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Afternoon Notes: Hintz, Goldobin, Sharks Coaching

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The Dallas Stars will once again be left with a game-time decision on centerman Roope Hintz, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Hintz has missed Dallas’ last four games with an upper-body injury sustained in Game 4 of the second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche.

Hintz was an integral piece of the Stars lineup through the regular season, posting 30 goals and 65 points – both marks he’s also reached in the last two seasons. He’s maintained that strong presence into the postseason, posting six points through the 11 games he’s been healthy for. Maybe more importantly, Dallas hasn’t yet found their de facto fill-in for Hintz’s injury.

Radek Faksa was previously filling the vacancy, but head coach Pete DeBoer decided to switch to Ty Dellandrea for Game 2 of the Western Conference Final. Dellandrea recorded three shots on goal through 11:39 in ice time but did little to command the lineup spot as his own. Hintz should return to the team’s top six immediately upon his return. But Dallas will be left with a tricky lineup decision should he once again be unavailable.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Former San Jose Sharks first-round pick Nikolay Goldobin has signed a two-year extension with Moscow Spartak of the KHL (Twitter link). The 28-year-old forward is coming off a career year, posting a career-high 37 goals and 78 points through 67 games this season and adding nine points in 11 playoff games. His regular season scoring tied him for second in the KHL in scoring behind Reid Boucher, who posted 44 goals and 78 points of his own. It was Goldobin’s third full-time season in the KHL, having posted 39 and 36 points over the last two years, respectively. He’ll look to build off a dazzling season, now re-upped in Russia.
  • The San Jose Sharks are advancing their search for their next head coach, providing second interviews to both Jeff Blashill and Ryan Warsofsky, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in the recent 32 Thoughts Podcast. Warsofsky has been an assistant coach in San Jose for the last two seasons, moving to the NHL after leading the AHL’s Chicago Wolves to a Calder Cup win in 2022. Meanwhile, Blashill has been an assistant to Jon Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightning for his last two seasons – proceeding his seven-year tenure as the Detroit Red Wings head coach.

Jan Rutta Suspended At World Championship

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  • Team Czechia and San Jose Sharks defenseman Jan Rutta has been suspended for one game of the 2024 IIHF World Championship for elbowing Team Sweden and Anaheim Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom. Rutta was not penalized for the hit during the game. He will miss Czechia’s gold medal matchup against Team Switzerland. He’ll conclude his tournament with one goal and eight penalty minutes through nine games, while Team Czechia will likely turn towards David Spacek to fill Rutta’s second-pair ice time. Spacek has five assists in Czechia’s nine games.

A Case For San Jose To Be Buyers This Summer

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Considering where the Sharks are in their rebuild, it might not make sense on the surface for them to be buyers this summer.  However, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now suggests in a piece for NBC Sports Bay Area that it would be advisable for San Jose to be buyers in certain circumstances, such as adding insurance down the middle with some uncertainty surrounding Logan Couture which could also take a bit of pressure off expected top pick Macklin Celebrini.

Additionally, there’s a case to be made that the Sharks should add multiple defenders to a group that struggled considerably this season.  That would allow someone like Mario Ferraro to play in a more optimal spot on the depth chart which could help from a possible future trade standpoint while ideally creating a more competitive environment.  With more than $38MM in cap room this summer per CapFriendly, GM Mike Grier can look to be active in free agency, take on some unwanted contracts while adding more future pieces or, more likely, a combination of both options will be utilized in the coming weeks.

Devils Interviewed Ryan Warsofsky For Head Coach Role Before Hiring Sheldon Keefe

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  • Before they hired Sheldon Keefe as their new head coach, the Devils interviewed Sharks assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky for the role, relays NJ Advance Media’s Ryan Novozinsky. Warsofsky has now interviewed for a pair of head coaching vacancies this offseason, also receiving an interview from San Jose.  Warsofsky has only been an NHL assistant for the last two seasons but does have head coaching experience with ECHL South Carolina and AHL Chicago.

