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Kevin Labanc Out With Upper-Body Injury

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1:26 PM: Further reporting from Max Miller of The Hockey News suggests that Labanc is actually out with an upper-body injury as a result of the slew foot from Vancouver Canucks’s Nils Hoglander the other night.

12:49 PM: San Jose Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka is reporting that San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Labanc will be a healthy scratch tonight meaning that the Sharks will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen when they take on the Seattle Kraken. Labanc has struggled this year and has just two assists in the first 13 games of the season.

Labanc is in the final year of a four-year $18.9MM contract he signed in October 2020. At the time, the contract seemed like a gamble on a player who was 24 years old, but coming off a season in which he was -33. Now granted, Labanc was just a year removed from posting 56 points in 82 games in 2018-19, but his production had steeply declined in 2019-20 to the tune of just 14 goals and 19 assists in 70 games. The decline in offense didn’t stop the Sharks from offering the Brooklyn, New York native a lucrative extension, which Labanc promptly signed. Unfortunately for San Jose, Labanc’s 33-point season turned out to be a sign of things to come for his offensive ceiling going forward.

After another 33-point season in 2022-23, the Sharks were hopeful that Labanc could regain his 56-point form and become a trade chip at the trade deadline. However, given Labanc’s start to the season, it doesn’t appear that he will be in demand this season. Labanc was nearly waived earlier in the season, and it appeared that the Sharks would send him to the AHL to bury $1.15MM of his $4.725MM hit in the minors. The team reversed course and opted to keep him with the NHL club.

It will be interesting to see what the Sharks do with Labanc for the rest of the season, they could retain half his salary in a trade, but it would represent the final contract the Sharks could retain, and it would handcuff them for the rest of this season until Labanc’s contract expires. The Sharks have already retained salary on both Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns and would likely need to do the same to move on from any of their other veterans under contract.

Eetu Makiniemi Recalled To Barracuda

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  • The Sharks have promoted goalie Eetu Makiniemi back to the AHL level, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 24-year-old was sent down last week to get some playing time as he has just one AHL appearance under his belt so far.  However, he didn’t fare particularly well in his two games with ECHL Wichita, allowing nine goals on 72 shots.  Makiniemi, who got into two games with the Sharks last season, is in the final season of his entry-level contract.

Matt Benning Nearing Return, Could Play Wednesday

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  • After getting Jacob MacDonald back in the fold earlier today, another injured Sharks veteran is on the precipice of a return to the lineup. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports defenseman Matt Benning could come off IR before Wednesday’s game against the Kraken. Benning will miss his ninth straight contest tonight against Vancouver with an undisclosed injury. The 29-year-old has played in eight games this season, recording an assist and a -6 rating in 18:29 of average ice time.

Sharks To Activate Jacob MacDonald From IR

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The Sharks will activate defenseman-turned-forward Jacob MacDonald off injured reserve before today’s game against the Canucks, head coach David Quinn told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News.

MacDonald, 30, has missed the last five games with an undisclosed injury and has not played since the Sharks’ back-to-back ten-goal concessions against the Canucks and Penguins earlier this month. Those are his only two appearances this season, posting a goal, an assist and a -5 rating.

The Oregon-born journeyman will slot in on the fourth line alongside a pair of similarly seasoned veterans, Ryan Carpenter and Givani Smith. MacDonald, in the second season of a two-year, $1.525MM contract, came to the Bay Area via trade from the Avalanche last season. He appeared in 25 contests for the Sharks after the trade in 2022-23, notching a goal, five assists, and a -11 rating.

An undrafted free agent signed by the Panthers back in 2018, MacDonald played three full pro seasons in the AHL and ECHL after graduating from Cornell University before finally earning an NHL deal. Since then, he’s played in 103 games, including a career-high 58 split between the Sharks and Avalanche last year.

Standing at 6 feet and over 200 pounds, MacDonald will likely remain on the roster for the time being as a solid supplementary veteran presence. He will need waivers to head to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda if the team chooses to demote him to the minors, where he hasn’t played since 2021-22.

Sharks Notes: Gushchin, Lindblom, Benning, MacDonald

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When the Sharks returned high-ceiling winger prospect Daniil Gushchin to the minors yesterday, most thought he would be back up quickly after getting some playing time over the weekend. However, head coach David Quinn told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now that Gushchin’s demotion is of a more permanent nature.

