Not really relevant to who we draft, but I do think it’s very unrealistic to posit that Will will stay on the top line if Stenberg is drafted. Warso has been so abundantly clear he doesn’t really like how Will plays. You really think he keeps him on the top line if there is a new flashy winger who plays the style Warso prefers? I’m sorry I just don’t see it. Unless Stenberg is remarkably bad playing with Mack (which isn’t likely), that’s going to be his long term home with Cherny, while Will bounces up and down the line up for the rest of his tenure in SJ. Maybe, maybe, Will starts the season on the top line, but the first time he has a bad game that’s going to be it. And his stats will of course suffer, so it will be a self-affirming prophecy that won’t change with a new coach.
Drafting Stenberg may or may not be good for the Sharks (I personally think it’s setting the team up to waste Mack’s prime à la Edmonton), but I just don’t see how people could honestly believe it’s not going to drastically reduce Will’s chance of playing on the top line, or succeeding with the sharks at all.
And this assumption is based on what, exactly? I could throw a bunch of stats back at you, but how about this quote about Mack & Will from Warso who "doesn't really like how Will plays":
“Their hockey sense is very similar as far as the way they see the ice and the way they see plays develop,” Warsofsky said. “The biggest thing is they see the ice well, and they can see plays develop before 90 percent of the league.”
Warsofsky admitted, “You could go through Mack and Will's shifts and show them video. And even if it's a mistake in my eyes, they can tell you what they were thinking and maybe what play they wanted to make, and then you can see it.”
But sure. Let's break up the most effective pair on the Sharks and put Mack with Stenberg & Chernyshov. 🤷♀️