The Sharks have a LOOMING question...

The San Jose Sharks are in an interesting position where there's a lot of incoming talent, but not enough spots on the roster. So, difficult decisions are definitely going to have to be made. I, again, wanted to continue on the rising stars theme. Let's talk about our 6'2", 200 pounds, 21-year-old left wing, Quinton Musty. We have the same birthday. Twins. But I wanted to talk about him, especially because my last rising star, Philip Bystet, I suggest you watch that video to get more information on him. He and Bystet are in very similar positions where scouts are saying they're ready to make the jump to the NHL. And I definitely agree, especially in the case of Musty. I'll talk about that later. But they're ready to make the jump, but there's not a whole lot of open spots on the roster, especially in the forward group. So, difficult conversations are going to have to be had in terms of deciding who gets those spots. But Quinton Musty is a player that's worth paying attention to. I really like him, especially because he brings really, really specific elements to the team that I really like. But before I unpack all of that, I just want to remind you guys that we're still on Twitter and our handle is still at Sharks Digest. And we're still there to give you the latest news, trades, reports, and rumors about the San Jose Sharks. We can't always hop on a video, but we can always send out a tweet. And it's just another way to talk to you guys. So, give us a follow and a shout at Sharks Digest on Twitter. Now, before I talk about Quinton Musty, it is very important to talk about Timo Meier. So, back in the day, once upon a time, Timo Meier was part of the San Jose Sharks, living his life in San Jose. But it became apparent that he was not going to be part of the rebuild. He just didn't fit in in terms of his style of play, his age, his contract. None of it fit into where the Sharks were trying to go in terms of a rebuild. So, in 2023, the Sharks and the New Jersey Devils made a massive, massive trade. There was a lot involved in this trade. So, I'm just going to give you the highlights. But with Timo, the Sharks traded him but retained 50% of his salary. Plus, and again, we're doing highlights here, four other players and a fifth round pick in the 2024 draft to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for, and again, highlights, Fabian Zetterlund, who was very important for William Eklund, Shakir Mukumadulan, who I am still sad how things played out with him, and two other players, as well as a conditional first round pick in the 2023 draft. Now, remember that. That one's important. As well as a conditional second round pick in 2024 and a seventh round pick in 2024. Now, you can kind of forget those last two. They were both packaged in trade deals. But remember the conditional first round pick in 2023. Honestly, I think everyone is very happy with this trade, especially Timo. Timo actually went on to sign a very big contract with the New Jersey Devils. He's halfway through it and gets paid almost $9 million a year from them. So, I think he's happy. I think the Sharks are happy with everything that came from him. So, let's get to Quinton Mustie. Back in 2021, he was selected first overall by the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL Priority Selection. Look how tiny he was! But so, clearly, they were confident in him. They picked him first overall and he immediately joined the the next season for his rookie season in the 2021-2022 season. So, his rookie year with the Sudbury Wolves, he had 50 games played and 31 points. 12 goals, 19 assists. So, clearly, did not need any time to acclimate, especially only at 16 years old. He jumped in and was immediately good. He was named to the OHL second all-rookie team. He was a minus 21, which I really don't love. But, I only mention that because, keep it in mind for the next season. But, after this season, since it was the summer of 2022, it was time for him to participate in the Holinka Gretzky Cup for Team USA. This picture is actually not from that. He didn't get to wear a USA jersey very often, which I will get to that in a bit. But, this is from a showcase. But, the Holinka Gretzky Cup is an international tournament that players play in the summer before the season they'll play in before they're drafted. So, he played in Holinka and was really great for Team USA. In four games played, he had five points, a goal, and four assists. So, he was confident going into his next season with the Wolves. And, they slapped the A on his chest in the 2022-2023 season. He entered his second season with the Wolves. And, in 53 games played, he had 78 points, 26 goals, and 52 assists. That's pretty incredible. He doubled, more than doubled, his production from the previous season. He had 31 points the year before, and he had 78 this time. And, remember how I said he was minus 21 his rookie season? Well, this time, he was a plus 16. So, all around, good job, Quinton Musse. Fantastic improvement. He also was great in the playoffs. He had four games played and four points, a goal, and three assists. So, that summer, in the 2023 draft, the San Jose Sharks selected him 26th overall. That was that conditional first-round pick in the 2023 draft. Thank you. Thank you, Team O'Meara for making this happen. We love Quinton Musse in this house. Great pick. Look how happy they both are. But, so, he went back to Sudbury. Again, confident. And, again, with the A on his chest. And, he went crazy this season. This seems to be a recurring theme, but he went nuts this season with the A on his chest in 53 games played for Sudbury. He had 102 points, 43 goals, and 59 assists. And, again, better with his play off the