San Jose Sharks Round Out Athletic Training Staff
The San Jose Sharks have rounded out their kinesiological staff with the hiring of Will Leonard as head athletic trainer, Ryan Ledwon as assistant athletic trainer, and Patrick Dugan as assistant strength and conditioning coach according to beat reporter Max Miller.
Leonard will take over as the team’s second athletic trainer for the team since the 1997-98 season. The position was previously held by Ray Tufts who was relieved of duties the same day as former-head coach David Quinn on April 24th of this year. Leonard had previously served as the head athletic trainer for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda before working under Tufts for the last two years with the Sharks as an assistant athletic trainer.
Ledwon and Dugan are rookies to the organization with the former having experience in his role with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls of the Anaheim Ducks organization. Dugan’s new role with the Sharks will be marked as his first position in professional hockey.
Snapshots: McCabe, Couture, Shattenkirk, Kaprizov, Sorokin
The Maple Leafs have begun initial talks with defenseman Jake McCabe on a contract extension, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on today’s “32 Thoughts” podcast. He’s entering the final season of a four-year, $16MM deal with a $4MM cap hit, but the Leafs are only on the hook for half of it thanks to the Blackhawks retaining $2MM per season on his deal when they traded him to Toronto before the 2023 trade deadline.
McCabe, 31 in October, has fit in seamlessly on the Toronto blue line, averaging 20:39 per game in his first entire season there last year. It wasn’t quite a career-high in ice time, but it was a career-best year for McCabe in nearly every other category, including goals (8), points (28), rating (+20), and hits (219).
While a passable puck-mover, McCabe is primarily effective as a stay-at-home piece. He averaged 2:12 per game on the penalty kill and kept his head above water in terms of controlling expected goals at even strength, the first time he’s done so in his career after toiling on rebuilders in Buffalo and Chicago. He’ll still feature heavily on a new-look Toronto defense next season featuring Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev.
More from around the league:
- There’s still uncertainty about Sharks captain Logan Couture‘s availability to begin the season, but Friedman said that he doesn’t get the sense Couture is considering hanging up his skates. The 35-year-old played just six games in 2023-24 due to osteitis pubis, a rare type of joint inflammation that causes pain and swelling in the groin and lower abdomen (from the Cleveland Clinic). With three seasons left on his contract at an $8MM cap hit, the 15-year veteran still hopes to be a core piece and guide San Jose’s new crop of young players through their ongoing rebuild.
- Free agent defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk still fully intends on returning for his 15th NHL season in 2024-25, his agent, George Bazos, tells Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. Bazos said his camp is in discussions with a few teams regarding his client but didn’t say whether they were regarding guaranteed deals or professional tryout agreements. Shattenkirk, 35, had 24 points in 61 games with the Bruins last season in bottom-pairing minutes after signing a one-year, $1.05MM deal in Boston in free agency.
- Leon Draisaitl‘s recent eight-year mega-deal likely has positive implications for Kirill Kaprizov as he kicks off extension negotiations with the Wild, Friedman posits. Kaprizov’s deal runs for two more seasons, and he isn’t eligible to sign an extension until July 1, 2025, but there’s already a sentiment building around the league that Draisaitl’s $14MM cap hit is a “needle-mover” for contracts handed out to superstars, Friedman said. After winning the Calder Trophy during the shortened 2020-21 season, Kaprizov has emerged as one of the league’s most consistent scorers, topping the 40-goal mark for three years in a row. He’s still owed $17.5MM on the five-year, $45MM deal he signed as a restricted free agent in 2021.
- An undisclosed injury may have had something to do with Ilya Sorokin‘s slight regression in play for the Islanders last season, Friedman said. The 29-year-old netminder still managed to finish eighth in Vezina Trophy voting, but his .908 SV%, 3.01 GAA, and two shutouts were all career-lows. He’s about to kick off the eight-year, $66MM extension he signed to stay on Long Island last summer, and Friedman said whether Sorokin checks in at 100% when training camp begins later this month will be one of the bigger storylines to watch for the Isles.