Sharks Will Interview Sturm Next Week, Linked To Jeremy Colliton

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  • After receiving permission to speak to him from the Kings, the Sharks are expected to interview Marco Sturm for their vacancy next week, Pagnotta reports. If San Jose doesn’t end up going with their former top-nine fixture on the wing, Sturm is a strong candidate to rejoin the Kings’ NHL staff as an assistant to Jim Hiller. He would replace the outgoing Trent Yawney, who mutually parted ways with the organization last week.

Sharks Receive Permission To Interview Marco Sturm For Head Coaching Job

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Current Kings AHL head coach Marco Sturm has been granted permission to interview for the Sharks’ head coaching vacancy, Pierre LeBrun of TSN said Wednesday night.

Sturm becomes the third candidate firmly linked to the San Jose opening, joining former Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill (article) and internal promotion candidate Ryan Warsofsky (article). They remain on the hunt for a replacement after dismissing David Quinn with one year left on his contract last month.

It would be a homecoming of sorts for Sturm, who was drafted 21st overall by the Sharks in 1996. He would become one of the premier young defensive wingers in the league, accumulating 128 goals and 273 points in 553 games with the squad. Just months after the NHL resumed play following the 2004-05 lockout, he was traded to the Bruins as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Joe Thornton to San Jose.

Sturm last played in 2013 after a short stint with Kölner Haie of the Deutsche Eisehockey Liga and began his off-ice career as Germany’s head coach for the 2016 World Championship. He drew significant NHL interest after coaching the Germans to a silver medal at the 2018 Olympics, landing with the Kings as an assistant on John Stevens’ bench. He remained with the club as they fired Stevens for Willie Desjardins early in the 2018-19 season, as well as when they brought in Todd McLellan the following summer.

After four years on the NHL bench, the organization re-assigned him to the AHL’s Ontario Reign for his first crack at being a head coach in the pros. He’s coached the Reign to a 76-55-13 record over the past two seasons, losing to the Coachella Valley Firebirds in this year’s Pacific Division Final.

Sharks Sign Luca Cagnoni To Entry-Level Deal

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The Sharks have signed Luca Cagnoni, one of the organization’s top defense prospects, to an entry-level contract. It’s a three-year deal for the 19-year-old, per the team. The contract carries an $895K cap hit with the following breakdown, PuckPedia reports:

2024-25: $775K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus
2025-26: $800K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $55K games played bonus
2026-27: $825K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $30K games played bonus

Since Cagnoni will turn 20 before January 1, 2025, he is not eligible for an entry-level slide. His contract will begin next season regardless of how many NHL games he plays.

Viewed as a potential late first-round selection in the 2023 draft, Cagnoni fell all the way to the fourth round, where the Sharks snapped him up with the 123rd overall pick, acquired from the Kraken for depth defenseman Jaycob Megna. Seattle had previously acquired the pick from the Avalanche in exchange for Kurtis MacDermid.

Now, it looks like a difficult trade to stomach for both teams that passed up the pick. Cagnoni had an electric post-draft season for the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks, leading the league in assists (72) and points (90) by a defenseman in 65 games. But despite posting the best offensive season by a WHL blue liner in 30 years, he wasn’t named one of the four finalists for their Defenseman of the Year award, passed over in favor of Avalanche prospect Graham Sward as the U.S. Division nominee.

Size remains Cagnoni’s main limitation. NHL teams were universally cautious about his 5’9″ frame, and he doesn’t have the elite defensive awareness to compensate for his lack of ability to box out larger opponents.

Still, he’s an incredible offensive threat who also put up nearly a point per game with Portland in his draft year. 2020 first-round pick Shakir Mukhamadullin, acquired from the Devils in last year’s Timo Meier trade, takes the cake as the organization’s top overall defense prospect after a strong season in the AHL, but Cagnoni has the highest ceiling in terms of point production of any defender in the San Jose system.

His December birthday also means he’s eligible for assignment to AHL San Jose next season, a likely scenario given he has nothing left to prove in juniors. He had 13 points in 13 playoff games as the Winterhawks advanced to the WHL championship but lost to the Moose Jaw Warriors in a sweep.

Cagnoni’s deal will expire after the 2026-27 season, at which point he’ll be a restricted free agent.

