Ryan Donato

The Sharks aren't exactly loaded with offensive depth, which makes their decision to not issue Donato a qualifying offer at the end of last season all the more baffling. Donato hasn't developed into the player many expected during his standout career at Harvard, but he's still just 25 years old and has posted at least 20 points in three straight seasons. Donato won't change the course of any franchise, but he's certainly worth a look on a rebuilding team. The fact he's remained unsigned late into the summer and has already played for three organizations (San Jose, Minnesota, Boston) at such a young age doesn't bode well for his NHL future.

Donato's first and only full year in Minnesota saw him produce 23 points in 62 games, a far cry from the 16 points in 22 contests he mustered in 2018-19 after he was traded from the Bruins. Donato was then flipped again to the Sharks, where he joins a team in the middle of a rebuild. The 24-year-old forward will have the inside track for a top-six job entering 2020-21, and that means he'll either be flanking Logan Couture or Tomas Hertl. Both could do wonders for Donato's numbers, but a lot remains to be seen about his abilities. The second-round pick from 2014 is likely worth a late-round pick in deeper formats.

Donato made an immediate impact with his new team after he was traded from Boston for Charlie Coyle in late February. In 22 games for the Wild last season, he put up four goals and 16 points while averaging 15:32 of ice time in that span. More telling for future success with Minnesota, he averaged just under two minutes of power-play time. Donato has yet to flash pure goal-scoring ability in his first 68 games in the NHL, but his crafty hands make him a threat to appear on the scoresheet every other game. The 23-year-old faces a logjam at wing currently, but the Wild seem to value Donato as part of their future plans, suggesting he'll get every opportunity to be successful.

Donato, who turned in a stellar performance for Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics, also saw his efforts at Harvard last season recognized when he was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, presented annually to the NCAA's best college hockey player. On top of that, Donato got his first taste of NHL action, logging five goals and nine points in 12 games down the regular-season stretch. In the process, Donato showed plenty of upside on offense, while displaying energy, solid wheels and a dangerous shot that he's not afraid to let go. While nothing will be handed to him this season, it's not hard to imagine the 22-year-old securing top-six work up front in his first full campaign as a pro.

The 2014 second-round pick, who showed well at the Bruins' development camp this summer, will now look to establish himself at the NCAA level after a 2014-15 season in which he played for several teams, including the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. While the 19-year-old Donato is no immediate threat to crack the Bruins lineup, down the road he projects as a solid two-way player at the pro level, given his scoring instincts and hockey IQ.

Donato - the son of former Bruin Ted Donato - was selected by Boston with the 56th-overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He’s a few years away from a shot with the big club though, with another season of high school hockey (at Dexter School in Brookline, Mass) or a stint with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League on tap for him in 2014-15.