Filip Zadina Signs In Switzerland
Former Detroit Red Wings first-round pick Filip Zadina has reportedly signed a deal with Swiss club HC Davos (as per HC Davos X account). The signing ends Zadina’s time in the NHL for now, as inconsistency and inflated expectations have plagued the former sixth-overall pick. It was reported last week that Zadina would sign a PTO with an NHL team, however, his agent poured cold water over those rumors.
Zadina was never able to live up to the expectations of being drafted so high and eventually asked for a fresh start to try and get his career on the rails. Detroit mutually terminated his contract in July 2023 which allowed the 24-year-old to sign with the San Jose Sharks last summer and start with a clean slate. With the Sharks, Zadina posted a career-high 13 goals to go with 10 assists in 72 games, but his overall game wasn’t strong enough to warrant a NHL contract this summer.
Zadina likely could have received an NHL offer through a professional tryout, particularly with some of the teams lacking forward depth, however, he has opted for more certainty and a guarantee in Switzerland. His signing effectively pauses his time in the NHL and could allow him to regain the offensive touch the made him a high draft pick. Davos has historically been a powerhouse in the National League with 31 titles but has struggled as of late finishing sixth last year in the regular season and getting knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.
West Notes: Nabokov, Sumpf, Pilling
Last season was a banner one for 21-year-old netminder Ilya Nabokov. He took home three pieces of hardware as the Kontinental Hockey League’s Rookie of the Year, Playoff MVP and champion with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. His stellar .930 SV% in 43 games of KHL regular-season action made him the first goalie off the board in this summer’s draft despite his age, going at No. 38 to the Avalanche.
Colorado may have hoped Nabokov, who’s entering the final season of his contract with Metallurg, would be available to them as soon as 2025-26. That seems unlikely, however, as Metallurg general manager Sergei Gomolyako said the team is working on a one-year extension for Nabokov to keep him in Russia for another season (via Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now).
His strong performance in a top professional league so early in his career indicates he’ll likely be an NHL option whenever he comes from his home country. As a player drafted out of a Russian league, the Avalanche hold Nabokov’s signing rights indefinitely. They don’t risk losing him to free agency if they wait too long to sign an entry-level contract.
Other updates from the Western Conference:
- The Sharks are set to invite a pair of centers to next month’s Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles on amateur tryouts, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports. The first is 19-year-old German pivot Julius Sumpf, who’s been passed over for selection in the past two NHL drafts. Sumpf, who hails from Munich, came over to North America last season to suit up in junior hockey for the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. He fit in seamlessly, finishing sixth on the team in scoring with 55 points (21 G, 34 A) in 60 games. He also posted three points in five games for Germany at the 2024 World Juniors, earning some consideration from NHL teams as a potential overage pick earlier this summer, but it didn’t come to fruition. Sumpf has a good two-way game and good size at 6’2″ and 185 lbs, but he’ll likely need to bulk up a bit to make a mark in the pros.
- Joining Sumpf is 20-year-old Calgary native Nathan Pilling. Pilling, who stands at 6’3″ and 205 lbs, has played a somewhat limited role for the last three years in the Western Hockey League. He split last season between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Seattle Thunderbirds, putting up his best offensive totals yet with 18 goals, 14 assists and 32 points in 56 games. He’s a much lower-ceiling option offensively than Sumpf should he end up parlaying his ATO into an entry-level contract, but he does have a more well-rounded physical game.
Andrew Poturalski Ready For Opportunity With Sharks
Forward Andrew Poturalski recently expressed his hunger to crack the roster of the San Jose Sharks in a recent interview with Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey. The longtime AHL veteran signed a two-year, two-way agreement with the Sharks organization this summer after spending the last two years as a part of the Seattle Kraken organization.
Poturalski, 30, is one of the best AHL players in recent memories to have not gotten a legitimate shot at the NHL level. Despite only managing two points in six career games from 2016-2023 the veteran forward still has the fire burning to make his dreams come true. The best opportunity of his career will likely come in San Jose as the team expects another rebuilding season despite graduating several top prospects to the league.
The Williamsville, NY had been a solid performer through the first six years of his career in the AHL as he put up 77 goals and 226 points through his first 299 regular season games split between the Charlotte Checkers and the San Diego Gulls. He excelled in the playoffs too highlighted by a 12-goal, 23-point performance for the Checkers in the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs en route to the organization winning their first Calder Cup in team history.
