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Adam Gaudette Out Day-to-Day, Likely Missing One Week

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San Jose Sharks winger Adam Gaudette suffered an upper-body injury in Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, and today Sharks Hockey Digest’s Max Miller reported that Gaudette is likely to miss at least a week of action.  Since he was unable to play in the Sharks’ loss yesterday against the Los Angeles Kings, the timeline reported by Miller puts Gaudette in place to miss three or four games.

Gaudette, 29, is in his first season as a Shark after signing a two-year, $2MM AAV contract with the club this past summer. The 2017-18 Hobey Baker Award winner cashed in after a career year in 2024-25, one in which he scored 19 goals playing a full season of NHL action with the Ottawa Senators. Gaudette was a full-time AHLer for 2022-23 and 2023-24, but earned his way back to full-time NHL duty and appears to have a lineup spot solidly locked down in San Jose. Gaudette played third-line right wing on a line with rookie Michael Misa and 23-year-old Collin Graf on Sunday, and in Gaudette’s absence yesterday the Sharks put veteran Jeff Skinner in that role, one he’s likely to occupy for a handful more games at least.

Sharks Recall Patrick Giles, Place Nick Leddy On IR

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The Sharks announced Tuesday they’ve recalled center Patrick Giles from AHL San Jose. Defenseman Nick Leddy was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 23 to open up a roster spot.

Giles’ recall comes after fellow middleman Adam Gaudette left Sunday’s overtime win over the Wild due to an upper-body injury. Gaudette was not at today’s practice and could miss a longer stretch than just a few days, but the Sharks will know more tomorrow after his evaluation is complete, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now relays.

San Jose was rostering 13 forwards and eight defensemen as it has for much of the year, so Giles comes up to give them an extra forward if they need one for however long Gaudette is unavailable. Giles was the lone piece that came back from the Panthers for goaltender Vítek Vaněček at last season’s trade deadline. The 25-year-old pivot spent the rest of March on the NHL roster before being returned to the AHL for the last couple of weeks of the season. Giles, waiver-eligible for the first time in 2025-26, then landed on the wire during training camp to complete the process of him being cut and reassigned to the minors.

An undrafted free agent signing by Florida out of Boston College back in 2022, Giles made his NHL debut last season. He made 17 appearances split between the Panthers and Sharks, scoring his first NHL goal and posting a minus-three rating while averaging 9:14 of ice time per game. The Maryland native brought some size (6’4″, 205 lbs) and physicality to both clubs’ fourth line, but doesn’t offer much upside beyond that. He struggled in the faceoff dot, winning only 34% of his draws, and only controlled 41.4% of shot attempts at 5-on-5. He saw some fringe penalty-killing deployment with San Jose down the stretch, though.

If Giles’ services are needed in the next several days, they’ll likely insert him as a fourth-line center and bump Ty Dellandrea, who has four assists through nine games, up into a top-nine role if needed. He’s off to a promising enough start in the minors, registering a goal and an assist through four appearances for the Barracuda, but his lack of offensive utility in the pros so far limits the minutes he’ll get.

Leddy has already missed two games with the upper-body injury he sustained early in their game against the Rangers last Thursday. The IR placement rules him out for their next two games but his absence shouldn’t last much longer than that. Leddy returned to practice this morning, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. The 16-year vet was claimed off waivers from the Blues during the summer and has two assists with a minus-four rating through his first seven games as a Shark.

Injury Notes: Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Sharks

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Carolina Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News that K’Andre Miller could be back shortly, however, Jaccob Slavin could be absent for “a while”. Miller has not played since October 20th, but has been off to a great start in his Carolina tenure with four points in six games. Meanwhile, Slavin was placed on IR last week with a lower-body injury, appearing in the Canes’ first two games before going back down. The ailment has bothered the star defenseman throughout October, and the team has been vague on further details. 

Carolina has been great so far despite missing both defensemen, with a 6-2-0 record. Based on Brind’Amour’s comments, it seems a real possibility Miller could be all set when his Hurricanes go to Madison Square Garden to take on the Rangers next week, after an offseason blockbuster sent the talented 25-year-old to Carolina. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Nick Barden of The Hockey News Toronto updated earlier today that William Nylander and Calle Jarnkrok could play versus Calgary tomorrow, as both are dealing with lower-body injuries. Additionally, veterans Scott Laughton and Chris Tanev could rejoin the team later in the week ahead of Saturday’s tilt in Philadelphia. Nylander, who missed just his second regular season game since 2020-21, has dazzled with 14 points in 8 games so far. Laughton was injured in the preseason and has yet to debut in 2025-26, as he looks to get more comfortable as a Leaf, having put up just 4 points in 20 regular season games after being traded to Toronto. 
  • Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times shared this morning that two Blackhawks veterans, Ilya Mikheyev and Tyler Bertuzzi, did not appear at practice. Mikheyev left Sunday’s game versus Los Angeles after crashing hard into the boards. Thankfully, he is considered day-to-day as it appears a more serious issue was avoided. Meanwhile, Bertuzzi missed yesterday’s game altogether, and is also thought to be day-to-day. Chicago hosts Ottawa tomorrow, and they will hope to have their wingers back before long, as they try to stay above the .500 mark. 
  • Sunday’s big shootout win for the Sharks at Minnesota came at a cost, as Adam Gaudette left due to an upper body injury and did not return, as per the team. His status is unknown as San Jose hosts their in-state rival the Kings tomorrow night. The 29-year-old center has 3 goals in 9 games. 

