[NHL] The Official 2024-2025 NHL Season Thread

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

Since we can safely say that tonight kicks off the 2024-2025 NHL Season, I thought I'd start a new thread.

THE San Jose Sharks are now officially on the clock!!!

Also, we all know who goes #1, and comes to play by the bay. I am more interested, and excited, to see what Grier does with pick #2.

LFG!!!

 

[hrdboild]

I'm so hyped about the Sharks draft this year!

I've barely followed the Sharks over the years since I already had an NFL team (49ers), an NBA team (Kings), and an MLB team (A's) to root for and that felt like enough. But now that the A's are about to be gonzo, I can follow the NHL more and I've started to get sucked into the excitement of watching ice hockey again starting with watching/reading everything I can find about this year's crop of draft prospects.

We already knew who was going #1, so no surprise here:

The Sharks also had the #14 pick this year but they traded up to #11 and ended up with one of the best Defensemen in this class too:

Dickinson was my favorite prospect after Celebrini this year so this is a perfect result in my eyes! I also really liked Berkly Catton and Beckett Sennecke and both of them went earlier than projected. Also... apparently they have Vegas showgirls as part of their draft coverage? The NBA needs to step up it's game!

...


The Sharks next pick will be the first pick of the second round, #33 overall.

 

[hrdboild]

No surprise again at #33 as the Sharks draft the highest rated prospect left on the board:

Chernyshov was once projected in the top 10 so I'm not sure why he slid all the way to the top of the second round. Whatever the reason, this looks like good value for the Sharks. He could be a first line Left Wing in the NHL and compliments the Dickinson and Celebrini picks as all three are two-way talents with excellent speed. He'll have to compete with the Sharks top pick from last year Will Smith for that first line spot though. Drafted 4th overall in 2023, Smith just led NCAA hockey in points (and assists).

Also noteworthy, the Sharks picked up Swedish defenseman Leo Sahlin Wellenius with their second pick in the second round. When he eventually makes it to the NHL he could potentially join an all Swedish shift change with his countrymen William Eklund, Fabian Zetterlund, Filip Bystedt, and Mattias Havelid.

There's a notable lack of right-handed defensemen in the Sharks top prospect pool. That could be a position they target in free agency this year.

 

[chief bromden]

Mike Grier absolutely hit it out of the park this draft by trading up to 11 from 14 and Dickinson falling to 11. Igor at 33 is amazing, easily could have gone top 20 and only 1 year left on his Russia deal. Between him, Haltunnen, and Musty, they will have some real nice size next to Mack and the Prince moving up the pipeline. Exciting times for Sharks fans right now.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

Grier making himself some moves!!!!

Link to NHL.com article: Askarov traded to Sharks by Predators

 

[hrdboild]

Grier making himself some moves!!!!

Link to NHL.com article: Askarov traded to Sharks by Predators

Hell yeah, what fantastic news! This was mentioned as a possibility earlier this week but just like the Sharks landing the #1 pick, I didn't want to get my hopes up early for what seemed like relatively low odds. What a dream off-season this has been and the perfect time to jump in as a Sharks fan with elite prospects lined up at every position and nowhere to go but up.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

I don't usually feel this way, but this one hit me HARD. Pretty much felt like a dang gut punch...

Link to ESPN.com Article: Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau, brother killed in car-bike crash

Gone way too young. Right before their sister's wedding as well...

 

[SLAB]

Celebrini did good things … then the Sharks blew a 4-1 3rd period lead to lose in OT. Lol

 

[hrdboild]

Celebrini scoring the first Sharks goal of the season but then finding himself on Injury Reserve for the next month or so was certainly a bit of a buzzkill but ultimately the start of the Sharks season has only added to my excitement about the future of this team...

Celebrini may already be the best player on this team (which is crazy) and piling up losses in his absence really only helps the cause of finding either a #1 defenseman or a top tier forward at the top of next year's draft. My early favorite is right winger Porter Martone.

Askarov has back to back shutouts in his first two games with the Barracuda and that goes a long way toward ameliorating the sting of the Sharks current goalkeeper tandem giving up 8 goals in a game. From all the footage I've seen Askarov will occasionally get over aggressive but extreme self-confidence is probably the attitude you want from your franchise goalkeeper of the future.