NHL-Affiliated Prospects Playing In 2024 Memorial Cup

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The field for the 2024 Memorial Cup, the top club tournament in junior hockey, is set. The QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, the OHL’s London Knights and the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors all swept their respective league championship series within the last two days to advance to the CHL championship tournament, joining the host Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.

This year marks the first Memorial Cup held in the United States since 1998, which was hosted by the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. The Spirit will attempt to become the first U.S.-based team to win since the Chiefs in 2008, and they have a strong chance. They’re stronger than a typical host team, finishing second in the league in the regular season with a 50-16-2 record and trailing London by just two points. They were eliminated by London in six games in the Western Conference Final.

The Knights lead the way with 10 NHL-affiliated prospects on their roster, including two first-round picks in Flyers defenseman Oliver Bonk and Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan. The latter was named the OHL playoffs MVP after leading the Knights in scoring with 10 goals, 24 assists and 34 points in just 18 games. He had 15 points in four games in their championship sweep over the Oshawa Generals.

If you’re looking for some non-Stanley Cup Playoff hockey to watch, check to see if your favorite NHL team has prospects suiting up in the tournament, which begins May 24:

Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL champion)

D Mikaël Diotte (Devils, free agent signing)
RW Ethan Gauthier (Lightning, 2023, 37th overall)
RW Alexis Gendron (Flyers, 2022, 220th overall)
D Vsevolod Komarov (Sabres, 2022, 134th overall)

NHL Utah 2022 first-round pick D Maveric Lamoureux is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in March.

London Knights (OHL champion)

C Denver Barkey (Flyers, 2023, 95th overall)
D Oliver Bonk (Flyers, 2023, 22nd overall)
C Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs, 2023, 28th overall)
D Jackson Edward (Bruins, 2022, 200th overall)
D Isaiah George (Islanders, 2022, 98th overall)
RW Kasper Halttunen (Sharks, 2023, 36th overall)
C Jacob Julien (Jets, 2023, 146th overall)
C Kaleb Lawrence (Kings, 2022, 215th overall)
C Max McCue (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Landon Sim (Blues, 2022, 184th overall)

Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL champion)

RW Jagger Firkus (Kraken, 2022, 35th overall)
D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets, 2022, 12th overall)
D Kalem Parker (Wild, 2023, 181st overall)
D Vojtech Port (Ducks, 2023, 161st overall)
LW Martin Rysavy (Blue Jackets, 2021, 197th overall)
C Matthew Savoie (Sabres, 2022, 9th overall)
C Brayden Yager (Penguins, 2023, 14th overall)

Saginaw Spirit (host)

C Owen Beck (Canadiens, 2022, 33rd overall)
LW Josh Bloom (Canucks, acquired from Sabres in 2023 trade for Riley Stillman)
D Rodwin Dionicio (Ducks, 2023, 129th overall)
D Jorian Donovan (Senators, 2022, 136th overall)
C Hunter Haight (Wild, 2022, 47th overall)
C Ethan Hay (Lightning, 2023, 211th overall)
G Nolan Lalonde (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Matyas Sapovaliv (Golden Knights, 2022, 48th overall)
C Joseph Willis (Predators, 2023, 111th overall)

San Jose Sharks Linked To Jeff Blashill

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Since losing in the 2019 Western Conference Finals to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, St. Louis Blues, the San Jose Sharks have failed to make a postseason appearance, and have produced a dismal regular season record of 123-199-50 under three different head coaches. At the end of this season, General Manager of the Sharks, Mike Grier, announced that the team would be parting ways with head coach David Quinn after two years behind the bench.

After winning the NHL Draft Lottery last week, San Jose has the opportunity to select forward Macklin Celebrini with the first overall selection, allowing them to take one leap forward in their ongoing rebuild. However, another integral part of the organization’s development and future success will be the choice of the next head coach of the organization.

Following up on a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his recurring ’32 Thoughts’ podcast, Sheng Peng of SJ Hockey Now confirms that the Sharks organization has an interest in naming Jeff Blashill as the team’s next head coach. Currently, Blashill has been serving as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning since the beginning of the 2022-23 NHL season.