Sharks Maintaining Faith In Yaroslav Askarov

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As the Sharks work through a trying time in their history, one key story so far this season has been Yaroslav Askarov and his performance in net. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now shared earlier today an article published by fellow member, William Espy, on how the organization holds strong faith in Askarov through ups and downs. 

Despite a 5.72 GAA and .838 SV% going into tonight, Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky emphasized that Askarov remains very young, raw, and has faced a lot of pressure. San Jose has more bright spots on the ice than previous years, but the job between the pipes in teal is still not exactly an easy one, as the team continues their hardcore rebuild. 

Last summer GM Mike Grier made improving his back-end a key point of emphasis. Although players such as Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, and Nick Leddy are no longer what they once were, it is a considerable improvement, even just by veteran presence alone. Askarov’s interests were likely a factor. 

Drafted 11th overall in 2020 by Nashville, Askarov was one of the most hyped up goaltender prospects in recent memory. Despite posting strong numbers in the AHL, the Predators, known for their keen ability to develop goalies, were not sold on the Russian and his electric yet sometimes polarizing style. They opted to lock up Juuse Saros long-term, and understandably, Askarov requested a trade.

San Jose, putting together a formidable young core, swooped in and added to it, dealing fellow goaltender Magnus Chrona, prospect David Edstrom, and a first round pick (originally owned by Vegas) for Askarov. While Nashville hopes Edstrom can become a top six forward, if Askarov can reach his potential, which is still absolutely possible, it does not feel like a lot to give up; goalies like him do not come along often. The Russian is the whole package: size, athleticism, and a bit of a unicorn catching right. 

Many netminders take time to develop, going through growing pains, especially in an environment such as San Jose. The biggest challenge for Warsofsky is making sure Askarov, along with many of his young skaters, are not overwhelmed and therefore hurting their development, along with simple patience. 

Sure enough, tonight, Askarov played much better in New Jersey, stopping 26 of 28 shots including several highlight reel saves. Despite the efforts, the Sharks took the loss, unfortunately a result he will probably have to face often for the foreseeable future. 

Nick Leddy Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury

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New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe left tonight’s game against the San Jose Sharks with an upper-body injury, according to a team announcement. Rempe left the game just after fighting veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves. This was not Rempe’s first bout with Reaves – the two fought during Rempe’s 2023-24 rookie season as well. The fight was Rempe’s tenth in the NHL, per Hockeyfights.com’s tracking, a total he’s reached in just 68 career games.

  • Rempe wasn’t the only player to leave tonight’s Rangers vs. Sharks contest – the Sharks announced that veteran defenseman Nick Leddy will not return to the game after suffering an upper-body injury. Leddy looked visibly in pain after taking a hit from a forechecking Will Cuylle, and left the ice shortly afterward. Leddy, 34, has been the Sharks No. 4 defenseman so far this season in terms of ice time, playing a role on the penalty kill and registering two points in six games. The Sharks have seven healthy defensemen on their NHL roster beyond Leddy, so they should be well-positioned to absorb any absence this injury might cause. Leddy is playing out the final year of a four-year, $4MM contract he signed with the St. Louis Blues in 2022.

Sharks Activate Timothy Liljegren From Injured Reserve

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The Sharks announced that defenseman Timothy Liljegren was activated from injured reserve. He’ll re-enter the lineup tonight against the Rangers in place of rookie Sam Dickinson, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now relayed. The club had an open roster spot after reassigning Luca Cagnoni to the AHL on Tuesday.

Liljegren’s absence ends after nine days and three games, just above the IR minimums. He was dealing with an upper-body injury that he sustained on Oct. 14 against the Hurricanes. He landed on IR last week as some other injuries forced San Jose to do some roster shuffling, but they’re back to having a full 23-player contingent with only Shakir Mukhamadullin on IR – at least, among players who aren’t effectively retired.

