San Jose Sharks Make Several Roster Moves
As expected, the San Jose Sharks made multiple roster moves before tonight’s contest against the Minnesota Wild. The Sharks organization announced they’ve activated forward Carl Grundström and defenseman Jake Walman from the injured reserve while placing forwards Klim Kostin and Nikolai Kovalenko on it in a corresponding roster move.
Despite moving a pair of forwards to the injured reserve, the transaction is a major addition to San Jose’s lineup. Walman has objectively been the Sharks’ top defenseman this near averaging nearly a point-per-game for the first time in his career with five goals and 25 points in 31 games while averaging 22:50 of ice time per night. His defensive metrics have depressed slightly since his time with the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues but Walman is still one of the only Sharks’ defensemen with a positive expected +/- and CorsiFor% over 50.0%.
Grundstrom is expected to reprise his familiar role in San Jose’s bottom-six. He’s scored one goal and five points in 30 games for the Sharks this season which is seven points lower than his 20-point, 82-game average with the Los Angeles Kings last year. Still, Grundstrom is second amongst San Jose’s forwards in hitting with 85 showing he can still provide quality physicality if he isn’t finding his way on the scoresheet.
The oft-healthy scratched Klostin is one of the forwards moved to the injured reserve to make room for Walman and Grundstrom’s activation. After scoring five goals and 10 points in 19 games for the Sharks after being acquired from the Red Wings at last year’s deadline his offensive output has fallen off a cliff this season with one goal and four points in 26 contests. He’ll likely miss three games on the injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury yesterday and may not find himself in the lineup once he returns.
Kovalenko hasn’t suited up for San Jose since the team’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights on January 7th due to an upper-body injury. He’ll be quicker to return than Klostin given he was considered day-to-day and will have already missed two of three games needed to be eligible for activation. He got off to a quick start with the Sharks after being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche tallying five assists in his first five games but only has one goal in the following seven contests.
Injury Updates: Monahan, Zetterlund, Walman, Faksa
The Blue Jackets will be without Sean Monahan for a little while. Speaking with Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek (video link), team President and GM Don Waddell indicated that the veteran is dealing with a wrist injury, one that will keep him out for “some time, hopefully not a long time.” Monahan was expected to get a bone scan today to help determine how much time he’ll be out for. The 30-year-old has fit in quite well with Columbus this season, notching 14 goals and 27 assists in 41 games while logging 19:27 per night, his highest ATOI since his sophomore year a decade ago. In doing so, he has given them a legitimate number one center, a spot they’ve been looking to fill for quite some time although they’ll be looking to fill that role with someone else for the time being.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Sharks winger Fabian Zetterlund is dealing with a lower-body issue but should still be able to play on Friday versus Utah, mentions Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The injury hasn’t resulted in him missing any time yet although he hasn’t taken part in several practices due to it. After a strong first year in San Jose, Zetterlund is producing at a slightly better rate this year despite the lingering injury, posting 11 goals and 16 assists through the first 43 games of the season.
- Still with the Sharks, defenseman Jake Walman is also hoping to be available for Friday’s game against Utah, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). Walman has yet to play since the holiday break due to a lower-body issue of his own. He has been one of the breakout performers of the season after coming over in an offseason move from Detroit and has five goals and 20 assists in 31 appearances so far while logging nearly 23 minutes a game, numbers that lead San Jose’s blueliners.
- Blues center Radek Faksa is nearing a return to the lineup and could be an option to suit up on Thursday, relays Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (Twitter link). The soon-to-be 31-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury and has played just once in the last four weeks. In his first season with St. Louis, Faksa hasn’t been a big offensive contributor thus far, carrying that over from his time in Dallas. He has two goals and five assists through his first 30 outings and if the Blues wind up selling before the March 7th trade deadline, he could be on the move with several teams undoubtedly looking to add center depth in the coming weeks.
Sharks Activate William Eklund, Place Jake Walman On IR
The Sharks have made a pair of roster moves heading into their game tonight versus New Jersey. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated forward William Eklund off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, blueliner Jake Walman has been placed on IR.
Eklund has been dealing with an upper-body injury sustained just before the holiday break. After a strong rookie year that saw him record 45 points in 80 games, the 22-year-old is on pace for a more productive campaign, notching seven goals and 20 assists through his first 36 appearances this season.
While it’s the fourth straight year in which Eklund has seen NHL action, his first two years didn’t see him burn a year of his entry-level deal since he played under ten games in each one. Accordingly, he’s signed through the 2025-26 campaign but will be extension-eligible this summer and it wouldn’t be shocking to see the two sides try to work out an early long-term deal.
As for Walman, he has been out with a lower-body injury that also occurred a little before the break. After being acquired in a salary cap dumping trade from Detroit, the 28-year-old has had a breakout year with the Sharks, recording five goals and 20 assists in 31 games while logging nearly 23 minutes a night of playing time. He leads all San Jose defenders in points with 25 while his ATOI leads all Sharks players.
