Sharks’ additions on defense were badly needed, but also create one concern

SAN JOSE – Almost immediately after the Sharks bolstered their defense corps by signing free agent Dmitry Orlov and claiming Nick Leddy off waivers – two days after bringing John Klingberg aboard – questions began about how the front office would solve a sudden glut on the back end.

The Sharks now have eight defensemen on one-way contracts, and none are waivers-exempt. Could one or two from the surplus be used in a trade to try to address another area of need?

That’s certainly possible, perhaps even likely, at some point this summer. But soon after the Sharks signed Orlov to a two-year, $13 million deal and claimed Leddy from the St. Louis Blues, general manager Mike Grier said he’s not opposed to having eight defensemen on the roster to start the season.

“We’ll figure it out,” Grier said last week. “If we get to that point and however the competition shakes out, and whoever plays well, I think we’re prepared to kind of just figure it out from there. Whether that’s keeping eight or seven (defensemen), we’ll keep the best players that give us the best chance to win.”

It’s a practical approach after back-to-back last-place finishes in the NHL standings. However, the Sharks also need to keep the big picture in mind, which includes ensuring that Shakir Mukhamadullin continues to play significant minutes and develop.

Klingberg might only be a Shark for a few months after he was signed to a one-year contract, as he, Leddy, Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, and Vincent Desharnais can all become unrestricted free agents in 2026. Some will undoubtedly be on different teams, either before this season’s trade deadline or next summer.

Meanwhile, Mukhamadullin, 23, is just starting his NHL career and figures to be a big part of the Sharks’ blue line for years to come.

After the Sharks traded Cody Ceci and Jake Walman last season, Mukhamadullin became a mainstay in the lineup and, just before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in April, was the team’s best defenseman.

A week after the 4 Nations break ended, from March 1 to April 1, when he sustained his injury in a game against the Anaheim Ducks, Mukhamadullin averaged over 21 minutes in ice time and was the Sharks’ leading scorer on defense with six points in 14 games.

To be sure, Mukhamadullin was looking like the first-round draft pick he was in 2020 and the centerpiece of the return the Sharks received in February 2023 when they traded Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils.

“I think he’s made huge strides, one of our most improved players this year, from that 4 Nations break, especially,” coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Mukhamadullin after the Sharks’ season ended in April. “He’s long, he can skate, he can make plays.”

Now it’s a matter of where Mukhamadullin fits in on the revamped defense corps.

The left side right now has Mukhamadullin, Ferraro, Orlov, Leddy, and Henry Thrun. Orlov and Leddy also have experience playing on the right side, where Klingberg, Liljegren, and Desharnais reside.

If all eight defensemen are still with the Sharks in mid-September, it should, at the very least, make for a more competitive training camp, with Warsofsky tasked with making the pieces fit while giving each defenseman the best possible chance at success.

It’ll also be nice for Warsofsky, when his team is trying to protect a late one-goal lead this season, to look down the bench and have some more veteran options. With that in mind, if the roster stays the same, it would be a surprise not to see Ferraro, Orlov, Leddy, and Klingberg in the opening night lineup, leaving Mukhamadullin, Liljegren, Thrun, and Desharnais competing to be the fifth and sixth defensemen.

And yes, Mukhamadullin, who is set to become a restricted free agent again next summer, will have to compete for ice time. That’s a good thing.

But what the Sharks need to avoid is sitting Mukhamadullin, or the 24-year-old Thrun, for that matter, for multiple games in a row. Benching them during a game, or even scratching them on occasion, is perfectly reasonable and an essential tool for Warsofsky to have.

Letting the 6-foot-4 Mukhamadullin play through some mistakes isn’t a bad thing, either. Assuming the Sharks want to be playoff contenders in one or two more years, developing Mukhamadullin’s game will be vital, just as it will be with Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund, Collin Graf, and Yaroslav Askarov.

Ideally, the Sharks will know by the end of this season whether Mukhamadullin can be a top-four NHL defenseman.

To do that, he needs to play games and have a significant role, not just practice. Mukamadullin is no longer waivers-exempt, so the AHL isn’t an option.

As much as the Sharks want to win more games, helping their young core develop at the NHL level should be their top priority. Those are the players who will be in San Jose long term, while the majority of the team’s pending UFAs could be elsewhere this time next year.