Sharks under-the-radar storylines after early preseason losses

Sharks under-the-radar storylines after early preseason losses originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.

Will Smith’s preseason debut is the obvious headline, but let’s talk about some under-the-radar San Jose Sharks’ storylines.

Now, it’s too early in training camp to get worried. The Sharks’ season-opener isn’t until Oct. 10 but Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, and strong performances by Jack Thompson and Vitek Vanecek, got me thinking.

Danil Gushchin, Alex Wennberg, and Thompson scored in a losing effort and Vanecek stopped 11 of 12 shots before he was relieved by Gabriel Carriere.

Going into camp, the Sharks’ defensive depth chart appeared to be, in some order, Mario Ferraro, Jake Walman, Cody Ceci, Jan Rutta, Henry Thrun, Matt Benning, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Shakir Mukhamadullin. That’s eight defensemen, more than enough, except Vlasic and Mukhamadullin haven’t participated in camp yet because of day-to-day injuries.

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast