Sharks defenseman Dylan DeMelo came into the season with the expectation that he’d get some more playing time after the team lost David Schlemko in the Expansion Draft. However, that hasn’t been the case as he has played in just two games so far this season and is set to be a healthy scratch for the tenth straight game tonight having been surpassed on the depth chart by call-ups Tim Heed and Joakim Ryan.
Despite the lack of playing time, DeMelo told Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News that he still wants to remain with the Sharks: “I want to be here, plain and simple. I want to be here. I know the team, I know the guys here. I’ve worked hard since I was 18 to gain equity in this organization. For me, it’s not even in my mind to go anywhere else. This is where I want to be and I really want to make it work here.”
This is the second straight season where DeMelo has basically been the Sharks’ full-time seventh defender which has largely been dictated by being eligible for waivers. With Paul Martin getting closer to returning to action, the 24-year-old may soon find playing time even harder to come by.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- Kings head coach John Stevens told Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider that wingers Marian Gaborik and Kyle Clifford are progressing well from their injuries. The team is hopeful that Gaborik will be able to start participating in full practices in the next little while. However, Clifford, despite being listed as week-to-week with his upper-body issue, is still not close to returning to the lineup. Still with the Kings, first-round pick Gabriel Vilardi skated in full gear for the first time today since sustaining a back injury over the summer, notes Helene Elliott of the LA Times (Twitter link).
- Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa could be available to return to the lineup as soon as Friday, head coach Randy Carlyle noted to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. The veteran rearguard is set to miss his fourth straight game due to a hand injury against Toronto. Anaheim has been dealing with injuries on the back end all season; they’ve been without at least two of their regular defenders in every game so far.