- The San Jose Sharks are dealing with a few minor injuries in training camp and their status is up in the air for the Sharks next preseason game against the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday. Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group reports William Eklund, Mikael Granlund, and Matt Benning are all listed as day-to-day with various ailments. There is no concern at this point that any of the three are questionable for opening night but it will be worth monitoring heading into next week.
- Another team in the Pacific Division dealing with numerous minor injuries is the Calgary Flames. The team announced their injury designations earlier today with Jake Bean, Matthew Coronato, and Martin Pospisil all missing practice with lower-body injuries. Similarly to the Sharks, there shouldn’t be any long-term concerns for any of the players but their availability will be questionable tomorrow night as the Flames take on the Vancouver Canucks.
[SOURCE LINK]
Sharks Rumors
Training Camp Cuts: 9/27/24
As we finish out the first week of the preseason schedule, teams are beginning to get more aggressive with their training camp cuts. We’ll see more on Friday after seven teams trimmed their rosters on Thursday. With most junior-eligible players returned to their CHL clubs, we should see more AHL assignments and waiver placements in the coming days. As always, we’ll update this article with all of today’s cuts.
Last updated 4:49 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks (per team announcement)
F Carey Terrance (assigned to OHL Erie)
Calgary Flames (per team announcement)
F Alex Gallant (to AHL Calgary)
F Trevor Janicke (to AHL Calgary)
F Rory Kerins (to AHL Calgary)
G Connor Murphy (to AHL Calgary)
F Ilya Nikolayev (to AHL Calgary)
D Zayne Parekh (assigned to OHL Saginaw)
G Matt Radomsky (to AHL Calgary)
F David Silye (to AHL Calgary)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)
F Jake Gaudet (to AHL Cleveland)
F Stefan Matteau (to AHL Cleveland)
F Justin Pearson (to AHL Cleveland)
D Stanislav Svozil (loaned to AHL Cleveland)
Florida Panthers (per team announcement)
G Kenneth Appleby (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
G Evan Cormier (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
New York Rangers (per team announcement)
G Talyn Boyko (to AHL Hartford)
Ottawa Senators (per team announcement)
F Wyatt Bongiovanni (to AHL Belleville)
F Tyler Boucher (to AHL Belleville)
F Xavier Bourgault (to AHL Belleville)
F Jake Chiasson (to AHL Belleville)
F Angus Crookshank (to AHL Belleville)
F Phillippe Daoust (to AHL Belleville)
D Jorian Donovan (to AHL Belleville)
F Stephen Halliday (to AHL Belleville)
D Tomas Hamara (to AHL Belleville)
F Oskar Pettersson (to AHL Belleville)
G Michael Simpson (to AHL Belleville)
D Djibril Toure (to AHL Belleville)
F Keean Washkurak (released from PTO to AHL Belleville)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)
F Jon-Randall Avon (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Elliot Desnoyers (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Brendan Furry (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Jacob Gaucher (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Massimo Rizzo (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)
D Nikolai Knyzhov (released from PTO)
San Jose Sharks (per a team announcement)
D Artem Guryev (to AHL San Jose)
D Braden Haché (to AHL San Jose)
D Valtteri Pulli (to AHL San Jose)
D Joey Keane (to AHL San Jose)
F Mitchell Russell (to AHL San Jose)
F Lucas Vanroboys (to AHL San Jose)
F Anthony Vincent (to AHL San Jose)
Seattle Kraken (per a team announcement)
F Jagger Firkus (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F David Goyette (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Jack LaFontaine (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Ian McKinnon (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Logan Morrison (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Ty Nelson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Victor Ostman (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Tucker Robertson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
Utah Hockey Club (per a team announcement)
D Tomas Lavoie (assigned to QMJHL Cape Breton)
F Gabe Smith (assigned to QMJHL Moncton)
D Veeti Vaisanen (assigned to WHL Medicine Hat)
San Jose Barracuda Sign Aaron Dell
- Goaltender Aaron Dell is headed back to the San Jose Sharks organization only a few days after being released from his professional tryout agreement. The AHL affiliate of the Sharks, the San Jose Barracuda, announced they signed Dell to an AHL contract for the upcoming season. It will be the second time in three years that Dell has suited up for the Barracuda producing a 15-17-4 record in 38 games played for the team in the 2022-23 AHL season with a .898 save percentage.
