The San Jose Sharks projected bottom six forwards are among the NHL’s best.
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Head coach Ryan Warsofsky said after training camp that he feels the Sharks’ bottom two lines are among the best in the league.
“I think we have guys that can score. I think we may have one of the better bottom six in the National Hockey League, to be honest with you,” Warsofsky said last Sunday. “I think we have guys that fit certain roles that we probably didn’t have in years past. I think we’ll score goals and manufacture goals in different ways.”
That was evident against the Anaheim Ducks last night as the Sharks forecheck created the team’s first goal.
While the line of Collin White, Ethan Cardwell, and Danil Gushchin won’t be a line to start in the NHL, their style of play matches what Warsofsky wants from his bottom six.
If Macklin Celebrini and Mikael Granlund are the top two centers to start this season, Will Smith and Alexander Wennberg could be the other. The Sharks could also move Granlund to Smith’s wing and have 2022 first-round pick Filip Bystedt play as the fourth-line center. Don’t forget about Nico Sturm as well.
The additions of Carl Grundstrom, Ty Dellandrea, and Barclay Goodrow solidify the three spots in solid NHL-caliber play at the bottom of the lineup, something that was sorely missed last season.
“I’m going to lean on them quite a bit to help teach these young guys,” Warsofsky said about the veterans on the Sharks. “It’s hard. It’s hard to score a goal. It’s hard to play in the league. It’s a hard league to play in and, never mind, win in.”
Players like Sturm and Luke Kunin give the team an identity that matches Warsofsky’s competitive play style. They are physical and work their tails off on the forecheck.
“I trust, when you look at the raw set of people that Grier brought in the summer, that we’re going to have the quality up front to just score plenty of goals, but our base has to be our defensive side of the game,” Sturm said. “We need everybody to be committed to play that game, not just the bottom six guys, [but] first two lines as well.”
The San Jose Sharks are building their core with Celebrini and Smith, and while they develop into future NHL stars, the bottom six forwards will set the identity for them to follow.
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