Sharks’ Opinion Filip Bystedt Enters Make-or-Break Offseason – Hockey Writers – San Jose Sharks

In the NHL, long-term prospects often find their roles changing well before they reach the highest level. San Jose Sharks center prospect Filip Bystedt is facing that situation right now. When he was appointed, he had the highest place in the club’s team. Since then, the circumstances around him have changed a lot. Now he’s trying to figure out where he fits in at the NHL level, and this offseason will be his best — and possibly last — chance to prove he belongs there.

Bystedt Is Making Progress, But Is It Fast Enough?

Every player’s growth curve is different, but Bystedt’s has been the longest. Nearly four years removed from being the 27th pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, he is one of two players from that first round of the draft who have yet to play in an NHL game.

To be fair to Bystedt, he has made significant strides in that time. He advanced to the highest levels of the Swedish hockey system before joining the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL). Playing parts of three seasons with them, he turned in nearly a point per game and became one of the team’s best and most valuable players as they made back-to-back Calder Cup Playoff appearances.

While that’s a good trend, turning into a good AHL player in four years only takes him so far, especially when 30 of the other 31 first-round picks in his draft year have gone on to become NHL players. In addition, in those four years, the Sharks drafted and acquired a number of top players who are either already established in the NHL or have developed very quickly.

The Sharks were prepared to work with a green prospect like Bystedt in 2022, as they prepare for a rebuilding year. Now, top players like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith have sped up the franchise’s contention timeline faster than expected, and could add another in this year’s draft. Bystedt is lagging behind, and doesn’t have long to catch up.

Bystedt Needs to Find a Place for the Sharks

Given Bystedt’s style of play and the Sharks’ depth chart, he’s probably a better fit as the team’s fourth-line center if he makes the NHL roster. The problem is that the Sharks already have a solid fourth-line center in free agent Zack Ostapchuk. If the Sharks bring him back, Bystedt will need to make big strides to prove he’s worth the jump to Ostapchuk in the middle of the organization.

Bystedt’s best chance would be to hope the Sharks let Ostapchuk go so they can take a chance on a homegrown player like him. But if they choose to go with a known asset in Ostapchuk or find a different NHL player, Bystedt may be out of luck.

In fact, his best performance for the Sharks may not be as a playmaker but as a trade piece for a defenseman. The Sharks still have gaps to fill on their blue line, and with a weak free agency, they will look to the trade market. Their most traded assets are likely prospects going forward, and as an untapped power forward in the NHL, Bystedt could be high on other teams’ lists.

As Mike Grier’s first draft pick as the Sharks’ general manager, Bystedt had been part of San Jose’s future. He could still get that role again, but the circumstances under which he would do it had changed drastically.

Bystedt’s work in the field of conversion

A number of Sharks forwards are struggling right now, but considering how long Bystedt has been in the organization, he may be facing his toughest season yet. You’ve gone from one of San Jose’s most important small pieces to having no place with their NHL team at all. He’s only 22 years old, but given how young the Sharks are, he can’t wait forever for his development.

This summer, he needs to shut down, focus on his career, and do everything he can to convince the Sharks coaching staff and front office that he is still a franchise member. If he doesn’t, he faces a lot of uncertainty about the future of his professional career, and may have to start all over again at another team.