Of the current players on the NHL roster I only count Eklund, Zetterlund, and Smith as guys who are likely to be significant contributors long-term so I'm not at all bothered that the talent level here remains the worst in the league. Quentin Musty, Sam Dickinson, Kasper Halttunen, Filip Bystedt, Shakir Mukhammadullin, and Igor Chernyshov are all on the way plus Celebrini and whoever the top picks are in 2025.

This season should be another guilt free race to the bottom as the team continues to build for the future.

 

[chief bromden]

Celebrini scoring the first Sharks goal of the season but then finding himself on Injury Reserve for the next month or so was certainly a bit of a buzzkill but ultimately the start of the Sharks season has only added to my excitement about the future of this team...

Celebrini may already be the best player on this team (which is crazy) and piling up losses in his absence really only helps the cause of finding either a #1 defenseman or a top tier forward at the top of next year's draft. My early favorite is right winger Porter Martone.

Askarov has back to back shutouts in his first two games with the Barracuda and that goes a long way toward ameliorating the sting of the Sharks current goalkeeper tandem giving up 8 goals in a game. From all the footage I've seen Askarov will occasionally get over aggressive but extreme self-confidence is probably the attitude you want from your franchise goalkeeper of the future.

Of the current players on the NHL roster I only count Eklund, Zetterlund, and Smith as guys who are likely to be significant contributors long-term so I'm not at all bothered that the talent level here remains the worst in the league. Quentin Musty, Sam Dickinson, Kasper Halttunen, Filip Bystedt, Shakir Mukhammadullin, and Igor Chernyshov are all on the way plus Celebrini and whoever the top picks are in 2025.

This season should be another guilt free race to the bottom as the team continues to build for the future.

The Cuda are looking real strong and exciting to start the season, agreed that the future looks bright. Thompson looks like he might stick. Don't forget about Cagnoni either, or Graf. Can't wait for Celebrini to return!

 

[hrdboild]

Yaroslav Askarov has been absolutely awesome today against Edmonton. With Celebrini averaging a point per game as an 18 year old, both of the Sharks high profile off-season acquisitions are already making a difference.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

The Sharks are, well, still the Sharks.

 

[SLAB]

The Sharks are, well, still the Sharks.

But they have Macklin Celebrini!

 

[pdxKingsFan]

It's nice to know Macklin is having a good year. Bruins have been wretched enough most of the hockey I've watched this year was the Beanpot and the 4 Nations. But my heart has room for every Terrier.

 

[hrdboild]

The Sharks are, well, still the Sharks.

They'll have a top 5 pick again this year, another first round pick from Dallas from the Granlund trade, and one of the top 3 picks of the second round (depending on how the rest of the season goes). This is what needed to happen. Macklin isn't going to transform the team by himself, he needs help in the first line. I think Will Smith should be given the center position in the second line next year with Musty and Halttunen as his wingmates and Mike Grier should use his two first round picks to find some more offensive firepower.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

They'll have a top 5 pick again this year, another first round pick from Dallas from the Granlund trade, and one of the top 3 picks of the second round (depending on how the rest of the season goes). This is what needed to happen. Macklin isn't going to transform the team by himself, he needs help in the first line. I think Will Smith should be given the center position in the second line next year with Musty and Halttunen as his wingmates and Mike Grier should use his two first round picks to find some more offensive firepower.

Oh, for sure. I don't disagree. The future is definitely bright.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Marchand to Florida along with half the team. That's a forever guy I expected to retire a B but started seeing his name come up. He deserves a chance to make a run but god damn, forever my captain.

 

[hrdboild]

The London Knights are still undefeated in the OHL Playoffs going into the Finals which is exciting news for Sharks fans because top prospects Sam Dickinson (LD) and Kasper Halttunen (RW) have been on fire. Halttunen, the Fin with the howitzer of a shot, has scored 12 points in 12 games (6 goals, 6 assists) and Sam Dickinson has scored a ridiculous 22 points in 12 games (7 goals, 15 assists). Both guys might make the Sharks roster next season.