Gushchin, 21, was the 76th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Quinn called the second of two games on Gushchin’s recent call-up “a little bit of a hard game for him” and thought he got “overwhelmed defensively.” While he would likely provide a bit more offensive punch than many currently on the Sharks’ roster, the organization obviously believes in playing the long game with Gushchin and thinks dominating the AHL, where he has 13 points in 11 games with the San Jose Barracuda, is better for his development at this stage.

Elsewhere around the Sharks conversation today:

  • Also, speaking to Peng earlier today, Quinn said forward Oskar Lindblom’s recovery timeline from his lower-body injury is week-to-week. Lindblom landed on IR five days ago after a recent call-up, playing just one game before sustaining the injury – which prompted Gushchin’s initial recall. The former Flyers winger, who recovered from a diagnosis of Ewing’s sarcoma in 2020, did not get on the scoresheet in his lone appearance and has just two points in eight games with the Barracuda this season.
  • Quinn also confirmed that a pair of injured Sharks defenders, Matt Benning and Jacob MacDonald, are close to returning to the lineup and will likely travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. The veteran pair have played just a combined ten games this season and are likely to return within the next week, while the Sharks have two games against more northern Pacific Division neighbors. MacDonald has taken line rushes as a forward in his return to practice with the team and will likely suit up in a fourth-line role when he does play, while Benning, in the second season of a four-year deal, could be slated for a top-four role on a very fluid Sharks backend. No corresponding moves will need to be made to activate them while center Nico Sturm, who carries a non-roster designation while on personal leave, is away from the team.

Sharks Assign Daniil Gushchin To AHL, Nico Sturm Takes Leave Of Absence

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Sharks winger Daniil Gushchin is headed back to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, per Max Miller of The Hockey News. Miller says this is not a permanent return to the minors for the promising youngster but rather a paper move to get him playing time with the Barracuda over the weekend. The Sharks do not return to action until Monday against the Canucks, by which time he’ll likely be back on the NHL roster.

The Sharks also announced that center Nico Sturm has taken a leave of absence to attend to a family matter and will miss the team’s next two games, meaning he’ll be away from the team for at least a week. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports the league granted a Sharks request for Sturm to occupy non-roster status while he’s away from the team, meaning he will not use a spot on the 23-man roster until he’s returned.

Gushchin has played in the Sharks’ last two games after a recall on Monday, recording an assist and an even plus-minus rating while playing top-six minutes. The 21-year-old hasn’t looked out of place and is off to an impressive start in 2023-24, racking up four goals and 13 points through 11 contests with the Barracuda.

It’s a promising trajectory for the 2020 third-round pick, who’s putting up quite good numbers at a young age and appears well on his way to an eventual top-nine role in the Bay Area. The 5-foot-10, 181-pound winger makes up for his lack of size with dogged effort and good puckhandling skills, as evidenced by his 45 points in 67 games during his rookie season with the Barracuda last year. That was good enough for second on the team, as were his 22 goals.

The Sharks have won three out of their last six outings, none more impressive than their 5-1 victory over the Blues last night. With confidence building in the room, the team likely feels less of a need to shelter their young players from blowout losses and could be more willing to give players like Gushchin some more runway at the NHL level.

Like many other Sharks, Sturm is off to a disappointing start this season, recording just two assists in 17 games while averaging nearly 15 minutes per contest. The 28-year-old German pivot is in the second season of a three-year, $6MM deal signed with the Sharks in free agency in 2022. He posted a career-high 14 goals and 26 points in 74 games last season and has been a decent defensive presence in the bottom six since gaining a full-time NHL role in 2020 with the Wild.

With a roster spot open for a recall in Sturm’s absence, someone like 21-year-old Thomas Bordeleau or 24-year-old Jacob Peterson could get a look with the Sharks early next week. They’ve played six games each this season but remain assigned to the Barracuda, where they’ve each put up solid offensive numbers.

Sharks Recall Daniil Gushchin, Place Oskar Lindblom On IR

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4:48 PM: In a clarification report, Sheng Peng of NBC Sports has relayed that Lindblom has in fact been placed on the injured reserve, rather than being sent down to the Barracuda.

