The future of the San Jose Sharks looks as bright as one can imagine for a team that executed a to-the-studs teardown.

Macklin Celebrini looks like a potential superstar after an eye-opening rookie season. Will Smith might become his cornerstone star running mate. They're at the center of a developing young core brimming with potential, powered by a prospect pool widely considered to be the NHL's best (including a No. 1 ranking by The Athletic). Michael Misa leads that group, and his first taste of NHL-level competition came last weekend in the Golden State Rookie Faceoff in Irvine, Calif.

It's possible to see the foundation of a future contending team. High-end No. 1 center? If Celebrini isn't that already, he will be imminently. Big-play, big-minute No. 1 defenseman? It could be Sam Dickinson. Star-level No. 1 goalie? Yaroslav Askarov has the look of one. There's more to that in building a team, but general manager Mike Grier is steadily giving second-year head coach Ryan Warsofsky more to work with while his cadre of youngsters matures.

And with the news of the Sharks finalizing a deal to stay in San Jose until at least 2051 - an agreement with the city that includes upgrades to the aging SAP Center and work toward a new arena - there's been optimism growing around the franchise, starting with its 2024 draft lottery win to land Celebrini. With all that said, there is still the task of getting better now. They've had the league's worst record for two years running.

The first steps soon will be taken. With training camp approaching, here are five pertinent questions that will be addressed before they start the season.

Celebrini and Smith made the jump as teenagers right out of college, so why can't the 18-year-old Misa head straight from junior hockey to the NHL? He's done all he needed to do in the Ontario Hockey League, including scoring 62 goals in 65 games and topping the league with 134 points in a stupendous draft-eligible campaign that made him the No. 2 overall draft pick.

Dominating Canadian major junior is one thing. Making an immediate impact as a center with zero pro experience is another. Celebrini did it last year as a Calder Trophy finalist. Misa is a fantastic prospect but wasn't - or isn't - on that level. But the Oakville, Ontario native has often drawn comparisons to a player he emulated, John Tavares, because of his great skill and heady, all-around play.

Misa signed his entry-level contract last week, so the possibility of him connecting with expected 2026 No. 1 draft pick Gavin McKenna at Penn State is now moot. His intent all along has been to make the Sharks out of camp, and a terrific showing at the rookie tournament was a good start. While Sharks GM Mike Grier added forwards Jeff Skinner, Philipp Kurashev and Adam Gaudette during the summer, he didn't touch the middle of the ice. A lot of eyes will be on Misa as he makes his first push for the San Jose roster.

Until he reached the NHL last season with Celebrini, Smith had been a center. He was a center at Boston College for his only NCAA season, when he led the nation in scoring and was a top-10 Hobey Baker Award finalist. And when he started his first pro season with the Sharks, without any time in the minors, Smith lined up in the middle. He did not stay there.

Smith struggled early on with the faster pace of the NHL and the responsibilities that come with playing center in the world's best league. Even with him occasionally sitting out games as part of a development plan -- akin to what Anaheim did with Leo Carlsson as a rookie -- Smith broke through with his first two goals (and points) to power a win over Chicago but then struggled to generate offense in the first six weeks.

That changed in the second half, when Smith took off. He finished with 30 points in his last 34 games. One link to that was coach Ryan Warsofsky moving him to right wing and putting him on a line with Celebrini. From March 1 on, Smith and Celebrini factored in the other's goals on 13 occasions. Forwards are often moved around, but Smith's initial assignment could be tied to Misa. The Sharks have consistently said Smith could return to center, but if Misa stands out and opens as the 2C, that could keep San Jose's dynamic duo together.

About the only thing Dickinson didn't accomplish in his 2024-25 season was capturing a World Juniors gold medal. The 19-year-old was expected to dominate in his return to the London Knights after the Sharks moved up in the 2024 draft to select him with the No. 11 pick. He did that. Dickinson broke Evan Bouchard's OHL single-season points record by a defenseman (91) and then racked up 31 more in London's title run. He finished his season with a Memorial Cup victory.

It's possible Dickinson could be in no man's land when it comes to his development. He's too good for junior hockey but not eligible for the AHL.

Grier has said on multiple occasions the youngster will get a fair shot to make the Sharks, and it's obviously an important second San Jose camp for him. But the GM's offseason retooling of his defense included the signings of Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg, along with the waiver claim of Nick Leddy. Klingberg is a right-hand shot, so that doesn't directly affect Dickinson, but the arrivals of lefties Orlov and Leddy do.

Shakir Mukhamadullin is also very much in the Sharks' plans. The 23-year-old left shot was starting to capably handle big minutes in the second half of last season until he injured his shoulder during an April 1 game at Anaheim. With the left side crowded, the Sharks shipped out Henry Thrun.

William Eklund had every intention of playing for Sweden at this year's World Championships. So much so that he was in the lineup against Czechia in a pre-tournament contest. But his chance to play internationally for the first time since 2022 ended when his left wrist was cut by Filip Hronek's skate when Hronek was trying to escape a forecheck.

The sight of Eklund immediately grabbing his wrist and scrambling to the Swedish bench for assistance sent a shiver into the Sharks' fan base. The 22-year-old is one of San Jose's top players, an important forward who took a big step with his all-around game while bumping up his point total to 58. Fears of a major injury were alleviated when his agent, Todd Diamond, reported no tendons or nerves were severed, and all indications are that his recovery from surgery went well.

Considering the optics, it's a relief that Eklund appears on track to participate in camp and play in the Oct. 9 opener against Vegas. How important is he to San Jose? On the first day he was eligible, the Sharks signed Eklund to a three-year, $16.8 million extension.

"I want to be a leader," he said. "I want to be a guy that's reliable in all zones. I want to be even better at the things I do right now. And for my team, I want to be there every night and be a guy you can count on."

When the Sharks traded 2023 first-round pick and center prospect David Edstrom - obtained in the Tomáš Hertl trade - and a 2025 first-round pick (obtained from the Golden Knights) to Nashville for the 23-year-old Askarov, this was the moment they envisioned. Blocked by Juuse Saros with the Predators, Askarov now has his chance to become a true No. 1 goalie.

Anyone who has watched Askarov for some length of time can see how much natural talent he possesses. Last December, he continually thwarted the Edmonton Oilers, about as offensively powerful as any team in the NHL, and nearly stole a win with a sensational performance. He can make momentum-turning saves. But there were also rough nights among the 12 starts he made while splitting his season with the Barracuda.

With Alexandar Georgiev and Vitek Vaněček now gone, the Sharks have said the time is now for Askarov. There is nothing left for him to prove in the AHL. But even with a rebuilt defense, it will be a challenge for him or any goaltender to thrive. The Sharks traded for Alex Nedeljkovic, a capable veteran who has won games behind suspect blue lines in Detroit and Pittsburgh. Nedeljkovic can push him for starts, and that can help Askarov stay on edge.

Five questions facing the San Jose Sharks' in training camp: Will Misa make it? Where is Smith's future?