In other exciting news, the NHL draft lottery will be on Monday (5/5) and the Sharks are guaranteed a spot in the top 3:


The consensus top prospects for most scouts have been Matthew Schaeffer (LD), Michael Misa (C/LW), Porter Martone (RW), and James Hagens (C) though if the Sharks fall to the third pick you can probably toss two more centers into the mix in Anton Frondell and Caleb Desnoyers. Michael Misa is currently OHL teammates with Sharks prospect Igor Chernyshov so there would be a nice synergy in having them continue to play together in the Sharks second line.

Early on (pre-season) I was high on adding Porter Martone as a power forward to pair with Celebrini but it seems like Will Smith and Macklin had good chemistry on the ice in the second half of the season so now I think the Sharks are more likely to keep Smith at RW instead of second-line C. Matthew Schaeffer would be a phenomenal pickup if the Sharks get lucky in the lottery again. Between Schaeffer and Dickinson the top 2 defense pairings would both include a big-time point scorer. And there's also a chance for the Sharks to pick up Dickinson's linemate on the Knights Henry Brzustwicz (RD) with either their second or third pick to help fill the massive gap in right-handed defenseman in their prospect pipeline.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

The London Knights are still undefeated in the OHL Playoffs going into the Finals which is exciting news for Sharks fans because top prospects Sam Dickinson (LD) and Kasper Halttunen (RW) have been on fire. Halttunen, the Fin with the howitzer of a shot, has scored 12 points in 12 games (6 goals, 6 assists) and Sam Dickinson has scored a ridiculous 22 points in 12 games (7 goals, 15 assists). Both guys might make the Sharks roster next season.

In other exciting news, the NHL draft lottery will be on Monday (5/5) and the Sharks are guaranteed a spot in the top 3:
View attachment 13500

The consensus top prospects for most scouts have been Matthew Schaeffer (LD), Michael Misa (C/LW), Porter Martone (RW), and James Hagens (C) though if the Sharks fall to the third pick you can probably toss two more centers into the mix in Anton Frondell and Caleb Desnoyers. Michael Misa is currently OHL teammates with Sharks prospect Igor Chernyshov so there would be a nice synergy in having them continue to play together in the Sharks second line.

Early on (pre-season) I was high on adding Porter Martone as a power forward to pair with Celebrini but it seems like Will Smith and Macklin had good chemistry on the ice in the second half of the season so now I think the Sharks are more likely to keep Smith at RW instead of second-line C. Matthew Schaeffer would be a phenomenal pickup if the Sharks get lucky in the lottery again. Between Schaeffer and Dickinson the top 2 defense pairings would both include a big-time point scorer. And there's also a chance for the Sharks to pick up Dickinson's linemate on the Knights Henry Brzustwicz (RD) with either their second or third pick to help fill the massive gap in right-handed defenseman in their prospect pipeline.

After the New York Islanders jumped all the way up to the #1 spot in the draft, the Sharks drop 1 slot, and will pick 2nd. I'll take it!!!

 

[hrdboild]

After the New York Islanders jumped all the way up to the #1 spot in the draft, the Sharks drop 1 slot, and will pick 2nd. I'll take it!!!

Yeah, I'm not mad about it. The Sharks still had a greater than 50% chance of picking 3rd so it was a better than average outcome for San Jose. Picking 3rd wouldn't have been a disaster or anything, I really like Porter Martone too, but I think of Misa and Schaefer as more or less equal talents so I'm happy to just swoop up whichever guy the Islanders pass on.

There is some initial buzz (wishful thinking?) that the Islanders might ignore the consensus top prospect lists and talk themselves into Long Island born and raised center James Hagens at #1 with their found money. He's a little under-sized and didn't put up crazy point totals this year like Misa did (though playing in college vs. the OHL is apples to oranges) but he was projected as the first overall pick in this draft at the start of the season so it wouldn't be a crazy reach. I don't think it's likely that San Jose picks Hagens at #2 though with Schaefer or Misa left on the board so the Islanders might trade down to #3 if they really want Hagens.