2:02 PM: The San Jose Sharks recalled forward prospect Daniil Gushchin from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on Monday, per a team release. Forward Oskar Lindblom was returned to the Barracuda. in a corresponding transaction.

Gushchin hasn’t been the subject of much public discussion, but he’s seen his stock rise significantly since the Sharks selected him in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He’s off to a great start in the minors this season, leading the Barracuda in scoring with four goals, nine assists and 13 points in 11 games.

The 21-year-old right winger was a prolific scorer in junior hockey, leading the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks and the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs in scoring in his first two post-draft seasons. While he’s got a great shot, he also possesses the talents to develop into a proficient two-way winger, with Elite Prospects calling him a “tenacious back checker who often almost functions as a third defenseman in transition at times.”

Gushchin did not look out of place in a two-game call-up at the end of last season. Skating on a line with Tomáš Hertl and Jacob Peterson, he averaged 15:55 per game and notched his first two NHL points, a goal and an assist.

He was active in getting pucks toward the net during his stint, too, averaging four shots on goal and six shot attempts per game. The Sharks’ next game is on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers, during which he could make his 2023-24 NHL season debut.

Meanwhile, Lindblom returns to the minors after a five-day recall. He was on the Sharks’ active roster for their last three games but only played once, recording no shots and a -1 rating in 11:56 of action against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. The 27-year-old cleared waivers preseason after failing to make the team out of camp and recording just six goals in 73 games last season.

In the second year of a two-year deal earning him $2.5MM per season, it is still a remarkable comeback story for Lindblom, who’s still managed to leverage a solid pro career after missing most of the 2020 calendar year while undergoing treatment for Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of bone cancer. In eight games with the Barracuda this season, Lindblom has a goal, assist and -6 rating.

While buried in the minors, $1.35MM of Lindblom’s $2.5MM cap hit still counts against the team’s salary cap. With defenseman Radim Simek also counting $1.1MM against the cap while buried in the minors, the Sharks are currently hit with a $2.45MM penalty for buried players.

Two Setbacks For Couture, Not Close To Returning

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Originally, Sharks captain Logan Couture wasn’t supposed to miss much time due to his lower-body injury.  However, he still has yet to play this season with Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relaying that the middleman hasn’t just suffered one setback in his recovery but rather two separate ones last month.  GM Mike Grier added that they’re not in a position at this point to say if he’ll be back in a month or two, only that it’s something he’s not able to play through.  San Jose could certainly use Couture’s offensive skills – he’s coming off a 67-point showing last season – but clearly, he won’t be making his season debut anytime soon.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: San Jose Sharks

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

San Jose Sharks

Current Cap Hit: $81,392,547 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F William Eklund (three years, $863K)
D Nikita Okhotyuk (one year, $789K)

Potential Bonuses
Eklund: $850K
Okhotiuk: $82.5K
Total: $932.5K

The Sharks have slow-played things with Eklund, giving him a taste of NHL action over the last two years but not enough to actually start his contract.  Now that his deal can’t slide anymore, he’s a regular in the lineup.  He’s off to a slow start this season and San Jose’s offensive woes will make it tough for him to hit on his four ‘A’ bonuses.

Okhotiuk is essentially waiver-blocked.  San Jose isn’t using him much but they also don’t want to risk losing him for nothing on waivers.  The end result is a lot of time on the bench which doesn’t bode well for his next contract or reaching some of his games played bonuses.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

D Calen Addison ($825K, RFA)
F Alexander Barabanov ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Ryan Carpenter ($775K, UFA)
F Anthony Duclair ($3MM, UFA)
D Ty Emberson ($775K, RFA)
F Mike Hoffman ($4.5MM, UFA)
G Kaapo Kahkonen ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Luke Kunin ($2.75MM, RFA)
F Kevin Labanc ($4.725MM, UFA)
F Oskar Lindblom ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Jacob MacDonald ($762.5K, UFA)
D Radim Simek ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Filip Zadina ($1.1MM, RFA)

After Labanc took a team-friendly one-year deal back in 2019-20, things have gone downhill as he has failed to pass the 33-point mark since then.  At one point last month, it looked like he’d be waived.  A change of scenery would likely do him some good but it’s almost certainly going to come at a fraction of this price.  Hoffman appears to be heading for a sizable dip in pay as well after a tough couple of years in Montreal and a particularly rough start to this season.  His shot is still dangerous but he might be better suited for a deeper team who can use him on the power play but hide him a bit at five-on-five.  Those teams won’t be able to offer anywhere close to the type of money he’s making now.

