Who Gets Called Up?

With the NHL Trade Deadline a little over a month away, the San Jose Sharks have several UFAs that they will have to make a decision on before the deadline. If San Jose continues to be in the playoff hunt, General Manager Mike Grier could be both a buyer and a seller at the deadline as he looks to upgrade on some positions and ship out players who might not be long-term candidates.

With some potential openings in the lineup, which San Jose Barracuda players will get the call-up before the end of the season?

Igor Chernyshov - 99.999999999999% Likely

Igor Chernyshov was an absolute unit with San Jose. He had three goals and eight assists in his 15 NHL games before being sent back to the AHL as part of a numbers game when Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev both returned, and the acquisition of Kiefer Sherwood.

Chernyshov has 12 goals and 14 assists in 28 games with the Barracuda this season and has been one of their best players since he joined the team. He's playing in all situations, including on the penalty kill, and has three points in three games since returning.

At some point, the Sharks will unleash the duo of Michael Misa and Chernyshov that we saw in Saginaw. If Misa continues to play well (and earn more minutes), this duo could be set in stone for the foreseeable future.

Filip Bystedt - 70% Likely

Since Bystedt was Mike Grier's first pick as GM, it feels like Bystedt has been around forever, but the soon-to-be 22-year-old is in his second full season in the AHL and was named an AHL All-Star this season. Bystedt has been the Barracuda's most consistent player this season.

While San Jose will be pushing for a playoff spot, they will eventually want to see Bystedt in NHL action. Even if it's in a fourth-line role, having Bystedt play some NHL games should be a reward for his work and effort this year. He would provide more offensive pop than Zack Ostapchuk does on the fourth line and has been an ace penalty killer in the AHL.

Quentin Musty - 30% Likely

This number felt way higher heading into the season, but three things are working against Musty at this point. One: he's been dealing with an injury that's kept him out since January 16th. It's a lower-body injury, and that has been designated the dreaded week-to-week.

When Musty returns from injury, he will have to hit the ground running to try and push a player out of the lineup from the NHL team and that's getting harder and harder especially since...

Two: The addition of Kiefer Sherwood. While we are still anxiously awaiting Sherwood to make his debut, he will give San Jose another piece in the top nine for Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky to utilize. Because of Sherwood's flexibility in his role as a forechecking monster who can score, it's easy to deploy him on any line and expect results. Even when Sherwood gets in the lineup, the Sharks are going to have to make a move to get him off of IR.

Three: The Sharks are in a playoff hunt. If San Jose were out of it, it would be easy to call up Musty to get some NHL experience before sending him on his way to play in the AHL playoffs. Are the Sharks willing to do that with a player like Musty, who will need top-six minutes to succeed? Seems unlikely.

Cam Lund - 46% Likely

Lund has taken to the "Collin Graf path to success" this season. While the production isn't overwhelming with nine goals and 14 assists in 33 games, he's been scorching hot with goals in four straight games.

Lund has more flexibility in his role than Musty does at this point and could be a potential third line option for the Sharks. He also plays in all situations for the San Jose Barracuda and has been on the top line with Bystedt. He still has the occasional mistake, but has played a very pro-ready game that won't see him benched if he isn't scoring.

Luca Cagnoni - 42% Likely

Luca Cagnoni had a rookie season for the ages in the AHL, and this year hasn't seen the same production. Don't take this as a sign that Cagnoni is having a bad season or has taken a step back. He's being asked to do more for the Cuda this year. Last year, Jimmy Schuldt carried a lot of the tougher minutes for the Barracuda and allowed for Cagnoni to have more offensive opportunities. Also playing with MVP Andrew Poturalski helped to see Cagnoni's production skyrocket on the power play. 34 of his 52 points (65%) came with the man advantage.

This season, the Barracuda are a much deeper team, getting production from a lot of different sources. Cagnoni is still producing on the power play with 15 of his 26 points (58%) coming from there, but he's playing more defensive minutes this year with the Barracuda's top defensive defensemen in Cole Clayton (before he was traded) and newcomer Nolan Allan. So while Cagnoni isn't scoring at the rate he was last year, his game is rounding out and should make him a better defenseman when he gets to the NHL.

It still feels as though Cagnoni's path is based on a specific role. He will most likely get sheltered minutes at first and run the power play for the Sharks. With Sam Dickinson having already played nearly a full season in the NHL though, he should be getting a chance to run the power play at some point (we all hope). If Klingberg gets traded, it will probably give Cagnoni his best chance to play in the NHL this year.

Nolan Allan - 58% Likely

The San Jose Sharks' newest prospect is a defensive defenseman who fits the Mike Grier mold of a big guy who can skate, move the puck, and defend. Allan is more likely to see some NHL time over Cagnoni because there is an easier path to find a role for him.

He quickly acclimated to the team after standing up for Cagnoni and putting down Parker Bell. Allan also has the most NHL games of the players mentioned (43) and could slide into a role with San Jose if some of the veterans are potentially moved.

The longer the Sharks stay in the playoff hunt, the less likely they are to call up young players, as each game and point is crucial. Still, at least one of these players should see some NHL time before the season is over.