[SOURCE LINK]
Lucas Carlsson Could Return Soon
Edmonton Oilers forward Raphael Lavoie will miss the next few days with an apparent lower-body injury (as per Daniel Nugent-Bowman from The Athletic) Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told the media that the 23-year-old will likely get back on the ice Friday and will miss tomorrow night’s game against Winnipeg. Lavoie has played well in preseason scoring a goal on Sunday night against the Jets.
Lavoie was a bit of a long shot to make the Oilers out of training camp as the team is pretty set at forward in the top nine, and his style of play isn’t what most teams would prefer on a fourth line. Lavoie’s pace has always been the thing that kept him out of the NHL, and it remains to be seen if this will be the year he finally breaks through.
In other evening notes:
- Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now is reporting that San Jose Sharks defenseman Lucas Carlsson could be ready for the club’s AHL training camp. Carlsson hasn’t dressed for the Sharks NHL training camp after offseason surgery to repair a lower-body injury. He spent all of last season in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, registering 15 goals and 24 assists in 52 games and hasn’t seen NHL action since November 1st, 2022. Given the fact that Carlsson hasn’t dressed in an NHL game in nearly two years and that he will miss NHL training camp, it seems like a foregone conclusion that he will start the year with the Barracuda.
- New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren left tonight’s preseason game with an apparent upper-body injury (as per Remy Mastey of The Hockey News). Lindgren fought New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield in the first period after Mayfield hit Filip Chytil with an open-ice knee-on-knee hit. The fight may or may not have been when the injury occurred, and no update has been provided on Lindgren’s status going forward. Fortunately, Chytil was able to continue in the game, but Lindgren did not return.
Injury Notes: Celebrini, Karlsson, Svechkov
Max Miller of The Hockey News is reporting that San Jose Sharks rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini left practice today with a lower-body issue. No specifics were given to the media as the Sharks coaching staff referred to the issue as a “Little bit of everything” and they believe that the 18-year-old will practice tomorrow with the team.
The first overall pick in this year’s NHL entry draft had a strong preseason debut on Sunday night against the Vegas Golden Knights scoring a goal and adding an assist. No word on whether or not the issue popped up from something that happened in the game or during training camp. The Sharks aren’t expected to compete for the playoffs this season, but it will be an important season nonetheless as they try to develop their young core.
In other injury notes from around the league:
- Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson took a maintenance day today and did not practice with the team (as per SinBin.Vegas). Karlsson’s absence is injury-related, although the ailment is being kept out of the media at this time. The 31-year-old won’t play tomorrow but Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn’t rule him out beyond tomorrow. Karlsson has been relatively durable throughout his career but dealt with a lower-body injury in the second half of last season that kept him out of action for over a month.
- Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean writes that Nashville Predators forward Fedor Svechkov will be out of action week-to-week with what appears to be a lower-body injury. The 2021 first-round pick has yet to see NHL action after he came over to North America last season and spent the year in the AHL. He appeared to be injured in the Predators preseason game against the Florida Panthers on Sunday after he took a hit from Tobias Bjornfot. Svechkov couldn’t put weight on his left leg as he headed off the ice and down the tunnel.
Thomas Bordeleau Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury
The San Jose Sharks are dealing with some unfortunate news on the injury front as Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports forward Thomas Bordeleau is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. A few moments after the initial report Max Miller of The Hockey News shared that “it’ll be close” for Bordeleau to start the regular season on time.
It’s an unlucky occurrence for Bordeleau who was looking to register his first full season in the NHL this year with the Sharks. Bordeleau joined the organization as the 38th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft but has primarily suited up for their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
Bordeleau got off to a strong start with the Sharks after signing with the team at the end of his sophomore campaign at the University of Michigan in 2022. The youngster had five assists in eight games down the stretch with another three assists in two contests for the Barracuda. San Jose granted Bordeleau more playing time in the AHL for the 2022-23 regular season and he impressed with 22 goals and 41 points in 65 games as a 21-year-old.
