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Alexander Barabanov

Snapshots: Barabanov, Duclair, Ruff, Hornqvist

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Alexander Barabanov has been one of the most valuable and cost-efficient players on the San Jose Sharks over the past two seasons. He broke out to the tune of 39 points in 70 games in 2021-22, and then followed that up with 15 goals and 47 points in 68 games last season. Set to turn 30 in the summer, Barabanov is entering a platform year for a potential trip to unrestricted free agency. When asked about the possibility of extending Barabanov as well as summer trade addition Anthony Duclair, San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier told the media (including Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka) that “there’s definitely some merit to thinking about extending those guys and having them around here.”

One could question why the Sharks would be interested in extending Barabanov and Duclair, players who will be 30 and 29 in the summer, respectively, and those questions would be reasonable. Committing cap dollars to wingers at or near their 30’s is the kind of move contending teams make, not rebuilders. But despite trading away Norris Trophy Winner Erik Karlsson, the Sharks aren’t yet plunged into a full rebuilding process. The twin pillars of the franchise remain Logan Couture and Tomáš Hertl, and Grier may be interested in fielding as competitive a roster as possible  while those players are still in teal.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald told the media today, including team reporter Amanda Stein, that the club is “working towards extending” head coach Lindy Ruff “beyond this year.” Ruff, 63, had a season for the ages in 2022-23, and very well could have taken home the second Jack Adams award of his career had Jim Montgomery not led the Boston Bruins to a historic 65 regular-season wins. Ruff’s Devils went 52-22-8 and defeated their arch-rival New York Rangers in the postseason, so it’s easy to see why Fitzgerald would want to keep the veteran coach moving forward.
  • The Florida Panthers announced changes to their hockey operations department, and the biggest-name addition to the team’s front office is that of Patric Hornqvist as a scouting and development consultant. Hornqvist recently officially retired, ending a playing career that saw him appear in 901 regular-season NHL games. The 36-year-old was a widely respected leader and locker room presence for the Panthers, and will now be able to contribute his services to the organization off the ice.

Injury Notes: Sharks, Raddysh, Jeannot, Noesen

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Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relayed several updates from the head coach of the San Jose Sharks, David Quinn, on Saturday morning. Most notable of the updates, forwards Alexander Barabanov and Andreas Johnsson are likely out for the rest of the regular season. At the same time, Oskar Lindblom might be able to return before the year is out.

Johnsson, who was acquired from the New Jersey Devils as a part of the deal for Timo Meier, has played sparingly in San Jose, only managing to play in 11 games so far. In that handful of games, he has accrued three assists and has averaged over 15 minutes a night for the Sharks. At the end of this season, Johnsson will be a restricted free agent, finishing up a 4-year, $13.6MM deal he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 2019.

In stark contrast, Barabanov has been exceptional for the Sharks since coming over from the Maple Leafs in a 2021 trade. Unfortunately for him, he did not receive much playing time from Toronto when he first broke into the league, however; since joining San Jose, Barabanov has been a formidable top-six candidate for the Sharks. Improving each season, he will finish this year with 15 goals and 32 assists in 68 games played.

Other injury notes:

  • Since the separate trades that sent forward Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers, and Max Domi to the Dallas Stars, the Chicago Blackhawks have a new leading point-scorer in Taylor Raddysh. Having an above-average season since his trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning last year, the forward has 20 goals and 17 assists in 78 games for the Blackhawks. Unfortunately, that will be his final point total, as Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Raddysh has a groin injury that will keep him out of Chicago’s remaining regular season games.
  • Trade deadline acquisition Tanner Jeannot will not be in the Lightning’s lineup tonight as they take on the Ottawa Senators. The team announces that the forward will instead fly back to Tampa Bay to see a doctor after injuring himself against the New York Islanders. Since coming to the Lightning, the forward has played in 20 games, only managing to score four points, but also tallying 77 hits in the process. Last season, Jeannot had much better point totals, scoring 41 points in 81 games for the Predators, throwing a total of 318 hits.
  • As the Carolina Hurricanes look to capture the Metropolitan Division title in the coming days, they will be missing a valuable depth forward tonight in Stefan Noesen. The team reports that the forward will be out with a lower-body injury. Playing in his ninth season of the NHL already, the forward has eclipsed his previous points record, scoring 35 points in 75 games for the Hurricanes so far.