Despite the IR placement, Walman may not be there for long. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now notes that Walman skated before practice for the second straight day today, suggesting that he might not be too far from a return. San Jose is eligible to back-date the placement to December 22nd and if they do so, he’ll be eligible to be activated at any time.
Sharks Notes: Kostin, Vanecek, Eklund, Walman
The San Jose Sharks have activated forward Klim Kostin from the injured reserve. Kostin has missed the Sharks past five games with an upper-body injury but isn’t likely to play tonight and will serve as a healthy scratch. Kostin has had several stretches this season where he has served as a healthy scratch due to poor play, including a stretch of three weeks in November. The former first-round pick was solid as a depth scoring option in Edmonton during the 2022-23 season but has just a goal and three assists in 20 games this year.
In other Sharks notes:
- The Sharks have placed goaltender Vitek Vanecek on the injured reserve. The 28-year-old hasn’t played in almost two weeks and can be activated whenever he is healthy enough to play again. It’s been a struggle this season for Vanecek as he’s posted a 3-8-1 record with a .885 save percentage and a 3.84 goals-against average. Vanecek was acquired from the New Jersey Devils back in March and is in the final season of a three-year $10.2MM contract.
- Sharks forward William Eklund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). The 22-year-old took a nasty hit from Tyler Myers in the first period of Monday night’s game against Vancouver and missed the second and third periods. The Sharks don’t appear overly concerned at the moment and are monitoring Eklund’s recovery. The former seventh overall pick in 2021 has been sloppy with the puck at times this season, but his play-driving abilities and offensive instincts have been on full display. In 36 games this season Eklund has posted seven goals and 20 assists.
- Finally, Sharks defenseman Jake Walman is also out day-to-day with a lower-body injury (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). Walman suffered an apparent injury at some point in Saturday’s game against Edmonton and will miss his second consecutive game this evening. The 28-year-old has already set a career-high in points this season with 25 (five goals and 20 assists) in just 31 games.
West Notes: Eriksson Ek, Brodin, Walman, Sturm, Vanecek
The Minnesota Wild received some unfortunate injury news yesterday with the announcement Mats Zuccarello would miss the next three to four weeks with a lower-body injury. It’s not all bad news on the injury front in the Wild organization as Michael Russo of The Athletic reported that Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin should return to practice on Monday.
Eriksson Ek left Minnesota’s game against the Montreal Canadiens after only 3:43 of ice time. Despite a short clip of him in obvious discomfort while skating off the ice, there wasn’t any video evidence of what led to Eriksson Ek’s injury. Frederick Gaudreau has seemingly taken Eriksson Ek’s spot down the middle of the team’s second line for tonight’s matchup against the Dallas Stars.
Brodin has missed the last two games for the Wild with an upper-body injury with his most recent contest coming this past Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Brodin has been fairly injury-prone the last several years as he hasn’t played in more than 70 games since the 2021-22 NHL season.
Other West notes:
- The San Jose Sharks got a major boost on the blue line tonight with Jake Walman returning from a five-game absence (X Link). He hasn’t played since the first week of November due to an upper-body injury after scoring at one of the hottest paces of his career. Walman scored seven points in four games before succumbing to the injury.
- Sticking in San Jose, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reported forward Nico Sturm is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Sturm exited the Sharks’ recent matchup against the New York Rangers after 5:27 of ice time after suffering an apparent non-contact injury.
- It doesn’t end there for the Sharks on the injury front as the team announced netminder Vitek Vanecek is questionable to return to tonight’s contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Vanecek stopped eight of Pittsburgh’s 10 shots from the first period but didn’t return for the second. A recall of goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov could be on the horizon should Vanecek miss a meaningful amount of time.
Pacific Notes: Fowler, Stone, Walman, Stezka, Boeser, Joshua
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman unveiled that the Anaheim Ducks were working on a trade with their longest-tenured player, defenseman Cam Fowler, just before the 2024-25 preseason. Despite the rumor, and a few team’s obvious need for a top-four defenseman, Fowler still finds himself a member of the Ducks’ organization.
According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, that’s not for a lack of trying. In last week’s rendition of ‘The Latest’, Pagnotta said, “He wants to go to a contender, just like John Gibson, the goaltender there as well. They’re kind of over this little rebuild situation that they’re in. But because of that extra year, that value is propped up a little bit. He’s not an expiring deal. This isn’t a rental situation. So those conversations will continue as the season progresses.”
He went on to note that Fowler may be interested in waiving his four-team no-trade clause to help facilitate a deal and Anaheim would retain some salary on their end. Few contending teams could absorb Fowler’s $6.5MM cap hit for this season and next but the Winnipeg Jets, Los Angeles Kings, and Utah Hockey Club all strike as clear choices that could use a veteran presence in their top-four.
Other Pacific notes:
- The Vegas Golden Knights were dealt a blow a few days ago after captain Mark Stone went down with a lower-body injury. Thankfully there won’t be any long-term concern for Stone as Elliotte Friedman reported the injury isn’t considered serious. Stone hasn’t participated in a full season since the 2020-21 campaign. Still, the Golden Knights will want to get him as close as possible this year with Stone scoring six goals and 21 points already in only 13 games.
