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Daniil Gushchin

Avalanche Sign Daniil Gushchin

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It didn’t take long for the Avalanche to come to terms with their newest acquisition as PuckPedia reports that Colorado has signed winger Daniil Gushchin to a one-year, two-way deal.  The agreement will pay $775K in the NHL, $150K in the minors, and has an overall guarantee of $200K.

The 23-year-old is coming off a strong year in the minors with AHL San Jose, one that saw him post 28 goals and 23 assists in 56 games, surpassing the 50-point mark for the second straight year.  However, that level of success didn’t yield much in the way of an NHL opportunity as Gushchin played in just a dozen games with the Sharks in 2024-25, bringing his career total to 18.

Accordingly, Gushchin acknowledged earlier this month that he was undecided about re-signing with San Jose or if he’d be open to accepting one of the offers he was receiving from back home in Russia.  It appears the two sides found a solution that worked for both sides as Gushchin wasted little time signing with his new team while the Sharks added Oskar Olausson from the Avs to likely take the spot earmarked for Gushchin with the Barracuda, pending waiver clearance.

Colorado has had a lengthy rotation of fourth liners in recent years with Jared Bednar struggling to find a few players that he’s comfortable with in that role.  That played a big role in the Avalanche dressing no fewer than 30 forwards for at least two games, 11 of those logging an ATOI of under 10 minutes per game, or fourth-line minutes.  They haven’t done much in the way of adding extra low-cost depth this summer so Gushchin – now waiver-eligible for the first time – should get a legitimate chance to land a spot on the fourth line at some point next season.

Sharks, Avalanche Swap Daniil Gushchin, Oskar Olausson

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According to a team announcement from the San Jose Sharks, the Sharks have traded forward Daniil Gushchin to the Colorado Avalanche for forward Oskar Olausson. The former is still a restricted free agent while Olausson has one year remaining on his entry-level contract.

It’s a change-of-scenery trade for both forwards, with the beneficiaries being the two teams’ respective AHL affiliates. The only noticeable difference between the two is that Gushchin is considered more NHL-ready, but isn’t quite good enough to be an NHL regular.

The Yekaterinburg, Russia native was drafted by San Jose with the 76th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft. He was coming off a relatively impressive season with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, scoring 22 goals and 47 points in 42 games with a +21 rating. After another season in Muskegon and one with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, Gushchin became a full-time player for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda beginning in the 2022-23 campaign.

He has enjoyed plenty of offensive success throughout his time with the AHL’s San Jose, scoring 70 goals and 150 points in 182 games, with one goal in four postseason contests. Unfortunately, Gushchin has left much to be desired on the defensive side of the puck, owning a -48 career rating. Still, Gushchin’s ability to score will make the AHL’s Colorado Eagles that much harder to play against, given that they led the AHL in scoring last season with 250.

Unlike Gushchin, the Avalanche used a first-round selection to draft Olausson, who went 28th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. He was a top-level talent for HV71’s U20 team, scoring 14 goals and 27 points in 16 games. Olausson transitioned to North American hockey a year later, scoring 26 goals and 49 points in 55 games split between the OHL’s Barrie Colts and Oshawa Generals. Given his success in one of the top Canadian major junior leagues, the Avalanche hoped Olausson could be a key contributor in a few years.

Unfortunately, his play with AHL Colorado has zapped much of that hope. Since joining the Eagles ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, the same year Gushchin became a full-time AHL player, Olausson has scored 33 goals and 66 points in 163 contests, with one goal and eight points in 17 playoff games.

Both players have spent limited time in the NHL since making their professional debuts. Gushchin has the edge, featuring in 18 games compared to Olausson’s four. Still, neither player should be expected to drastically improve those totals in 2025-26, unless their NHL club sustains multiple injuries to their forward core.

West Notes: Rossi, Gushchin, Skinner, McQueen

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One of the more prominent remaining restricted free agents is Wild center Marco Rossi.  He has long been in trade speculation given what’s believed to be a significant gap to bridge between the two sides but with a little more than $10MM in cap space per PuckPedia, they have ample room to sign him or match any potential offer sheet.  Without the ability to file for arbitration, Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests that Minnesota still holds the hammer in negotiations, especially since they’ve positioned themselves to be able to match an offer sheet, something Edmonton didn’t do last summer when they lost a pair of players to St. Louis.  At this point, a trade looks less and less likely so it feels like a situation where the two sides are going to have to hammer out a contract.  While the team has presented short-term and long-term offers, a shorter-term pact would seemingly make the most sense for Rossi if his camp feels that Minnesota’s offers are too low for a long-term agreement.

