Sharks’ roster looks set, with Luca Cagnoni among breakthrough players

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks moved closer to finalizing their season-opening roster on Sunday, sending defenseman Eric Pohlkamp to the Barracuda, placing goalie Ilya Samsonov on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to the AHL, and for now, keeping winger Brett Leason on the team.

If another NHL team does not claim Samsonov by 11 a.m. (PST) on Monday, he will be assigned to the Barracuda. NHL teams must submit salary-cap compliant rosters of no more than 23 players to the league office by Monday at 2 p.m. (PST).

The moves mean the Sharks, barring something unexpected, have all but set their roster for the start of a much-anticipated regular season. The group includes Luca Cagnoni and Nolan Allan, two defensemen who spent most of last season with the Barracuda.

Cagnoni, who has played nine games with the Sharks, and Allan, who played 43 games with the Blackhawks in 2024-25, both had ample chances to make the NHL roster out of training camp and took advantage of them, with mostly strong performances in practices and preseason games.

Cagnoni, 21, had one assist in two preseason games but looked impressive quarterbacking the Sharks’ top power-play unit for most of camp. Allan, 23, had a slower start to camp but improved this past week, playing all four Sharks preseason games. He was recently promoted to the top four and paired with veteran Jacob Trouba. Cagnoni has been paired at times in camp with Dmitry Orlov.

The Sharks also liked what they saw from 22-year-old Pohlkamp, a 2026 Hobey Baker Award finalist who adjusted quickly to the pro game.

But Pohlkamp, a first-year pro, did not need to clear waivers to be assigned to the Barracuda, whereas Allan, a fourth-year pro who signed a two-year contract extension with the Sharks in June, was no longer waiver-exempt.

The other healthy defensemen on the Sharks roster are NHL veterans Michael Kesselring, Darnell Nurse, Orlov and Trouba, as well as second-year pro Sam Dickinson. The Sharks goalies are Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic.

The Sharks’ forward group also appears set for the start of the year. Leason, 27, was not placed on waivers Sunday, suggesting forward Adam Gaudette will begin the season on injured reserve.

Gaudette sustained an upper body injury early in training camp and did not practice with the Sharks this past week. He did skate with other injured players on Saturday but remains day-to-day, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said.

The Sharks’ next practice is on Tuesday, and they open the regular season on Thursday at home against the Florida Panthers.

The Sharks’ healthy forward group also includes centers Macklin Celebrini, Alexander Wennberg, Michael Misa, Ty Dellandrea, and Zack Ostapchuk, and wingers Will Smith, Mason Marchment, Tyler Toffoli, Collin Graf, Igor Chernyshov, Kiefer Sherwood, Barclay Goodrow, and rookie Ivar Stenberg.

Stenberg, who turns 19 on Wednesday, was second in Sharks preseason scoring with three goals and two assists in three games. In the Sharks’ 4-2 road win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, Stenberg played left wing on a line with Wennberg and Graf.