Injury Notes: Bergeron, Sharks, Scandella

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Matt Porter of the Boston Globe reports that Boston Bruins’ captain Patrice Bergeron will not play in tomorrow’s game against the St.Louis Blues. Bruin’s head coach Jim Montgomery shares that Bergeron is dealing with both lower and upper-body “issues”.

As the Bruins continue on one of, if not the all-time best, regular seasons of all time, Bergeron has continued to be an important piece of the puzzle. Although his scoring is technically down this season, the Bruins center has put up 57 points in 74 games. Not only has Bergeron continued his above-average point production, but he has also still played extremely well on the defensive side of the puck. On a three-year stretch of having more takeaways than giveaways, the veteran center has 62 and 52, respectively.

Capping off a historic season, the Bruins will only play two teams within the playoff picture out of their remaining six games. Record books aside, the team has an important job to do come playoff time, and having a rested Bergeron will be a major component in the team realizing that goal.

Other notes:

  • The San Jose Sharks released some injury updates today, as Curtis Pashelka, a Sharks beat writer, relays that forward Oskar Lindblom should return this week, and; unfortunately, Alexander Barabanov will likely be out for the remainder of the season. Now in his sixth NHL season, Lindblom currently has 15 points for the Sharks in 73 games played. Coming into his own in San Jose, Barabanov has reached a new career-high, scoring 15 goals and 32 assists with the Sharks this season.
  • As the team finished today’s game against the Nashville Predators, the St.Louis Blues announced that defenseman Marco Scandella will be out with a lower-body injury. Unfortunately for the Blues and Scandella, he was only recently activated from the team’s long-term injured reserve on February 20th of this year. In only 19 games played this season, the defenseman has scored two points total.

West Notes: Blues, Sharks, Predators

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When the New York Rangers clinched the playoffs last night, thanks to losses by the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers, there must have been some smiles on a Western Conference club, too. The St. Louis Blues will now receive a 2024 third-round pick as part of the Vladimir Tarasenko trade, instead of the conditional fourth that was initially announced.

The Blues now have ten picks in the first three rounds over the next two years, thanks to their trades of Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly. That gives them a chance to retool quickly, with considerable draft capital to flip this summer if they are trying to contend in 2023-24.

Injury Updates: Barabanov, Blueger, Texier

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The Sharks could get some help on the wing on Tuesday as Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that winger Alexander Barabanov could be activated from injured reserve for their game against the Islanders.  The 28-year-old didn’t play at all in the preseason due to a lower-body injury and while they were hopeful he’d be good to go for their international games, that clearly wasn’t the case.  Barabanov had 39 points in 70 games last season and head coach David Quinn acknowledged that the winger could find himself on the top line in short order.  San Jose has scored just six goals in four games so far this season so any help up front will certainly be welcomed.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Although Penguins forward Teddy Blueger has made some gradual progress as he works his way back from an undisclosed injury, he did not accompany the team to Montreal in advance of their game on Monday, notes Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The injury was originally suffered nearly three weeks ago and originally had a day-to-day designation but clearly, the recovery has been slower than anticipated.  Fortunately for Pittsburgh, Blueger was cleared for contact in practice so his season debut should be coming in the near future.
  • While Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier is playing in Switzerland this season, his year got off to a slow start when he broke his wrist in the first game of the year. However, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that the 23-year-old was able to return to the lineup on Saturday which was slightly ahead of schedule while he scored in the shootout.

