night at the NHL level.

This might be a lineup if Couture is able to return and be a regular presence. It also gives the Sharks a plethora of centers and that could allow them to lessen the pressure of Celebrini and Smith being difference-makers immediately and let each grow into headlining positions. The Sharks have consistently said that they see right-shot Smith playing center but also mentioned the possibility of him starting his rookie season on the wing.

Because of the increased depth in the middle, Bordeleau’s path to the lineup might be on the wing. The 22-year-old was re-signed to a one-year, two-way deal, so there should be additional motivation to win a regular role. If Couture can come back in good shape, it will create greater competition for spots. Players such as Grundstrom and Dellandrea could be battling for ice time — epecially when Sturm and Kunin should be fixtures and featured for potential movement at the deadline.

This doesn’t account for a holdover such as Klim Kostin. The Sharks acquired Kostin from Detroit in March and his contract (with a $2 million cap hit) runs through next summer. The 25-year-old, who’s long battled inconsistency in the NHL, offers intriguing power-forward size and scored five times in 19 games with the Sharks as he got six more minutes of playing time on average than the meager amount he got with the Red Wings. Kostin’s 6-foot-4 frame on left wing could give San Jose a different element.

Collin Graf had two assists in seven games after finishing his college career at Quinnipiac and signing an entry-level contract. Toffoli’s arrival makes it tougher for Graf to crack the lineup, but a year in the AHL wouldn’t hurt his development. Minor-leaguers Danil Gushchin, Ethan Cardwell and Tristen Robins are still on the youthful side in the hockey-age timeline. Justin Bailey, the Sharks’ Masterton Trophy nominee, re-signed and Givani Smith is also back for depth.

If there is one thing Grier can be dinged on in an otherwise uplifting summer, it’s the lack of obtaining a pure puck-mover who can run a power play. Tyson Barrie remains available and would be a low-cost addition to the right side, which wasn’t addressed even with Walman being acquired from Detroit in a salary dump. Emberson showed some promise with some of the team’s better defensive metrics as a rookie, but injuries limited him to 30 games.

Walman has never reached double digits in assists, but his 21 goals for the Red Wings the last two seasons does show that he is a shot threat the Sharks haven’t had since Erik Karlsson. But this group doesn’t look appreciably better when it comes to defending. Thrun could grow in a less-demanding role after playing a lot of minutes as a rookie. The 23-year-old may also have to fight off Shakir Mukhamadullin, who was their top defense prospect until they drafted Sam Dickinson.

The return of Matt Benning could impact where some players slot in. Benning ultimately needed season-ending hip surgery after playing in only 14 games. Before that, he played in a career-high 77 games during his first season in San Jose. He’s now 30 and is counted on more for work in his end, with 67.2 percent or more defensive zone starts over his last four seasons. His contract has two years left on it.

Contractually, Emberson was re-signed for this season and Rutta is on an expiring deal. Walman, Thrun and Ferraro are signed through 2026. That provides a pathway for Dickinson and some of the Sharks’ other defense prospects to make their pushes for roster spots. Dickinson, the No. 11 overall pick of this year’s draft, signed his three-year entry-level contract on July 10.

With the Sharks and New Jersey Devils becoming trade partners, the swap of Kähkönen for Vaněček reunites the 28-year-old Czech with his former Devils crease mate in Blackwood. The two were together in 2022-23, when Vaněček was the lead goalie for a 52-win playoff club. Blackwood struggled that season but managed to stay healthy enough for San Jose in 2023-24 to share the net with Kahkonen and posted an .899 save percentage while facing 34 shots on goal for every 60 minutes he played.

While Blackwood hasn’t been at .900 or above since 2020-21 and hasn’t been close to his promising early days with New Jersey, Vaněček had a worse save percentage (.892) with the Devils last season despite his 17-9-3 record. Those were different teams with different expectations, though, and New Jersey was done in by not having any of their goalies grab the No. 1 role (paving the way for acquiring Kähkönen and Jake Allen followed by the summer trade for Jacob Markstrom).

Vaněček has yet to play for the Sharks, as he was dealing with a season-ending lower-body injury when they traded for him. He’s been a capable netminder who hasn’t always succeeded when in a lead role. But he and Blackwood are on expiring contracts and some quality play from either could make him an attractive asset to flip toward a better team that needs goaltending help. Or even someone worth extending.

(Photo of Fabian Zetterlund, William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau: Ezra Sbaw / Getty Images)