More from out West:

  • Sharks RFA winger Daniil Gushchin told Sport24’s Dmitry Yerkalov that he hasn’t decided yet if he’ll re-sign with San Jose or play in Russia next season. The 23-year-old was quite productive in the minors with the Barracuda, tallying 28 goals and 23 assists in 56 games but that performance didn’t give him much of an opportunity with the Sharks as he played in just a dozen games where he had only one assist.  Gushchin stated that he is hoping to make a decision about his playing future by the beginning of August.
  • Still with the Sharks, new winger Jeff Skinner received some trade protection in his contract according to PuckPedia (Twitter link). The 33-year-old has a full no-trade clause through January 30th at which time, the protection drops to just a six-team no-trade clause for the remainder of the season.  Accordingly, while this deal won’t stop Skinner from being a speculative in-season trade candidate, any move is likely to come closer to the trade deadline.  Skinner had 16 goals and 13 assists in 72 games with Edmonton last season.
  • If Roger McQueen doesn’t make the Ducks’ roster in training camp, he told Global News’ Scott Roblin (Twitter link) that he will return to WHL Brandon instead of pursuing NCAA options. McQueen was the tenth pick last month, sliding in the draft after being limited to just 17 regular season games last season due to back troubles but he was quite productive in those outings, picking up 10 goals and 10 assists.  Given that he missed most of the year, it’s not overly surprising that he’d elect to return to junior to get more game action in to try to make up for some lost time.

Sharks Notes: Eklund, Bordeleau, Gushchin, Poturalski

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Sharks winger William Eklund is eligible to sign a contract extension as of July 1st and it appears that the team would like to get something done quickly.  GM Mike Grier told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that he recently met with Eklund’s agent to get an early sense of what the asking price might be on a new agreement.  Speculatively, that would be a long-term agreement as early extensions are rarely short-term bridge pacts although Grier said all options are on the table this early in the process.  The 22-year-old set career highs in goals (17), assists (41), and points (58) this season while finishing second in team scoring to Calder Trophy finalist Macklin Celebrini.  With the salary cap set to spike, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a long-term extension surpass the $8MM mark per season.

More from San Jose:

  • Center Thomas Bordeleau told reporters including Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link) that he has been dealing with a concussion and wasn’t particularly close to returning had the AHL’s Barracuda been able to go on a long playoff run. The 23-year-old played in 59 games in the minors this season, notching 14 goals and 24 assists as he heads to restricted free agency for the first time this summer.
  • Bordeleau also spoke about his status in the organization, voicing some frustration to reporters including Pashelka (Twitter link) about how the last couple of years have gone, saying that the message changed. It wasn’t long ago that it looked like he was on the verge of being a full-timer with the Sharks but instead, he played in just one game with the big club this season after getting into 27 in 2023-24.
  • Winger Daniil Gushchin is also set to be a restricted free agent this summer. Despite a strong year with the Barracuda that saw him pot 27 goals and 21 assists in 54 games, he only saw a dozen games with the Sharks, leading to some frustration earlier in the year as well.  Although there has been some speculation that he’d like to return to Russia, Peng relays that the 23-year-old’s intention is to remain in North America.  A three-time 20-goal scorer in the minors, it feels like Gushchin will be in tough to crack a full-time spot with the Sharks, especially if Grier goes out and adds some pieces this summer.
  • In that same column, another player who voiced some frustration about his usage this season was Andrew Poturalski. The 31-year-old led the AHL in scoring this season with 73 points, earning his first career MVP award but that only got him three games with the Sharks, a decision he said he doesn’t agree with.  Signed for one more year, there has been speculation that Poturalski could look to go to the KHL next season over remaining in the minors but the two sides would need to reach a mutual contract termination first before that could happen.

Sharks Notes: Celebrini, Mukhamadullin, Gushchin, Schuldt, Carlsson

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Sharks center Macklin Celebrini will suit up for Canada at the upcoming World Championship, reports Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest.  The rookie was actually originally named to the squad last year but ultimately didn’t play.  The number one pick last year, Celebrini had an impressive rookie campaign, tallying 25 goals and 38 assists in 70 games to lead San Jose in scoring, five points ahead of William Eklund, who will play for the host Swedes.  Meanwhile, Miller adds that it’s unclear if their other top rookie, Will Smith, will play for Team USA at the event.  Smith was fourth on the Sharks in scoring with 45 points in 74 games.