Duclair was acquired from Florida over the summer with the Panthers looking to free up some cap space.  A big year in a prominent role could also bode well for the winger but, as is the case with pretty much every other forward, he’s off to a tough start.  Still, after a 31-goal showing in 2021-22, Duclair should at least have a chance at another short-term deal around this price.  Barabanov is coming off a career year that saw him record 47 points in 68 games, a pretty nice bargain at his price.  However, a finger injury is likely to keep him out for another month which won’t help his bargaining power.  That said, a small raise could be achievable if he’s able to produce upon his return.

Kunin’s tenure with San Jose hasn’t gone great so far.  Injuries limited him to just 31 games last season where he managed 13 points and he’s producing at a lower clip in the early going this year.  Owed a $3MM qualifying offer in June, that price tag might be too rich for the Sharks.  Lindblom landed this deal after being bought out by Philadelphia but has struggled with his new team to the point where he cleared waivers in camp and is now in the minors with a dead cap charge of $1.35MM.  As things stand, even getting that much next summer could be difficult.

Zadina walked away from guaranteed money with Detroit to take a lot less with San Jose in the hopes that a new environment could help him revive his game.  The results have been spotty so far but with him being controllable through restricted free agency until 2027, they can afford a gradual development curve.  A small raise with arbitration eligibility should come his way.  Carpenter has seen limited minutes so far and is likely to stay in a depth forward role which will keep him around this price point moving forward.

Simek has been a depth piece for the majority of this contract (which is in its fourth year) which resulted in him clearing waivers in training camp.  Accordingly, he has a dead cap charge of $1.1MM which, like Lindblom, might be more than what he’ll be able to get on the open market this summer.  Addison was recently acquired from Minnesota in a move that basically gives him a fresh start where he’ll play more frequently.  After putting up 29 points last season, the Wild basically had no choice but to give him a low-cost, one-year deal.  Next summer, Addison will be arbitration-eligible and should see this price tag double at a minimum.

Emberson was picked up on waivers in training camp and is getting his first taste of NHL action.  He has held his own so far but a larger sample size is needed to see if he’s worthy of a bigger raise and a multi-year deal or another one-year pact if he winds up being a depth defender.  MacDonald is another depth piece who, at 30, is almost certain to stay around the minimum salary on his next deal.

Things haven’t gone quite as planned for Kahkonen.  Former GM Doug Wilson moved a capable blueliner in Jacob Middleton to get the netminder back at the 2021-22 trade deadline with the hopes that he’d be their goalie of the future.  The way he finished off that season provided some cause for optimism but since then, it has not been pretty.  He posted a save percentage of just .883 last season and this year, it’s even worse early on; with how bad the Sharks are, there’s no guarantee it will improve either.  He’s one of the more intriguing goalies in this free agent class; is it a case of him just needing a more structured environment to succeed in?  Or did he peak a couple of years ago?  How teams feel will ultimately decide if he gets a contract similar to this one or if he’s heading for a sizable pay cut as well.

Signed Through 2024-25

G Mackenzie Blackwood ($2.35MM, UFA)
F Mikael Granlund ($5MM, UFA)
D Nikolai Knyzhov ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Jan Rutta ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Givani Smith ($800K, UFA)
F Nico Sturm ($2MM, UFA)
F Fabian Zetterlund ($1.45MM, RFA)

Yes, things didn’t go well for Granlund in Pittsburgh but before that, he had 100 points in his last 138 games with Nashville.  Accordingly, a bounce-back performance is doable in theory but this might not be the best situation for that to happen.  At the moment, it’s hard to see him getting this type of money two years from now but if things stabilize somewhat and Granlund is a key part of that happening, he might be able to come closer than some might think.  Sturm had a career year last season, his first with San Jose as he put up career bests across the board while providing some positive value on his contract.  If he can stay close to 25 points while being a faceoff specialist, his market should be a bit stronger in 2025 where he could push for closer to $3MM.