His scoring pace increased in the AHL last year with 11 goals and 25 points in 35 games but his time with the Sharks wasn’t as lucrative on the scoresheet. Bordeleau scored six goals and 11 points in 27 games in San Jose while averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time per night. His -18 rating sat 11th on the team amongst forwards in limited action but his advanced metrics paint a much better picture.
He carried an E+/- of -5.3 throughout the regular season ranking fifth on the team for skaters with more than 20 games played according to Hockey Reference. His CorsiFor% of 48.3% also ranked towards the top of the roster which indicates Bordeleau could be an effective middle-six presence on a more competent roster.
The team will reassess Bordeleau in the upcoming weeks to determine if he can play in the opening night roster. He should still be an effective presence in San Jose’s middle- or bottom-six for most of this year with the bonus of having some extra scoring punch.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/23/24
Training camp cuts continue Monday across the league, mostly involving fringe prospects being returned to their junior teams. As always, we’re keeping track of today’s moves with this article, which will be updated throughout the day.
Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)
F Chad Hillebrand (released from PTO to AHL Colorado)
D Devante Stephens (released from PTO to AHL Colorado)
D Saige Weinstein (to WHL Spokane)
Los Angeles Kings (per team announcement)
F Cole Davis (released from ATO to OHL Windsor)
F Ethan Neutens (released from ATO to WHL Kelowna)
F Oliver Tulk (released from ATO to WHL Calgary)
D Corbin Vaughan (released from ATO to WHL Regina)
F Luke Woodworth (released from ATO to QMJHL Drummondville)
Nashville Predators (per team announcement)
F Kalan Lind (to WHL Red Deer)
D Dylan MacKinnon (to QMJHL Moncton)
F Miguel Marques (to WHL Lethbridge)
G Jakub Milota (to QMJHL Cape Breton)
F Joey Willis (to OHL Saginaw)
New York Rangers (per team announcement)
G Hugo Ollas (to AHL Hartford)
Ottawa Senators (per team announcement)
D Matthew Andonovski (to OHL Kitchener)
F Lucas Ellinas (to OHL Kitchener)
D Gabriel Eliasson (to SHL HV71)
D Filip Nordberg (to USHL Sioux Falls)
San Jose Sharks (per Max Miller of The Hockey News/NHL.com)
D Jérémie Bucheler (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
F Nolan Burke (to AHL San Jose)
F Joe Carroll (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
G Dawson Cowan (released from ATO to WHL Spokane)
G Aaron Dell (released from PTO to AHL San Jose) – per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group
F Luke Grainger (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
D Gannon Laroque (to AHL San Jose)
F Ivan Lodnia (released from PTO)
D Nate Misskey (to WHL Victoria)
F Nathan Pilling (released from ATO to WHL Victoria)
D Colton Roberts (to WHL Vancouver)
F Donavan Villeneuve-Houle (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
F Carson Wetsch (to WHL Calgary)
Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)
D Alexis Bernier (to QMJHL Baie-Comeau)
F Clarke Caswell (to WHL Swift Current)
D Lukas Dragicevic (to WHL Prince Albert)
D Jakub Fibigr (to OHL Brampton)
D Kaden Hammell (to WHL Everett)
F Ollie Josephson (to WHL Red Deer)
D Tyson Jugnauth (to WHL Portland)
F Andrei Loshko (to OHL Niagara)
F Julius Miettinen (to WHL Everett)
D Caden Price (to WHL Kelowna)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team announcement)
F Mikael Huchette (to USports Concordia)
D Viliam Kmec (to WHL Prince George)
D Mazden Leslie (to WHL Vancouver)
F Jacob Mathieu (to QMJHL Rimouski)
F Shane Smith (to WHL Medicine Hat)
F Tuomas Uronen (to OHL Kingston)
San Jose Sharks Announce Alternate Captains
The San Jose Sharks have labeled their leadership for the 2024-25 NHL season with captain Logan Couture set to miss a significant amount of time. The team announced earlier today that Mario Ferraro would be an alternate captain for all games, Tyler Toffoli and Barclay Goodrow would be alternate captains for home games, and Mikael Granlund and Luke Kunin would serve as alternate captains for away games.