More from San Jose:

  • Defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin underwent successful shoulder surgery and is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 23-year-old suited up for 30 games with the Sharks this season, collecting nine points and 51 blocked shots while averaging a little over 18 minutes a night of playing time.  Mukhamadullin also had nine assists in 21 games with the AHL’s Barracuda.  He’s expected to push for a full-time lineup spot next season.
  • The team announced (Twitter links) that they’ve assigned forward Daniil Gushchin and defensemen Jimmy Schuldt and Lucas Carlsson to AHL San Jose. Gushchin got into a dozen games with the Sharks this season, notching just one assist.  Meanwhile, Carlsson had a goal and three assists in 13 games while Schuldt was held off the scoresheet in his eight outings, his first NHL action since late in the 2018-19 campaign.  The Barracuda recently clinched a playoff spot and will certainly be happy to have one of their top scorers and two of their better blueliners back for the postseason.

Sharks Recall Daniil Gushchin, Luca Cagnoni, Jimmy Schuldt

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Call it even more of a youth movement for the Sharks. They’ve recalled winger Daniil Gushchin and defensemen Luca Cagnoni and Jimmy Schuldt from AHL San Jose ahead of their final two games of the season, per a team announcement.

The promotions for the youngsters and the veteran Schuldt come amid a late-season rash of injuries. They’ll likely be dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen tonight against the Canucks after recent call-up Thomas Bordeleau sustained an undisclosed injury last night against the Flames, per Max Miller of The Hockey News. The 23-year-old, who was making his season debut, joins a long list of injured Sharks that also includes Klim Kostin, Cameron Lund, and Zack Ostapchuk on offense and Vincent Desharnais, Mario Ferraro, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Jack Thompson on the back end.

San Jose’s wave of late-season injuries poses a challenge, but the team will find a silver lining in their chance to ice more up-and-coming talents. Gushchin should immediately fill in Bordeleau’s role in the team’s bottom-six, giving the Russian standout a chance to find his first NHL goal of the season. Gushchin made the Sharks roster out of training camp but was quickly assigned to the minors after netting just one assist in 10 games. He quickly returned to the world of top-AHL scoring with the Barracuda, ultimately recording 27 goals and 48 points in 54 games on the season.

Those numbers rank Gushchin second on the team’s offense in goals and points. It’s an ever-so-slight downtick from the 54 points he scored last season, though that total also ranked Gushchin second on the Barracuda’s offense. He’s managed at least 40 points in each of the last three AHL seasons – the first of his pro career – but has struggled to translate that scoring to the top flight. Through 16 career appearances in the NHL, Gushchin has just two goals and five points. This recall will mark a chance for Gushchin to buck his low-scoring trend before the Sharks’ season comes to an end.

Meanwhile, Cagnoni and Schuldt will once again battle for minutes on the Sharks’ blue-line. The pair have both seen routine call-ups this season and offer very different skillsets. Cagnoni led all AHL rookie defensemen in scoring this sesaon with a proud 49 points in 62 games. He’s a dominant puck-mover and playmaker, but only managed one assist in the first five games of his NHL career earlier this season. Schuldt – the captain of the Barracuda – is much more a stay-at-home, physical defenseman. That point is made evident by his 21 points in 62 AHL games, and no points in six NHL games, this season. Schuldt has become a top defensive-defenseman at the minor-league level, and held onto strong lineup roles through stints with five different AHL clubs over the last six seasons. Both Cagnoni and Schuldt are expected to step into the lineup for San Jose’s final games, giving both players a chance to chase the first goal of their NHL careers.

Sharks Activate Macklin Celebrini, Ty Dellandrea From IR

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Nov. 5: As expected, Cardwell and Gushchin have been sent down to make way for Celebrini’s and Dellandrea’s activations, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Pashelka. The Sharks organization later confirmed that Celebrini and Dellandrea have been activated for tonight’s contest.

Nov. 4: Sharks forwards Macklin Celebrini and Ty Dellandrea will make their returns to the lineup tomorrow against the Blue Jackets, they each told reporters today, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. They’ll need to come off injured reserve, meaning the Sharks will have to open up a pair of roster spots in short order.

Celebrini, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, has missed all but San Jose’s season opener with a lower-body injury. The 18-year-old told Pashelka that he sustained it on his first shift, but he still managed to record a goal and an assist in 17:35 of ice time against the Blues. After a 12-game absence, he’ll likely be back centering their first line between William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli. That would leave Mikael Granlund and his team-leading 14 points in 13 games in a second-line role, greatly improving the Sharks’ scoring depth.