Zetterlund did well with New Jersey last year but struggled mightily after being acquired in the Timo Meier swap.  This season, he has looked a bit more comfortable and is the early team leader in goals.  He’ll be looking to establish himself as a dependable middle-six winger moving forward and if he does, his next contract should at least go past the $2MM mark.  Smith has been a depth player when he has been on an NHL roster and that’s unlikely to change with the Sharks which should keep him around this price point two years from now.

Rutta is best utilized in a complementary role and the state of San Jose’s depth chart makes that somewhat difficult to accomplish.  When he signed this contract with Pittsburgh, it seemed like an overpayment at the time and if he winds up languishing with the Sharks for most of the remainder of it, he could also be looking at a small cut on his next contract.  Knyzhov has battled significant injury trouble and at this point, it’s just about re-establishing himself as a regular, a role he last had in 2020-21.  If he can do so and stay healthy, he could push for closer to $2MM but would need to become a top-four piece with the Sharks to aim much higher.

Blackwood struggled with injuries and inconsistency with New Jersey, resulting in his rights being dealt to San Jose in the spring.  They non-tendered him but quickly agreed to this deal.  The 26-year-old has fared better than Kahkonen but is struggling behind a weakened back end.  He’ll need to fare at least a bit better if he wants a shot at another deal around this price point; even keeping them competitive most nights might be enough.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Matt Benning ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Kyle Burroughs ($1.1MM, UFA)
D Mario Ferraro ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($7MM, UFA)

To say that Vlasic’s contract hasn’t aged well would be an extreme understatement.  The decline in performance started in year two and has continued since then.  In his prime, Vlasic was a prime shutdown defenseman but now, he’s struggling to handle even number six minutes and has been healthy scratched at times.  There is signing bonus money in each of the remaining years of the contract which must be paid in full with a buyout.  Even so, a buyout starts to look a bit palatable this summer when the cost would be $3.833MM, $4.833MM, and then two years at $1.333MM.  San Jose isn’t in a spot where they need to free up cap space but keeping an aging veteran around at the expense of a younger player isn’t the best option either and a trade just isn’t palatable.

Ferraro’s contract was interesting at the time it was signed in that it brought him right to unrestricted free agency with no extra years of club control.  He’s playing a bigger role than he probably should but in a fourth or fifth role, he’d fit in well with quite a few teams.  Unless things really don’t go well between now and 2026, he should be positioned to earn an increase on this deal even with his struggles as a top-pairing player.

Benning’s contract was another somewhat curious one in that sixth defenders usually don’t get four-year deals.  He actually had a career season offensively last year, making him a bit of a bargain at the moment although he’d need to continue to produce near that level to earn any sort of significant raise.  Closer to the trade deadline, he could be an under-the-radar trade candidate.  Burroughs also inked a multi-year deal to be a role player on the back end, pretty good stability for a player who had less than 100 NHL games under his belt at the time he signed.  He’s also playing a bigger role than he should but if he can hold his own at the 20-minute mark, his market should be stronger in 2026.

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Sharks Waiting For Things To Stabilize Before Recalling Prospects; Benning Resumes Skating

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While the Sharks snapped their season-long losing streak at 11 games yesterday with a win over the Flyers, clearly, there’s a lot of work to be done still.  However, don’t expect any reinforcements coming from the minors.  Speaking with Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, GM Mike Grier indicated that while they’ve thought about bringing up some of their better prospects from the minors (including defensemen Henry Thrun and Shakir Mukhamadullin plus forward Daniil Gushchin), they’d like to see things get more stabilized first over putting those youngsters into a less than ideal situation from a development perspective.  Getting captain Logan Couture back would help on that front but with him suffering a recent setback in his recovery lately, there’s no timeline for when he’ll be able to join the lineup.

  • Still with the Sharks, Pashelka reports in a separate piece that blueliner Matt Benning has resumed skating as he works his way back from an undisclosed injury. The 29-year-old is coming off a career year offensively but, like many San Jose players, is off to a rough start this year with just a single point in his first eight appearances while averaging 18:29 per night.  Benning is on injured reserve but has already been on there for more than a week, meaning they’ll be able to activate him as soon as he’s cleared to return.

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