Before his career led him to western Florida, Blashill had experienced a good amount of success in the NCAA and the AHL. After serving as an assistant coach with Ferris State University and Miami University (Ohio) for several years, Blashill got his first opportunity as a head coach in the NCAA with Western Michigan University for the 2010-11 season.

Blashill led the Broncos to a 20-13-10 record in his first season at the helm, coaching Western Michigan to an appearance in that season’s NCAA Frozen Four Tournament. After only one year, the Detroit Red Wings brought Blashill on as an assistant coach for the 2011-12 NHL season, before naming head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, a role he held for three years.

Coaching the Griffins to a Calder Cup Championship in 2013, Blashill quickly became the heir-apparent behind the bench to longtime Red Wings coach, Mike Babcock. When Babcock eventually left for the head coaching position with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015-16, Blashill was named the next head coach for Detroit.

Ultimately, Blashill was not put in a position to succeed with the Red Wings, as the roster began deteriorating quickly after he became head coach, with the organization’s last playoff appearance coming in the 2015-16 NHL season. After producing a 204-261-72 record with Detroit from 2015-2022, the Red Wings decided to move forward in their rebuild without Blashill, relieving him of his duties after the 2021-22 season.

With plenty of available head coach candidates this offseason, the Sharks will have their work cut out to find the correct candidate. In Blashill, he has shown the ability to work well with younger talent at all levels of the game but has not yet had the opportunity to coach an up-and-coming roster at the NHL level.

Sharks Interview Assistant Ryan Warsofsky For Head Coaching Vacancy

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The Sharks have interviewed assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky recently, reports Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. He’ll be considered for a promotion after the team fired bench boss David Quinn last month with one season left on his contract.

Warsofsky, 36, has never been a head coach in the NHL, but this isn’t the first time he’s received interest. After a quick rise up the ranks in the AHL, reports indicated he was generating buzz among NHL front offices in the summer of 2022, although he settled for an assistant role on Quinn’s staff in San Jose.

His two-year run as an assistant with the Sharks thus far is his first-ever role in the NHL as a player or coach. After a collegiate career and one-year professional stint in 2011-12 that included stops in the Netherlands and American low minor leagues, Warsofsky ended his playing career and returned to his alma mater, Curry College, to assist their Division III program.

After one season, Warsofsky landed a job as an assistant with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, then the second-tier affiliate of the Bruins. Serving on the staff of future Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery, Warsofsky remained in his assistant role for three seasons before taking over as head coach in 2016 after Carbery left to be the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit.

The Stingrays, now affiliated with Washington, continued a solid success with Warsofsky as their head coach and director of hockey operations. They didn’t win a division title under Warsofsky, but they did make the playoffs both times and advanced to the Kelly Cup Final in 2017. After posting an 88-44-12 record in two campaigns in South Carolina, Warsofsky joined the Hurricanes organization as an assistant coach with their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.

Warsofsky lasted just one season in Charlotte before being promoted, assuming head coaching duties for the 2019-20 season after serving on Mike Vellucci’s Calder Cup-winning staff the year prior. He remained with the Hurricanes when they changed their AHL affiliation to the Chicago Wolves for 2020-21, capping off his time in the organization with a Calder Cup championship of his own in 2021-22 with future Carolina regulars Jalen Chatfield, Jack Drury, Pyotr Kochetkov and Stefan Noesen playing integral roles.

It was at that point that Warsofsky started garnering NHL consideration. After landing with the Sharks in 2022, he received his first call to the U.S. men’s national team, serving as an assistant under Quinn at the 2023 World Championship.

If he gets the job, Warsofsky would become the youngest head coach in the NHL by a mile, beating out Carbery by six years. The Sharks haven’t been firmly linked to other candidates on the market. However, there’s been a fair amount of speculation about Lightning assistant Jeff Halpern, Kraken assistant Jay Leach, former Sharks winger and AHL Ontario head coach Marco Sturm, ex-Sharks assistant and Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft, all of whom Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested as fits on the “32 Thoughts” podcast late last month.

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