After an initial bleak stretch without Celebrini, the Sharks have turned things around – somewhat. They still sit last in the league with a 3-8-2 record, but they’ve won three out of their last four games and have outscored opponents 14-11 during that stretch. It’s certainly a step in the right direction for a club that recently became the first in NHL history to start back-to-back seasons with nine-game losing streaks.

They’ll also have Dellandrea available against Columbus. The 24-year-old had a goal in nine games after being acquired from the Stars over the offseason but sustained a hand injury against the Golden Knights over a week ago. He’s back after missing four contests with the injury, and he’ll almost surely slot back in after playing a season-high 15:13 against the Kings on Oct. 24, his last fully healthy game.

The Sharks have three likely candidates who are waiver-exempt to head to the minors to make room for the duo – forwards Ethan Cardwell, Daniil Gushchin, and defenseman Jack Thompson. San Jose has carried 15 forwards and six defenders at points this season, so they may opt to send down Thompson to get back to that formation, although that’s unlikely given he’s currently ninth on the team in scoring with three assists in six games. Gushchin has just one assist in 10 appearances after cracking the opening night roster, while Cardwell has no points and a -2 rating in three appearances since being called up to replace Dellandrea.

Pacific Notes: Sharks Roster, Sharks Injuries, Karlsson

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The San Jose Sharks have collectively cut 12 players from their training camp roster today bringing their total bodies down to 38. In an earlier article, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News broke down some of the remaining camp battles on the roster with three games remaining in the preseason.

The organization’s forward core appears locked up with the remaining battles set to determine the 13th and 14th forwards on the opening night roster. Pashelka argues that forward Klim Kostin has already earned himself a spot for the regular season as the team would like to avoid putting him on waivers. The final spot remains a big question for San Jose. Will the team opt for an enforcer like Givani Smith to protect the youngsters when needed or look to add more available talent in Ethan Cardwell or Daniil Gushchin? Guschin likely has the inside edge if the team chooses the latter after scoring 20 goals and 54 points in 56 games for AHL San Jose last year.

The Sharks have a bigger question on defense with notable injuries to start the year (more on that later). Jack Thompson, acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning and debuting last season, should be the odds-on-favorite for the seventh defenseman position by the end of training camp. Pashelka warns that even if Thompson represents the youngster with the most professional experience up to this point he still needs to play most nights rather than sit as a healthy scratch if he does make the roster.

Other Pacific notes:

  • Pashelka gave a few updates on the injured members of the Sharks’ defensive core earlier today. He shares that defensemen Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Shakir Mukhamadullin skated today and are still considered day-to-day. Still, their regular season opener availability is questionable. Circumstances appear to be different between the pipes with Pashelka also sharing that Yaroslav Askarov practiced with the team “for a little bit” today. Askarov has not practiced with the team once since the start of training camp a few weeks ago and his presence on the ice is a positive development.
  • Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson was not on the ice for practice again today and there appears to be a growing concern he may not be ready for opening night (X Link). It’s been over a week since he took the ice but the organization remains hopeful he will be healthy for the team’s regular-season opener on October 9th. Karlsson is set to be the second-line center for the Golden Knights this season although Nicolas Roy has been filling that void in the lineup for the last week.

Sharks Recall Daniil Gushchin, Jack Thompson, Georgi Romanov

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The San Jose Sharks have recalled forward Daniil Gushchin, defenseman Jack Thompson, and goaltender Georgi Romanov for the final two games of the season (Twitter link). These moves come after San Jose officially clinched last place in the league yesterday, following a 5-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes.

Both Gushchin and Thompson have played in NHL games this season, but this is the first call-up of Romanov’s career. The 24-year-old netminder is in his first North American season after spending the majority of the last two years with Gornyak-UGMK of the VHL, Russia’s second-tier league. He posted a .916 save percentage across 80 VHL games, performing well enough to earn an undrafted free-agent contract with San Jose last May. Romanov has since spent most of this season in the AHL, recording nine wins and a .904 save percentage in 29 games, though he’s also played in seven ECHL games. A start in the NHL would make him the second Sharks goalie this season to play in all three leagues, joining Magnus Chrona, who’s managed a .859 in nine NHL games.

The trio of Gushchin, Thompson, and Romanov could each be poised for strong ice time in San Jose’s final games, as the team gets a look at prospects on the fringe of the lineup. That could mean less ice time for the few 30-year-olds on the roster, including Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Jan Rutta, and Ryan Carpenter. Gushchin has appeared in four NHL games across the last two seasons, recording three points, while Thompson’s has only managed his NHL debut, playing with the Tampa Bay Lightning in January. Both players will be searching for their first NHL goal of the season.

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.

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