SAN JOSE – Considering the personnel the San Jose Sharks now have down the middle, perhaps it wasn’t a huge surprise to see center Filip Bystedt be demoted to the team’s AHL affiliate.
Right now, the Sharks have Macklin Celebrini anchoring the top line, Alexander Wennberg, Philipp Kurashev, and Michael Misa in the mix for six middle roles, and Adam Gaudette, Ty Dellandrea, and Zack Ostapchuk as depth candidates.
What was surprising, and perhaps a red flag, was seeing Bystedt get sent down after appearing, briefly, in just one preseason game last Sunday at home against the Vegas Golden Knights.
If you saw the game at SAP Center and blinked, you might have missed Bystedt, who received only 10:51 of ice time, with his 8:39 at even strength being the fewest among all skaters. He blocked two shots but won just one of five faceoffs against a Golden Knights lineup that was relatively short on experienced NHL players.
Not necessarily what the Sharks wanted to see in camp from a first-round draft pick who has been given ample time to grow and develop since he was taken 27th overall in 2022. They wanted him to push for an NHL roster spot, and it didn’t happen.
After that game, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky, answering a question about Ethan Cardwell, said, “There’s jobs to be (won). I think he understands that. I wish more guys understood that.”
Asked about Bystedt’s demotion on Tuesday, Warsofsky said, “One, he’s got to get his pace up, and two, he’s got to be harder on his stick.
“He’s getting in puck battles, and he gets stripped pretty easily, so he’s got to be harder, and he’s got to have more firmness in his game if he wants to play in the National Hockey League.
“It really comes down to that. (Bystedt) knows it. He does it at times. He’s got to do it more consistently.”
At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, Bystedt has a similar build to Tomas Hertl, who became elite by using his frame to help protect pucks, just like his idol, Jaromir Jagr. Bystedt, who had 31 points in 50 AHL games last season, now needs to learn how to play with pace and be a force in small areas, so he can potentially earn a promotion to the NHL sometime this year.
“When you get a puck on your stick, you’ve got to treat it like it’s a piece of gold, and no one can take it from you,” Warsofsky said. “And that’s not just Filip. We’ve really stressed that a lot with our group.”
Asked if Bystedt’s still getting comfortable playing the North American game, Warsofsky offered a telling response, saying, “he should be pretty comfortable by now.”
Bystedt, 21, still hasn’t played an NHL game as he wasn’t called up by the Sharks down the stretch last season. And through no fault of his own, his ability to one day contribute to the Sharks will be used, at least in part, to determine whether it was worthwhile for San Jose to trade down in the first round on draft day in 2022.
The Sharks held the 11th overall pick that year but traded that selection to the Arizona Coyotes, now the Utah Mammoth, for the 27th, 34th, and 46th overall spots.
The Sharks used the 34th overall pick on forward Cam Lund, who played 11 NHL games last season and remains in camp, and defenseman Mattias Havelid, who was assigned to the Barracuda last week and is getting ready to play in his first full year in North America.
Hindsight is 20/20. But the Sharks passed on an opportunity to draft Conor Geekie, who played 52 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season and is fighting for a roster spot this year, and also Frank Nazar, a fellow forward who had 26 points in 53 games with Chicago last season and inked a seven-year, $46.2 million deal with the Blackhawks in August.
Geekie went 11th overall to the Coyotes, and the Blackhawks took Nazar at No. 14.
That doesn’t mean the Sharks will not someday benefit from the 2022 draft-day trade. Lund might start the season with the Barracuda, but he has had a good camp, and Havelid, despite being undersized at 5-foot-9, possesses a tantalizing skill set and should receive ample opportunities this year at the AHL level.
Bystedt, too, is only in year two of a three-year entry-level contract, so he has time to show Warsofsky, general manager Mike Grier, and the Sharks what he can do. He might play significant minutes for the Barracuda, which can only help his development.
What’s also true, though, is that centers like Celebrini, Misa, and Ostapchuk are not going anywhere. When the Sharks acquired Ostapchuk, 22, from the Ottawa Senators in March, Grier said he projects to be a third-line center, just like Bystedt was when he was drafted.
Will Smith could also move back to center at some point. That’s not to mention who the Sharks might draft in 2026 or acquire via trade or free agency.
The Sharks haven’t given up on Bystedt. But if this week’s training camp is any indication, they also know he has a long way to go, and a lot of work ahead of him.