While Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith were stalwarts on the San Jose Sharks' top line during the 2025-26 season, the left wing spot rotated fairly regularly. Heading into the 2026-27 season, there are a number of options who could compete for the final spot on the first line. OPTION 1: IVAR STENBERG If we were living in the world of EA Sports NHL 26's Franchise mode, Ivar Stenberg would almost certainly jump to the top line immediately after being drafted second overall. Compared to most 18-year-olds, Stenberg likely has a much higher chance to succeed being thrown right into the fire, as he's already proven that he can be a dynamic scorer against tough competition. He had one of the best seasons by a teenager in the history of the Swedish Hockey League, and it's hard to discount his pure skill. With that being said, outside of Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks have taken a very cautious approach to giving their young players a substantial amount of ice time right out of the gate. We saw it with Smith during the 2024-25 season. Then Michael Misa and Sam Dickinson took a similar path this past season. Mike Grier and Ryan Warsofsky like to ease their young players into the NHL, which is fair considering it's a major step from the collegiate or junior ranks. Stenberg is a bit different than the three aforementioned players, having already played at a professional level, so they may be willing to take a more aggressive approach with him, similar to how they handled Celebrini. At the same time, there's no major need to rush him into first line minutes. Whether it makes sense to rush him into those minutes or not, it's hard to argue that a line with Stenberg, Celebrini, and Smith wouldn't instantly become must-see television. OPTION 2: IGOR CHERNYSHOV Had the Sharks not gotten lucky in the 2026 Draft Lottery and moved up to the second overall pick, it seemed like a real possibility that Igor Chernyshov was going to establish himself as San Jose's long-term first line left-wing in the very near future. Now, that's certainly a bit more in doubt. Even though Chernyshov spent the majority of his season with the San Jose Barracuda during the 2025-26 campaign, when he was given opportunities at the NHL level, he didn't look out of place. According to Natural Stat Trick, Chernyshov played 304:22 while paired with Celebrini and just 78:39 without him. During that time, their line produced 20 goals and surrendered 17. To put it bluntly, while Celebrini and Chernyshov were on the ice together, they scored at a high rate and were entertaining to watch. It's hard to ask for more than that in late March and early April when the team as a whole was struggling and playoff hopes were quickly fading. Chernyshov is in a bit of an odd position now, as given the Sharks' number of forwards on one-way deals and their additions over the summer, there's a chance he doesn't even make the Opening Night roster which seems entirely unfair given how he played at the end of last season. Even if he doesn't start the season on Celebrini's wing, I don't think it'll take long for him to end up there one way or another during the 2026-27 campaign. OPTION 3: COLLIN GRAF There has been no player seemingly more impacted by the Sharks' current logjam of forwards than Collin Graf. Currently, he's an unsigned restricted free agent without arbitration rights and is ineligible to sign an offer sheet. As a result, unless he's traded, he's almost certainly going to be re-signed by the Sharks. With that being said, if he doesn't end up on the first line, it's difficult to see a spot for him in the lineup given the amount of big contracts on the roster. Graf never seemed like Warsofsky's top option to play alongside Celebrini and Smith, but he always forced his way into that role during the 2025-26 season eventually. The coaching staff would put someone else in that spot for a while, but when push came to shove, Graf always found his way back into the picture. He complements their styles very well and helps create a very effective line. Simply put, Graf has proven that he belongs in a top-nine role at the very least. He's an effective player on both ends of the ice and especially on the penalty kill. However, Grier didn't spend boatloads of money to put Mason Marchment, Alexander Wennberg, or Kiefer Sherwood on the fourth line. If he's not on the top line, Graf will likely slot into a fourth line role, which he can certainly do, but it seems a bit wasteful to say the least. Graf meshes well with Celebrini and Smith, his style complements them almost perfectly. While he's likely the least exciting option in terms of pure skill, he's already a proven 20-goal scorer and has been overcoming the odds throughout his entire career. The Sharks have a number of options with their first line left-wing spot. Players like Marchment or the aging Tyler Toffoli could even spend some time in that role at some point in the season. It's hard to go wrong with any of Stenberg, Chernyshov, or Graf in that role, but that decision will have major implications on the rest of the lineup.