puck. He was a plus 19. So, again, even more improvement from Quinton Musse. He just keeps getting better every time we see him. He was so, so good. He got named to the OHL first all-star team, and incredibly deservingly so. 102 points in 53 games played. And, in the playoffs, he had 10 points in 8 games, 2 goals, 8 assists. So, really great season after being drafted for Quinton Musse. And, he would go back for his last season in the OHL, in the 24-25 season. Again, wearing the A on his chest. However, unfortunately for him, he did not play a full season. He missed about 2 months because he got hurt in late November. He took a kind of awkward hit along the boards from Anaheim Duck, Beckett Seneca. Beckett Seneca's draft is probably my favorite draft moment of all time. However, he is an Anaheim Duck, and he did injure Quinton Musse. Not on purpose, but he did it anyway. But, his season was cut short, but he was still really good in those 33 games he played. He had 59 points. He was clearly on track to have had a better all-around season. Really good season, but he missed 2 months. Did make it back at the end of the season, came back for playoffs. So, in playoffs, he had 3 games and had 4 points. 1 goal, 3 assists, broken hand, 2. Again, 59 points in 33 games, and 4 points in 3 in the playoffs. But, because he broke his hand in late November, he missed the World Juniors. So, that's why we really didn't get to see him in a USA jersey that often. He definitely would have been on that World Junior Championship team, but he broke his hand, so he couldn't play, and again, missed 2 months. So, unfortunately for Quinton Musse, that season did not go the way he wanted it to. But, that did not stop him from making his mark, because the San Jose Sharks saw his perseverance, saw his ability to jump back into it, and said, let's get him on contract. So, brought him over to the AHL, where he played 3 games. For the sake of the playoffs, he played a playoff game. He didn't have points in either his 3 regular season games or the playoff game. But, clearly, it was worth it to us to bring him over, and get him on contract. His entry level contract ends at the end of the 27-28 season. So, we still have a good amount of time with him before we start having to worry about his future. But, I'll get to that in a second. So, in the 25-26, this past season with the Barracuda, he played a full season, had 61 games played, and 45 points. He was really great. 21 goals, 24 assists. He was tied for 3rd in goals on the team, and he was 4th in total points. And, one of the things I really, really like about Quinton Mustee is the way he uses his size. He creates absolute chaos, because he's big and not afraid to use his size. He is great when it comes to board battles. Again, physicality is a really big piece of what the Sharks have been missing. And, we have really added a lot of physicality in this offseason. But, Quinton Mustee is a great combination of physicality and skill. Those board battles specifically, he's coming out with the puck in those, because he's so good at using his body to leverage the play. And, he's really good at advancing the play because of that. And, he has really great vision. So, when he's in these board battles, he's fully aware of every teammate he has around him. So, he's really good at advancing the play. I really, really like the way he uses his physicality, especially because the Sharks are not a very physical team, and he has talent to match with it. So, of course, I also need to bring up Phillip Bysette, because I talked about him in my last video. Bysette is also in a very similar position. However, that being said, if I did have to choose between the two of them, I'm going Quinton Mustee. I just really like the way he uses his physicality. Now, granted, Bysette is incredibly fast, and that is also very valuable. But, I really wouldn't be surprised if we traded him. His trade stock is through the roof right now. I said in my last video, I would not be upset by that. I would much rather hold on to Quinton Mustee than Phillip Bysette, just because of that physical piece that he brings, as well as the talent he has. He's fun to watch, too. I really just like Quinton Mustee as a whole. Not to discredit Phillip Bysette, because I really like Phillip Bysette, too, especially the way he crashes the net. But, in terms of what they bring to this team, and what the team is missing, Quinton Mustee is the more valuable one of the two to me, and I would rather see more of him. Again, not to discredit Bysette at all, because I think he's a really fantastic player. However, I think he's probably going to be a fantastic player for another team. But, I wouldn't be surprised if we tried to hold on to Mustee, because of that added piece of physicality that he brings. And, of course, cannot go an episode without talking about him. We have Ivar Stenberg coming in, and I am so excited for him. But, he also adds to that puzzle of not enough spots on the roster. There's no chance the Sharks are not playing Ivar Stenberg. He's too good. He's going to be amazing. So, a lot of complicated choices to make, a lot of difficult conversations, and potentially cuts that are going to have to be made. Of course, hockey's a business at the end of the day. It doesn't matter how much we love a player. They are pieces of the puzzle, and everyone is worth something, and can and will be traded or sent off somewhere else because of it. So, there's a lot of question marks around this team. I'd love to know what you guys think. Again, I really like Mustee, and I really want to see more of him this season, especially because of his physicality. Let me know what you guys think. Drop a comment below. Can't wait. Go Sharks!