New head coach Ryan Warsofsky made it a point to re-commit to Couture as the team’s captain for the upcoming season although he may not play for some time. The 2024-25 NHL season will mark Couture’s 16th season with the Sharks organization and his fifth as the team’s captain.
San Jose Sharks Announce Multiple Injuries
The San Jose Sharks are set to begin camp without four notable players. General manager Mike Grier announced that Yaroslav Askarov, Logan Couture, and Shakir Mukhamadullin are out with lower-body injuries, while Marc-Edouard Vlasic is out with an upper-body injury (X Link).
None of the injuries, except for Couture, are expected to be long-term, but they will prohibit each player from joining the team at the beginning of camp. Max Miller of The Hockey News reported today that Couture hasn’t skated since his last game on January 31st, 2024, and isn’t close to resuming on-ice activities. There is little to no chance that Couture will be available to the team at training camp with Miller also reporting Couture is expected to start the year on the team’s injured reserve.
Couture was limited to only six games in the 2023-24 season due to osteitis pubis, joint inflammation that causes considerable pain and swelling in the groin and lower abdomen. It appears to be a question of not when but if Couture can return to his duties in San Jose for the 2024-25 season. He remains the highest-paid player in the organization with three years and $24MM remaining on his contract.
The team’s second highest-paid player, Vlasic, has been relatively healthy throughout his 18-year NHL career but did lose about two weeks of playing time last year in February with an upper-body injury. Vlasic has seen his playing time drop considerably over the previous four seasons after being one of the league’s best shutdown defensemen for over a decade. The acquisitions of Jake Walman and Cody Ceci over the offseason will likely lead to an even further decrease in ice time for the team’s most veteran defensemen.
The injuries to Askarov and Mukhamadullin will delay San Jose’s ability to analyze two of their better prospects heading into the season. Askarov’s success in the AHL is well-known up to this point and he is well-positioned to be the Sharks’ goaltender of the future after being acquired from the Nashville Predators late in the summer.
Mukhamadullin joined the organization in 2023 as a part of the package for Timo Meier. He skated in 55 games last year for the organization’s AHL affiliate in San Jose recording seven goals and 24 points. His size and skating ability on the blue line should make him a popular candidate to make the Sharks defensive core out of camp.
Sharks Sign Aaron Dell, Joey Keane To PTOs
The San Jose Sharks are adding to their training camp on day two, signing defender Joey Keane and goaltender Aaron Dell to professional try-out agreements.
This deal gives Dell a chance for yet another reunion with the San Jose Sharks. His first NHL games came in San Jose, after working his way up their minor league depth charts as an undrafted free agent. He made his Sharks debut in 2016, serving as the backup to Martin Jones during his prime starting years. Dell flashed bright spots as a rookie, recording an 11-6-1 record and .931 save percentage. He continued to proudly fill San Jose’s backup role through the 2019-20 season but was never able to work into more than 33 games in one season, leading to a move to New Jersey in 2020.
Dell’s production took a major hit when he left San Jose. He’s played in just 23 games since then, recording a measly two wins and .887 save percentage. Not even a return to San Jose in 2022-23 could save Dell’s slide. Now 35, Dell has become a de facto minor leaguer but could make one more lunge toward the NHL lineup on this PTO, joining a Sharks team with shallow goaltending behind star prospect Yaroslav Askarov.
Keane hasn’t achieved the same NHL success, instead spending the majority of his North American career in the AHL. He recorded 83 points across 144 games, including supporting the 2022 Chicago Wolves to a Calder Cup Championship. That production was enough to earn Keane two spot starts in the Carolina Hurricanes lineup, though he wasn’t able to record a point in either outing. Keane has spent the last two seasons with the KHL’s Moscow Spartak, where he’s scored 35 points in 102 games.