The San Jose Sharks have got to be playing a trick. Just a day after his latest assignment to the AHL, Mirco Mueller has been recalled by the team. This marks the defenseman’s third call up in the past week as the team plays ping-pong with his contract. The amazing thing is that he still hasn’t played in a single game for the Sharks, while dressing 18 times for the Barracuda between callups. The 21-year old former first-round pick has fallen victim to the waivers game since he is the Sharks best option that is exempt from the process. With seven points in his AHL games the big puck moving defender is off to a nice start despite all the up and downs.
- Mueller will again possibly see some NHL action this week as both David Schlemko and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are considered day-to-day with lower body injuries. According to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News, Vlasic didn’t skate with the team Sunday (though it was only a half-hour optional practice) and is unsure of his status for Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. While not clear even when it happened during the Carolina game on Saturday night, he’s literally taking it day by day: “I’m thinking today and today I’m trying to get better. We’ll see tomorrow and it’s going to be the same thing.”
- Schlemko, out the last three games is closer to returning, but still isn’t 100% either. He took part in the optional Sunday skate, but will likely be a game-time decision on Tuesday night. Dylan DeMelo has been filling in for Schlemko, but is right-handed and may not be able to fill in for Vlasic should he miss the upcoming games; Mueller does play the left side, and would be a natural replacement if much less experienced than the elite shutdown defender.
- Pashelka also tells us that Troy Grosenick has been chosen as the AHL player of the week. The netminder amazingly stopped all 64 shots he faced this week after coming back from injury to rejoin the Barracuda. The 27-year old undrafted pro has a 1.98 goals against average this year and is holding a steady .928 save percentage. Grosenick made his NHL debut in 2014-15 with the Sharks, playing in two games and allowing just three goals. While last year was a bit of a disaster for the veteran AHLer, it’s not inconceivable for him to get a look as an NHL backup at some point down the road if he can keep up this excellence. He’ll hit unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer, and would be an interesting option for a team looking for a cheap option in net.