Snapshots: Jagr, Sharks Injuries, Oilers

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While Jaromir Jagr last played in the NHL back in 2017-18 with Calgary, he continued to play through last season when he suited up for the team he owns in Kladno in the Czech Extraliga.  Notably, the 50-year-old hasn’t suited up for his squad this season and he told Denik Sport’s Miroslav Horak that he “lacks the desire and motivation” to play this year.  While he acknowledged he’d have to try to get back into playing shape for a Winter Classic game (not an NHL one) that he had been a part of trying to put together, that doesn’t seem likely to happen so perhaps the future Hall of Famer has played his last game.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Sharks will be without winger Alexander Barabanov and defenseman Markus Nutivaara for the first two games of the regular season, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The pair did not accompany the team on their trip to Czechia against Nashville.  The two have been listed as day-to-day for the last week and they’ll have nearly two more weeks to recover with their first game back in North America not until the 14th.  San Jose is carrying the maximum of 27 players on the trip.
  • The Oilers are not believed to be among the teams that are involved in trade talks with Arizona regarding defenseman Jakob Chychrun, reports Sportsnet’s Mark Spector (Twitter link). He notes that top prospects Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg are off the table in discussions which would certainly limit the top young assets that the Coyotes will be seeking.  As a team with very limited cap space, Edmonton would also likely need to send salary out that matches or exceeds Chychrun’s $4.6MM AAV which also wouldn’t be appealing to Arizona.

Snapshots: Dumba, Barabanov, Harpur

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Generally, when thinking of the Minnesota Wild, the first name that comes to mind is Kirill Kaprizov. That’s fair, considering his superstar status, however the team’s defense core, which has been together for several years, is the foundational piece of the team’s current build. Those players include captain Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and impending UFA Mathew Dumba. The seventh-overall pick in 2012, Dumba has spent parts of nine seasons in the NHL, all wearing a Wild uniform. But, for much of it, it’s been his name circulating in the rumor mills and that may continue to ring true this year.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo had a chance to talk with Dumba recently, who opened up about the possibility for being traded and his impending free agency, especially as it relates to Minnesota’s difficult salary cap situation. The defenseman made clear he wants to stay and is focused on being the best player and leader he can be, allowing it to work out as it does. Wild GM Bill Guerin, however, didn’t seem as optimistic, reiterating the organization’s difficult cap position, which “makes it hard to do certain things.” Guerin also mentioned that the Wild had not begun to engage Dumba on extension talks yet. Notably, the Wild are set to carry a $12.7MM cap charge against them this season, which increases to $14.7MM over the next two, thanks to their buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Though they technically might be able to afford Dumba, they will have to be smart with the use of their cap, and with the defenseman coming off of a $6MM AAV deal and a pipeline loaded with defensive talent, extending him may not necessarily make the most sense.

  • San Jose Sharks forward Alexander Barabanov is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Sharks coach David Quinn  told the media, including Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Though the injury is not specified, day-to-day status should mean the injury won’t have a lasting impact that would keep the 28-year-old from being ready for opening night. The forward, who had 39 points in 70 games last season, projects to be among a few key sources of offense this year for the Sharks. Not surprisingly given this news, Barabanov is not in the lineup for tonight’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings.
  • A scary scene earlier today as defenseman Ben Harpur, who is in camp with the Columbus Blue Jackets on a PTO, was injured in a scrap with Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jamie Devane. After the fight, Harpur appeared injured, but the nature and severity of the injury was unclear. One potentially positive update from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is that Harpur was able to fly back to Columbus with the team after the game. Given the immediate aftermath, where Harpur laid still on the ice for several moments, seeing he was able to travel with the team is, for now, good news.

San Jose Sharks Extend Alexander Barabanov, Jaycob Megna

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The San Jose Sharks have decided to keep Alexander Barabanov around, reaching a two-year extension with the versatile forward. The deal keeps him under contract through 2023-24 and will carry an average annual value of $2.5MM, according to Chris Johnston of TSN. Johnston adds that it will include a ten-team no-trade clause, and signing bonuses of $1.0MM in 2022-23 and $500K in 2023-24. Barabanov was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Interim general manager Joe Will released the following statement:

Alexander had a very good first full year in the NHL, showing that he is a consistent point producer and playmaker. Paired with his grit and hard work, he has the potential to improve upon his success this past year.

Barabanov, 27, has found a perfect fit in San Jose since arriving there in a 2021 trade. The Toronto Maple Leafs seemingly gave him a fresh start after struggling to get into their lineup, and things exploded nearly immediately for the Russian winger. After scoring seven points in nine games down the stretch in 2020-21, Barabanov returned with another strong campaign for the Sharks this year, scoring 39 points in 70 games. While he isn’t expected to be a top-end offensive producer, his work ethic and two-way ability make him a valuable piece that can move around the lineup.