His AHL career took off in a big way during the 2021-22 season as he was led by now head coach of the San Jose Sharks, Ryan Warsofsky, with the Chicago Wolves. Poturalski won his second straight John B. Sollenberger Trophy that year on the heels of a 28-goal, 101-point effort in 71 games. He and the Wolves continued their success into the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs which saw him score eight goals and 23 points in 18 games and secure his second Calder Cup ring.
Warsofsky moved on to San Jose to become an assistant coach with the Sharks while Poturalski joined the Kraken to play for the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL primarily. He scored 26 goals and 93 points in 98 games with the Firebirds over his two-year tenure with another five goals and 22 points in 29 playoff contests. He could not add to his team trophy collection as Coachella Valley was eliminated in the Calder Cup Final back-to-back years at the hands of the Hershey Bears.
Poturalski has finally rejoined Warsofsky after a two-year hiatus away. His desire for consistent minutes at the NHL level still may be out of reach even on a rebuilding San Jose team. The Sharks are in a position to give meaningful minutes to high-end prospects in the team’s top-six this year pushing Poturalski to compete for a bottom-six role.
There still could be some openings on the Sharks roster out of training camp albeit in less-exciting roles. Barclay Goodrow and Luke Kunin are once again poised to average less than 15 minutes of ice time per night this season and Poturalski may have a legitimate chance to steal one of their spots on opening night if Warsofsky still has confidence in the soon-to-be 31-year-old forward. Poturalski won’t have any long-term value to San Jose but could put the team in a better position to win some nights in the upcoming season.
Poll: Which Trade Was The Most Impactful Since The Start Of Free Agency?
Heading into the offseason, the NHL trade market was expected to be full of activity. However, as things played out, the trade market took much longer to develop than anticipated, with many of the major trades taking place within the last few weeks. With most of the notable players on the trade market now having changed hands shortly before the start of the 2024-25 NHL season, we’ll look back at some of the bigger trades since the start of free agency.
The biggest trade from the start of free agency happened in the middle of the frenzy, with the Washington Capitals acquiring defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Nick Jensen and a third-round pick in 2026. Chychrun is coming off of one of the better statistical performances throughout his career on a middling Senators’ defense, with 13 goals and 41 points in 82 games. He finished the year with a -30 rating, but that had largely to do with his deployment with Ottawa, as Hockey Reference pegged his expected rating at +0.4 over the year. He will no longer be responsible for leading a defensive core with John Carlson holding that crown, but he should still receive big minutes in Washington.
Fast forward to mid-August, when the Montreal Canadiens acquired one of the better forwards available on the trade market. The Canadiens acquired Patrik Laine and a second-round pick in 2026 from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris. Laine carries a bloated salary of $8.7MM for the next two years and is coming off a disappointing due to injuries and a stint with the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, limiting him to only 18 games with Columbus. However, he is only two years removed from being a point-per-game player with the Blue Jackets, as he scored 48 goals and 108 points in 111 games. Montreal recently finished 26th in the league in goals per game, as they arguably only had one line for opposing defenses to worry about. With Laine now in the fold, if he can rebound with his new team, the Canadiens will be able to spread the wealth and give more for opponents to worry about.
The last two sizeable trades from the offseason are centered around prospects, with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets getting together on a swap of prospects Rutger McGroarty and Brayden Yager, and the San Jose Sharks acquired their goalie of the future in Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators.
McGroarty gives the Penguins a young, cost-effective, and hard-nosed NHL-caliber winger to place next to Sidney Crosby for the foreseeable future while the Jets acquired a right-handed centerman further down the road that should challenge for the second-line role longer-term. Similarly, Askarov represents one of the brighter goalie prospects in recent years after dominating the American Hockey League over the last two years. The Sharks rounded out an already solid prospect pool with Askarov and did not need to part with any of their top prospects in return.
There were several smaller trades throughout the summer that could be more impactful than the above-mentioned group. Now that the offseason is only a few weeks away from officially being in the rearview mirror — which trade from the summer do you think will be the most impactful moving forward?
Which Trade Was The Most Impactful Since The Start Of Free Agency?