A first-round pick in the 2017 draft by the Maple Leafs, Liljegren was a two-time 20-point getter for Toronto but slipped down their depth chart to the point where he was a frequent healthy scratch to begin last season. He was traded to San Jose in late October and popped up as a top-four piece in the Bay Area, posting a 6-11–17 scoring line with a -25 rating in 67 appearances while averaging 19:16 of ice time per game. Those raw numbers overshadow what were generally positive under-the-hood numbers for Liljegren, whose 47.2 CF% at 5-on-5 was 2.4 points better than what the team managed to control without him on the ice.

In a three-game sample to begin 2025-26, Liljegren didn’t record a point and logged a minus-two rating but reached new ice-time heights at 20:14 per game. He’s not factoring in on San Jose’s power play like he was last year, but he saw hugely increased shorthanded deployment at three minutes per game. After starting the year alongside Mario Ferraro at even strength, he’ll have a new face to his left tonight in Dmitry Orlov, reports Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest.

Sharks Reassign Luca Cagnoni

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Oct. 22: The Sharks announced Wednesday they’ve reassigned Cagnoni back to AHL San Jose. He did not play in the lone game he was rostered for, a 4-3 loss to the Islanders last night. His demotion indicates John Klingberg should be back in the lineup tomorrow against the Rangers after missing three games with a lower-body injury. While he didn’t play yesterday, he was a full participant in morning skate, Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest relays.

Oct. 19: The San Jose Sharks have recalled Luca Cagnoni, one of their top defensive prospects, from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. In a corresponding move, the team placed defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin on injured reserve. Mukhamadullin is dealing with an upper-body injury and is now set to miss the team’s upcoming four-game road trip.

Although the Sharks have one of the NHL’s more crowded bluelines at this point (this recall gives them eight healthy defensemen, per Puckpedia’s tracking) this move is nonetheless an opportunity for Cagnoni. The 20-year-old 2023 fourth-round pick had an exceptional debut campaign in pro hockey last year, amassing 52 points in 64 AHL games en route to AHL All-Rookie Team honors.

An undersized left-shot defenseman, Cagnoni’s calling card has always been his ability to generate offense from the blueline. While it’s still likely too early in the season to assess overall trends for teams, the Sharks currently rank 28th in goals scored per game and have scored just four goals in their last three games.

Should Cagnoni get into any NHL games due to this recall, the move could potentially help spark the Sharks’ offense due to the creativity Cagnoni offers from the blueline. Cagnoni has six NHL games on his résumé from last season, wherein he registered two points.

While Cagnoni appears unlikely to displace Dmitry Orlov or Mario Ferraro as one of the Sharks’ top-two left-side blueliners (at least at this point in his career), it’s possible the Sharks could give Sam Dickinson (who is still just 19 years old) a breather and dress Cagnoni for a game instead.

Such a move would not be without precedent: the Pittsburgh Penguins scratched rookie blueliner Harrison Brunicke as part of a larger development plan to keep their young blueliner “fresh” and capable of sustaining a high level of play.

Since Dickinson is occupying a second-unit power play role with John Klingberg injured, it’s also a possibility that Cagnoni gets a look there should they elect to give Dickinson a game off.

Regardless of whether Cagnoni ultimately gets into NHL games as a result of this recall or not, it’s nonetheless an encouraging sign for the young blueliner’s long-term future that he’s already being called upon as an option for the NHL roster.

Injury Notes: Gostisbehere, McCann, Liljegren

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This afternoon, Carolina Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour told Michael Russo of The Athletic that the team believes Shayne Gostisbehere’s injury is not serious, and that he remains with the team on their trip west. 

The offensive defenseman has been off to a dynamite start so far, with 7 points in just 5 games. Just two days ago, Gostisbehere left in the Canes’ win over Los Angeles due to a lower-body-injury. 

Despite the good news, Gostisbehere will be absent tonight vs Vegas, as Charles-Alexis Legault is expected to make his NHL debut. The 6’4” defenseman was drafted in the fifth round of the 2023 draft by Carolina, turning pro last season with AHL Chicago, where he was a steady presence in 63 games for the Wolves. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • The Seattle Kraken announced earlier today that key forward Jared McCann would not play in tonight’s game at Philadelphia, due to a lower-body-injury. It is expected that the 29-year-old will be day-to-day, thankfully not worse as Seattle is currently missing Kaapo Kakko, Frederick Gaudreau, and Ryker Evans due to injury. In McCann’s place, top prospect Berkly Catton has made his NHL debut.
  • Max Miller, San Jose’s beat reporter, noted earlier today that defenseman Timothy Liljegren returned to the ice as a normal participant. The Swede remains on the team’s injured reserve, having been placed last week with an upper-body injury, however, he seems to be ramping up for a return on Thursday as the Sharks travel to take on the Rangers. 