In fact, given he has spent the vast majority of his time in San Jose with Tomas Hertl, who the Sharks just signed to a massive eight-year extension, it made a ton of sense to keep Barabanov in the fold. The two, along with Timo Meier, who has often been on the right side, have found nice chemistry together and produced at both ends of the rink. Whether Barabanov’s success is mostly a product of Hertl is another question entirely, and one that will certainly need to be answered if he ends up finding himself somewhere else in the lineup at some point in these next two years.

Minutes later, the Sharks announced that they have also signed Jaycob Megna to a two-year extension. The 29-year-old defenseman was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer after finding a nice role with the Sharks this year. In 44 games, the 6’6″ Megna averaged over 19 minutes a night, easily the biggest opportunity of his professional career. Originally selected 210th overall in 2012, he had played just 43 NHL games before this season, all with the Anaheim Ducks, and none of them had come since 2019.

The team did not immediately release details on Megna’s contract, though Will also released a short statement on the deal:

Jaycob is a reliable player that defends well. He is a high-character person that was recently recognized by Team USA and will be playing for his country at the World Championship.

Sharks Notes: Simek, Barabanov, Megna, Grievance

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Sharks defenseman Radim Simek played just two partial games over the final six weeks of the season due to injuries and a lower role on the depth chart but he confirmed to Lukas Losleben of hokej.cz that he will suit up for the Czechs at the upcoming World Championships.  The 29-year-old had a tough year, recording just two points in 36 games while averaging just over 13 minutes per game.  Simek expressed some frustration with his usage, telling Losleben that management called his reduced role a coaching decision while the coaches said it was management’s call.  A fresh start at the Worlds certainly won’t hurt as San Jose will undoubtedly be looking to move the final two years of his deal (which carries a $2.25MM AAV) this summer.

More from San Jose:

  • Earlier this week, interim GM Joe Will met with reporters, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, as part of their end-of-season media conferences. He mentioned that he would like to re-sign a pair of pending UFAs in winger Alexander Barabanov and defenseman Jaycob Megna.  Barabanov was a capable secondary scorer for the Sharks this season with 39 points in 70 games which has him in line for a sizable raise on the $1MM deal that’s set to expire.  Megna, meanwhile, averaged over 19 minutes a game in 44 contests on the back end.  That should be enough to get him a one-way deal for the first time in his career with a price tag that checks in a little above the $750K minimum.
  • Also from Pashelka’s piece, Will indicated that the team expects the Evander Kane grievance to be settled by July 13th which is the start of free agency this summer. San Jose terminated Kane’s deal with the winger filing a grievance back in January with the first hearing only occurring last month.  Getting clarity on that front will be critical as there’s an expectation that the Sharks will face some cap penalties but the severity (or lack thereof) will go a long way in determining what they can or can’t do from a roster-building standpoint.

Injury Updates: Flyers, Barabanov, Maple Leafs, Murray

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Don’t expect the Flyers to get many – if any – reinforcements from their injured list over the final few games.  Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link) that the only player that might be able to return is defenseman Nick Seeler with interim head coach Mike Yeo admitting that even that “might be a bit of a long shot”.  This means the season has come to an end for wingers Cam Atkinson and Patrick Brown, defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen, Kevin Connauton, and Cam York, as well as goaltender Carter Hart.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Sharks winger Alexander Barabanov is listed as probable for tonight’s game against Chicago, notes Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury.  Barabanov has been one of the bright spots for San Jose this season, notching 37 points in 65 games, a very nice return on a $1MM AAV.  He’s eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer and will be looking at a sizable raise on his next contract.
  • The Maple Leafs could have defenseman Jake Muzzin back in the lineup tomorrow against Washington, reports Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link). The veteran has been held out of the last few games after struggling a bit after returning from a concussion.  Meanwhile, Fox adds that blueliner Rasmus Sandin is expected to start practicing with the team as he works his way back from a knee injury that landed him on LTIR last month.  Toronto has enough cap flexibility to activate him if he’s able to get into a game before the end of the season but if not, he should be ready for the playoffs.
  • Senators goaltender Matt Murray is hoping to get into a game or two by the end of the season but it doesn’t seem likely to happen, mentions Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The netminder has been out for the last six weeks with a neck injury and is a speculative candidate to play for Canada at next month’s World Championships.  An appearance or two in the final week for Ottawa would go a long way towards demonstrating that he’ll be able to play in that tournament.

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