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Patrik Laine To Montreal 37% (696)
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Yaroslav Askarov To San Jose 27% (510)
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Jakob Chychrun To Washington 16% (312)
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Rutger McGroarty To Pittsburgh 14% (256)
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Other (comment below) 6% (122)
Total votes: 1,896
For mobile users, click here to vote.
Ceci Unlikely To Remain A Shark Past NHL Trade Deadline
The Edmonton Oilers’ decision to let Philip Broberg go and to trade Cody Ceci has opened up a hole in their top four that Josh Wegman of The Score believes should be filled via trade before the NHL trade deadline. This week, the Oilers have been checking in on multiple veteran defensemen who remain free agents, but Wegman believes they will seek a better solution before the playoffs.
Wegman lists Marcus Pettersson, Jakob Chychrun, and Ivan Provorov as potential targets as all three men are pending unrestricted free agents. He also believes that the Oilers could look for a longer-term solution and seek a player with some years left on their contract such as Mike Matheson, Connor Murphy, or Radko Gudas. The Oilers have been linked to former Oilers Tyson Barrie and Justin Schultz this week, as well as former Bruins defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. While all of those defensemen have had solid NHL careers, they are not great options for a Stanley Cup-contending team looking to round out their second defensive pairing.
In other Western Conference notes:
- Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal doesn’t believe that defenseman Cody Ceci will remain in a San Jose Sharks uniform for very long. The recently traded defenseman has one year left on his current contract with a cap hit of $3.25MM and will likely be dealt to a contending team before next year’s NHL trade deadline. Ceci has never been an analytics darling and probably shouldn’t be a top-four defenseman on a contending team, but as a bottom-pairing defender, he could bring a lot of value to a team looking to add some experience to the backend of their lineup.
- St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington was reportedly very happy with the recent moves made by Blues general manager Doug Armstrong (as per Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com). Binnington told Zeisberger that the successful offer sheets to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg showed current Blues players that Armstrong had faith in the group, which will motivate the club as they head into training camp. Binnington added that the additions to the Blues should help make the team more competitive next season as they will be a faster group that is harder for opponents to play against.
Sharks Notes: Askarov, Vanecek, Benning, Couture, Tryouts
Earlier today, San Jose picked up what they hope will be their goalie of the future, acquiring Yaroslav Askarov from Nashville. At the time of his trade request, the belief was that the netminder wasn’t interested in remaining in the AHL for the upcoming season.
However, GM Mike Grier indicated to reporters today including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that after speaking with the 22-year-old, they don’t have any concerns about potentially sending him to the AHL Barracuda if necessary. Askarov, who also inked a two-year, $4MM extension today, has played in 92 games in the minors over the last two seasons, posting a 2.55 GAA and a .911 SV%. If San Jose wants to avoid having him play extended time behind what’s expected to once again be a weak back end, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him spend at least a bit of time in the minors.
More notes from San Jose via Pashelka:
- One of the reasons why Askarov might need to spend some time in the minors is that goaltender Vitek Vanecek is expected to be ready to take part in training camp next month. San Jose acquired the 28-year-old at the trade deadline but he missed the final two months of the season with a lower-body injury. Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood are the returning veterans and with price tags of $3.4MM and $2.35MM respectively, it’s unlikely that there’s a trade market for either netminder at the moment.
- Speaking of injured players expected to be ready for training camp, Grier indicated that defenseman Matt Benning should be good to go next month. The 30-year-old was limited to just 14 appearances last season due to a hip injury that he had surgery for back in January. He should battle for a spot on the third pairing in training camp.
- While Logan Couture has ramped up his training, Grier noted that the veteran has yet to start skating yet. He was originally expected to skate in August but the team has a plan for his continued progression towards a return. Couture missed all but six games last season due to a groin issue known as osteitis pubis and clearly, he still has some work to do in order to be cleared for the upcoming season.
- When asked about the possibility of dipping into the PTO market in the coming weeks, Grier stated that they “will have to see” on that front. San Jose has been busy over the offseason adding veteran depth to the roster so between that and several key prospects looking to make the jump to a full-time NHL spot, there might not be room to bring in someone on a tryout deal.
Leo Sahlin Wallenius Loaned To Allsvenskan
- Sharks prospect Leo Sahlin Wallenius has been loaned to Nybro in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan, the team announced. The blueliner was the 53rd overall pick back in June following a strong showing in Vaxjo’s junior system. Sahlin Wallenius had 42 points in 43 regular season games at the Under-20 level while also picking up three assists for Sweden at the World Under-18s in the spring.
