PTO Options For The Sharks

As hockey camps crawl closer, several NHL veterans are still on the market looking for jobs. The San Jose Sharks had success with a professional tryout (PTO) last season in Justin Bailey. Bailey signed a PTO in September and was expected to add scoring to the San Jose Barracuda. He played 16 games before getting called up and spending the rest of the season in the NHL.

While the Sharks won't be competing for a playoff spot, they look to be more competitive this upcoming season. Here are four options that could help San Jose in that regard.

Dominik Kubalík
2023-24 Stats Ottawa Senators
Games: 74
Goals: 11
Assists: 4
TOI: 12:07

Dominik Kubalík is a former seventh round pick of the LA Kings who has played 357 NHL games since 2019 with the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and Ottawa Senators.

Kubalík is an intriguing option for the Sharks to try out because he is a legitimate scoring option in the NHL. He scored 30 goals in 68 games as a rookie and had a 20-goal season in 2022-23. The Sharks, famously, struggled to score last season, averaging 2.20 goals per game, 31st in the NHL. Kubalík could help with that. He has silky hands and a quick release, which could give the Sharks more depth in their power play unit.

While Kubalík has improved his two-way game, he will not be known for his defensive prowess. If Kubalík isn't scoring, he isn't adding much on the ice. With the addition of Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini, and Tyler Toffoli this offseason, there isn't room in the top six for Kubalík to take advantage of offensive minutes and other skilled players. On the Barracuda, Kubalík would easily play top-six minutes, but this would come at the expense of a player like Danil Gushchin.

Steven Lorentz
2023-24 Florida Panthers
Games: 38
Goals: 1
Assists: 2
TOI: 8:47

Steven Lorentz is a former seventh round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes who has played 230 NHL games with the Hurricanes, Sharks, and Panthers since 2020.

Steven Lorentz, a former San Jose Shark, was traded in the 2023 offseason for Anthony Duclair and won a championship with the Florida Panthers last season. He carved out a role as a bottom-six player who excelled on the penalty kill with San Jose and was utilized in a similar role with the Panthers. He also had a career-high ten goals and 19 points with the Sharks while playing a tick under 12 minutes a night. Lorentz would add more depth in the bottom six and give the Sharks more options on the penalty kill to help spread out the minutes between Mikael Granlund, Barclay Goodrow, Alex Wennberg, and Nico Sturm.

The primary issue with bringing Lorentz back is that the Sharks rebuilt much of their bottom six this offseason with the additions of Goodrow, Ty Dellandrea, and Carl Grundström. The Sharks put assets into acquiring Dellandrea and Grundström via trade, so they will have priority when trying to crack the lineup. On the Barracuda, Lorentz would be a great addition to add some depth down the middle.

Tyson Barrie
2023-24 Nashville Predators
Games: 41
Goals: 1
Assists: 14
TOI: 18:19

Tyson Barrie is a former third-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche. He has played 809 NHL games between the Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and Predators.

Despite the Jake Walman trade (which is still hilarious two months later) the Sharks don't have a true quarterback for their power play. This is the same unit that finished at a whopping 25%, good for 10th in the NHL, from February 1 through the end of the season.

Enter, Barrie. Before the trade from the Oilers to the Predators, Barrie was the quarterback of the Oilers' power play, one of the best in the NHL (Yes, they have Connor McDavid). In Nashville, Barrie only got to play a fraction of the power play minutes he was accustomed to because of Roman Josi. If given a chance to be the Sharks' power play quarterback, Barrie could have a chance to revitalize his career with the additions of Toffoli, Smith, and Celebrini.

There are two main concerns for Barrie: he's not the strongest defender, and the Sharks already have a logjam of defensemen, with both Shakir Muhamadullin and Henry Thrun fighting for a roster spot. Is Barrie's offensive dip because of his usage on the Predators, or is he closer to being done?

Justin Schultz
2023-24 Seattle Kraken
Games: 70
Goals: 7
Assists: 19
TOI: 16:28

Justin Schultz is a former second round pick of the Anaheim Ducks. He has played 745 career NHL games between the Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and Kraken.

Justin Schultz is a few years older than Barrie but provides more defensively. Last season, the Kraken coaching staff gave him plus deployments against weak competition. Schultz is a better defender than Barrie and has also been a power play quarterback.

The worry with Schultz is that since he is entering his age 34 season, father time could be right around the corner. Schultz would need to continue to play sheltered minutes, which would be a nice pairing for a young defenseman like Mukahamdullin. But you are putting more strain on the rest of your defense to carry the load.

Schultz feels like a better fit for what Mike Grier and the Sharks are looking for in their blueliners and would provide a steady hand.

The primary issue is the Cody Ceci factor. With the addition of Ceci, the Sharks now have six veteran defensemen:

Marc-Edouard Vlasic (37)
Jan Rutta (34)
Matt Benning (30)
Cody Ceci (30)
Jake Walman (28)
Mario Ferraro (25)

This leaves Henry Thun and Shakir Mukahamdullin fighting for one spot. If the Sharks sign another veteran, they are admitting that Mukhamadullin and Thrun will spend the season with the Barracuda, or at least until the trade deadline.

The Sharks have spent the past couple of seasons looking for acorns and have had some success. Does Mike Grier look to add more competition to training camp before the season?