NHL Training Camp Preview: Can Sharks, Blues Return To Cup Contender Status?

The National Hockey League will begin its 106th season in early October, with a number of clubs looking to unseat the Colorado Avalanche after their Stanley Cup victory earlier this summer, while others are preparing to make a run at getting the best odds to select presumptive first overall pick, Connor Bedard.

With the NHL salary cap going up only $1 million, many clubs had to make difficult roster decisions. Nearly half the league is currently over the $82.5 million limit and will be using LTIR (long-term injured reserve) to get under the cap, while budget clubs used their cap space to add draft capital.

Here is the preview of a Western Conference club that is in the midst of a rebuild and a recent Stanley Cup winner that has locked up its young core group to take a run at another championship:

St. Louis Blues (49-22-11 – 3rd place in the Central Division – Lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Second Round)

Who’s Out – Ville Husso, David Perron, Tyler Bozak 

Who’s In – Noel Acciari, Thomas Greiss 

The Blues eliminated Minnesota and took the eventual Stanley Cup champion Avalanche to six games before bowing out. GM Doug Armstrong opted to not make any major changes to his roster, replacing the departed Husso with Greiss to back up starter Jordan Binnington and choosing to secure his future by locking up young stars Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou to long-term deals. It is unknown whether they will do the same with team captain Ryan O’Reilly and sniper Vladimir Tarasenko, who are entering the final year of their contracts.   

2022-23 Potential impact prospects

W – Jake Neighbours

D – Scott Perunovich

G – Joel Hofer

Neighbours got a nine-game NHL tryout before being sent back to junior, where the 20-year-old scored 17 goals in 30 games for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. Perunovich won the Hobey Baker in 2020 and effectively made the transition from the NCAA to the pros, scoring over a point-per-game at AHL Springfield and playing 19 NHL games last season. Hofer had a solid regular season and excellent playoffs with the Thunderbirds and will likely make the jump to the NHL after Greiss’s contract expires next summer.  

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San Jose Sharks (32-37-13 – 6th place in the Pacific Division)

Who’s Out –  Brent Burns, John Leonard, Adin Hill

Who’s In – Luke Kunin, Oskar Lindblom, Steven Lorentz, Evgeny Svechnikov, Markus Nutivaara

The days of the Sharks being a perennial playoff club appear to be over, and new GM Mike Grier is faced with the task of cleaning up the cap mess left to him by Doug Wilson. San Jose retained nearly $3 million of Burn’s salary to move the 37-year-old to Carolina, but they are still burdened by long-term deals of blueliners Erik Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The contract termination of Evander Kane allowed the Sharks room to extend Tomas Hertl for eight years, but they will need new additions Kunin and Lindblom to provide secondary scoring to take some of the burden off Logan Couture, Hertl, and Timo Meier. 

2022-23 Potential impact prospects

C – William Eklund

D – Ryan Merkley

C – Thomas Bordeleau

Eklund tantalized with four assists in nine games early last season before being sent back to the SHL for another year of seasoning and could be staying in North America this time around.  Merkley has excellent offensive instincts, but he struggled defensively in 39 NHL games last season. Bordeleau signed with San Jose after an excellent season at the University of Michigan and registered eight points in 10 pro games at the end of the year.