San Jose Sharks Acquire, Extend Yaroslav Askarov
The Nashville Predators’ number one goaltending prospect seems to have gotten his wish for a move outside of the Predators organization as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the San Jose Sharks are close to acquiring Yaroslav Askarov. According to a press release from Nashville, the Sharks will acquire Askarov, forward Nolan Burke, and Colorado’s third-round pick of the 2025 NHL Draft while sending away forward David Edstrom, goalie Magnus Chrona, and Vegas’ first-round pick in 2025.
It’s a major get for a rebuilding Sharks organization that was missing a true impact talent between the pipes. Over the past few years, San Jose has built up a nice young core of Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Sam Dickinson, Filip Bystedt, and Shakir Mukhamadullin but has since failed to procure a long-term goaltender. With Askarov now in the fold, the Sharks have a 22-year-old goalie who has done nothing but dominate in the American Hockey League over the last two years.
With his entry-level contract set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, the Sharks moved quickly on an extension for Askarov with his agent Dan Milstein announcing a two-year deal for the young goaltender. Shortly thereafter PuckPedia relayed that Askarov will earn a $1.7MM salary with a $200K signing bonus in 2025-26 and a $2.1MM salary in 2026-27 with an AAV of $2M.
Askarov’s rise to stardom didn’t happen overnight. He was ranked as the highest available European goaltender in the 2020 NHL Draft leading to him being the first one taken off the board with the 11th overall pick by the Predators. In his draft year, Askarov suited up in 18 games for the VHL’s SKA-Neva St. Petersburg where he produced a 12-3-3 record along with a .920 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average.
The young Russian netminder spent a few more years playing in Russia’s junior league before signing his entry-level contract with Nashville in 2022 and joining the organization for the 2022-23 season. In his rookie season with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, Askarov put up a 26-16-5 record in 48 contests coupled with a .911 SV% and 2.69 GAA which immediately put him on the map as a legitimate high-end goaltending prospect.
Askarov gave the Predators a decision to make. Over nearly the last two decades, Nashville has had the privilege of high-end goaltending with the organization seamlessly transferring from Pekka Rinne to Juuse Saros. The Predators quickly began receiving trade calls for both Askarov and Saros before signing Saros to an eight-year extension earlier this summer.
Despite the trade chatter, Askarov dominated in the AHL once again this past season with a 30-13-1 record in 44 games with a duplicated save percentage. Despite another year of solid play between the pipes, the Predators signed goalie Scott Wedgewood to serve as Saros’ backup next year, leading to Askarov requesting a trade from the organization.
He may not get the starting minutes right away with the Sharks as the team already deploys Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek as their current options. Given the current competitive status of the team, however, Askarov will have every opportunity to earn the starting minutes down the stretch and could even be the Sharks undisputed starter by season’s end.
Heading back to Nashville is a nearly identical package that the Sharks received for forward Tomas Hertl at this past year’s trade deadline. Edstrom was originally drafted with the 32nd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights and has been working his way through the SHL with Frölunda HC on loan. The young two-way center brings solid awareness to both sides of the puck and should be a decent middle-six option for the Predators down the road.
Chrona will likely be deployed as a serviceable third-string goaltender for Nashville with a majority of his starts coming with the team’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. The University of Denver alum helped the Pioneers to their ninth National Championship in program history during the 2022 Frozen Four tournament. He finished his senior year with a 22-9-0 record in 31 games. Chrona signed with the Sharks as a collegiate free agent and made his debut with the team last year toward the end of the season where he collected one win in nine games on the heels of a .859 SV%.
The first-round pick, also acquired by San Jose in the Hertl trade, will be top-10 protected according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. If the draft choice were to fall in the top 10 of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Sharks would have the option of sending their pick or Vegas’ to Nashville.
Although Edstrom has decent upside as a forward prospect, he may not necessarily have the prospect pedigree that Nashville was originally looking for in exchange for Askarov to start the summer. However, the team still got much better in free agency with the acquisitions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei and now have three first-round picks for the 2025 NHL Draft.