Sharks Open To Moving Defenseman

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The Sharks entered the season with six blueliners playing on expiring contracts, all but one (Shakir Mukhamadullin) being pending unrestricted free agents.  With San Jose continuing their long-term rebuild, it’s a situation where many expect some of those players will be moving elsewhere.

It’s possible that one of those moves could come sooner than later.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (video link) that the Sharks are willing to look at moving one of their blueliners now.  While this isn’t the time of year when trades are typically made, there could be some demand for a depth defensive addition from teams that are either dealing with some injuries or are concerned about how their bottom defenders are faring right now.

At this point, it’s probably too early in the season for Nick Leddy ($4MM) to move after being an offseason waiver claim.  John Klingberg just signed with them and moving him just a handful of games into the season also seems unlikely.

That leaves three potential rentals in play.  Timothy Liljegren ($3MM) is no stranger to the rumor mill and seems likely to be dealt at some point but he also just landed on injured reserve.  Until he returns (or if his injury is deemed rather minor), he might not be in a position to be traded just yet.  Vincent Desharnais ($2MM) was added late last season from Pittsburgh but has played in just two of their five games so far.  He stands out as a viable candidate to go, especially being a right-shot defender, the side teams are typically coveting.

Mario Ferraro is the other pending unrestricted free agent on their blueline and has been in trade speculation for a couple of years now.  He has noted before that he’d like to stay beyond this season and it stands to reason that the Sharks will probably take a run at seeing what that would cost before entertaining potential trade opportunities.  Considering he’s one of their top potential trade chips should things go that route, moving him now doesn’t seem feasible.

It should be noted that San Jose only has one of three contract retention slots remaining with the other two being used on Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl.  This early in the season likely isn’t when GM Mike Grier would want to use that last slot, it’s more probable that he’ll want to use it closer to the trade deadline to help facilitate a bigger move at that time.  With that in mind, if they do move a blueliner, the acquiring team will need to take on the full freight of the contract or send a similar-priced contract to the Sharks to offset the cost.

While this wouldn’t likely yield a return of much significance at this point of the season, adding a draft pick to their stockpile isn’t a bad idea and would help clear some of the logjam they currently have.  Even with Mukhamadullin and Liljegren on IR, San Jose has eight blueliners on their active roster and are searching to add more young blueliners as well.  Opening up a spot to help facilitate that happening would be a good way to start what could be a busy trading season for the Sharks.

Wild Acquire Oskar Olausson

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The Wild announced a trade sending defenseman Kyle Masters to the Sharks for winger Oskar Olausson. Both players were previously in the minors and will now report to their new clubs’ affiliates.

Olausson’s stay in the San Jose organization was a very brief one. The Swedish winger, who turns 23 next month, was a first-round pick by the Avalanche in 2021. After failing to land an NHL job with Colorado and taking a significant step back in the minors last year, the Avs traded Olausson to the Sharks in exchange for the signing rights to Daniil Gushchin. Olausson was waived and assigned to AHL San Jose out of camp, but had yet to play for the Barracuda this season, so he leaves the Bay Area without recording a single appearance in the organization.

It’s a swing on upside by the Wild and a prudent pickup for the cost. While Olausson only has four NHL games to his name, going without a point and averaging just 8:07 per game, there’s no long-term obligation in the pickup as they can non-tender him at the end of the season. At minimum, they’re adding some offensive depth to an Iowa club that hasn’t fared all too well in the past few years, which could, while unlikely, turn into an NHL piece down the line. Even though Olausson hasn’t developed as hoped so far, he’s still young enough to have a decent chance at a turnaround.

The 6’2″ Olausson looked like he was on the upswing as recently as the 2023-24 season. Injuries limited him to 39 appearances with AHL Colorado that year, but he managed an 11-9–20 scoring line after producing the same output in 63 games the year prior. That momentum didn’t continue into 2024-25, though. Olausson wasn’t even a top-10 scorer on the team last year and finished the campaign with an 11-15–26 scoring line in 61 appearances – not production you want to see from someone touted as a scoring winger.

While Minnesota could have had Olausson on the waiver wire for free a few weeks ago, that would have required keeping him on their NHL roster, something they’re not keen to do. They also don’t take on an additional contract by parting ways with Masters, a 2021 fourth-round pick who’s still at the ECHL level as he begins his third professional season. The 6’0″ righty has split the last two years between AHL and ECHL Iowa. He has a 1-5–6 scoring line with an even rating in 35 career AHL games and a 9-23–32 line in 59 ECHL games with a -7 rating.

For San Jose, giving Olausson up is a matter of creating more playing time in the AHL for the names they’ve drafted and continue to develop, like Ethan Cardwell, Cameron Lund, and Quentin Musty. Masters will now report to their ECHL affiliate in Wichita.

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