Sharks Have Plenty Of Space To Acquire Forward Help

The San Jose Sharks' forward group looks the worst in the NHL by a mile. Beyond the top line, the team is going to get eaten alive, and even the top line may be in over their head at some points because 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund, and Tyler Toffoli have to match up against other top lines and draw the hardest matchups.

Will Smith is solid, but he is also young and inexperienced as well. He doesn't get a ton of help, but Alex Wennberg is a solid complementary player for that line. The problem is that he will likely have to slide down to the third line to make that playable as the current projection sees Barclay Goodrow, Jeff Skinner, and Philipp Kurashev make up that line. That is a fourth line or worse on many teams next season.

Adam Gaudette, who outperformed standards last season on the Ottawa Senators with 19 goals, barely played over 10 minutes and is projected to play on the second line. Then the fourth line is filled with a combined four goals and 19 points in 159 games last season with the extras being just as unproductive.

The Sharks have so much cap space to do a little more, such as take on a bad contract, overpay someone for one year, or even make a normal trade so their forward group looks a little more respectable and doesn't get destroyed every game. While 1-2 additions won't change the trajectory of the season, there is a good reason for the Sharks to look this bad for this coming season. A last place finish will fetch them the best offs to land Gavin McKenna and that would be a game-changer.

A forward group containing Celebrini, McKenna, Michael Misa, Smith, Eklund, and even Filip Bystedt all under 23 years old would be stellar and that team would be contending within 2-3 years. The Sharks will most definitely be the first ones teams go to if they're looking to clear some space with a contract, but at the same time, the Sharks should be a little more proactive as maybe someone added will return them a mid-to-late round pick at the trade deadline too.