- According to beat reporter Max Miller, San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman will miss his fourth straight game due to an upper-body injury. The Sharks have weathered the storm without Walman with two wins in their last three games but the injury is a major buzzkill for a defenseman who recorded seven points in four games before the injury.
- Philipp Grubauer still isn’t ready for the Seattle Kraken meaning the team had to get a second goaltender on the roster. For the second time in less than a week, the team announced they had recalled netminder Ales Stezka from their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, on an emergency basis. Stezka has a 2-5-0 record with the Firebirds this season with a .894 SV% but has yet to debut with the Kraken.
- It became apparent rather quickly that Vancouver Canucks’ forward Brock Boeser would miss some time after being on the receiving end of a hit from Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Jeannot which warranted a three-game suspension. Offering an update this afternoon, Vancouver’s play-by-play announcer, Brendan Batchelor, shared that Boeser is only expected to miss the next few days. This means that Boeser will likely miss Vancouver’s game tomorrow night against the Calgary Flames but could return for Thursday’s action against the New York Islanders.
- Unfortunately, the Canucks won’t be able to replace Boeser with Dakota Joshua as Batchelor also shared he isn’t expected to return tomorrow. There’s no indication that Joshua suffered a setback in his recovery from testicular cancer. Still, the team is likely doing its due diligence to be sure that Joshua is fully healthy and ready for game speed.
Snapshots: Walman, Samsonov, 4 Nations Face-Off
San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman did not join the team for warmups on Sunday night, indicating that he’ll miss a third-straight game due to team suspension and an upper-body injury, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Walman returned to top-pair line rushes at San Jose’s Sunday morning practice and was designated as a game-time decision, head coach Ryan Warsofsky shared with Max Miller of The Hockey News. Walman has nine points in 13 games – more than double the scoring of any other Sharks defender.
Despite that, the team opted for the restrained decision, and will instead return Jack Thompson to the lineup for his ninth game of the season. Thompson has four points on the year – second among Sharks defenders – and has generally looked much more the part of an everyday NHL defender. He’s served on San Jose’s second pair, while Henry Thrun is filling Walman’s top-pair spot next to Cody Ceci. Walman is traveling with the Sharks of a four-game road trip kicked off on Sunday night, and will look to instead return on Monday.
Other quick notes around the league:
- Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov has returned to the team’s practices after missing the last three games with an undisclosed injury. There’s been no word on his availability for Monday night’s matchup against Carolina, but his return to practice is nonetheless exciting progress for a Golden Knights team that’s directed all of Samsonov’s minutes to starter Adin Hill. Hill has a 6-2-1 record and .881 save percentage through nine games this season, while temporary backup Akira Schmid has slotted into six AHL games and posted a .885 save percentage. Samsonov’s 3-1-1 record and .906 save percentage in five games should be enough to earn him routine starts when he’s healthy enough to return – a point that seems to be drawing close.
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared on the latest Saturday Headlines segment that rosters for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off will be made public on December 4th, with Sweden and Finland’s coming early in the North American day while Canada and USA will announce theirs that evening. The event stands as the first in what will become a trend of in-season international events during non-Olympic years. It will take place from February 12th to February 20th and features the four of the five most-represented countries in the NHL, excluding Russia. Each country announced their first six players this summer – with Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Erik Karlsson, and Aleksander Barkov among the list of representatives.
Pacific Notes: Kaliyev, Gibson, Walman, Stone
Kings winger Arthur Kaliyev ramped up his participation in practice today, albeit in a non-contact jersey, relays Andrew Knoll of the LA Daily News. The 23-year-old has yet to play this season after suffering a broken collarbone during a scrimmage in the opening days of training camp. Kaliyev is coming off a rough year that saw him record just seven goals and eight assists in 51 games after putting up 27 and 28 points in his previous two years. While he requested a trade, one never came to fruition over the summer and the sides settled on a one-year, $825K deal just before camp; he was injured just a few days later. Originally targeted for a late-November/early-December return, it’s possible that Kaliyev is a little ahead of schedule in terms of his recovery.
More from the Pacific:
- The Ducks have activated goaltender John Gibson from injured reserve, relays Derek Lee of The Hockey News (Twitter link). The 31-year-old has yet to play this season after undergoing an appendectomy during the preseason. After being a top performer early in his career, Gibson has struggled considerably in recent years and posted a 3.54 GAA with a career-low .888 SV% in 46 games last season. Anaheim now has three goalies on its active roster with the others being Lukas Dostal and James Reimer. Reimer was claimed off waivers last month and unless the Ducks want to carry three goalies for a while, he could be back on the wire soon.
- While he missed Thursday’s game due to an upper-body injury, Sharks defenseman Jake Walman is with the team on their road trip that begins on Sunday, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. There has been some confusion about whether Walman’s absence was initially injury-related or just being a scratch but it’s clear he isn’t fully healthy at the time being. The 28-year-old was acquired in a cap-clearing move from Detroit over the offseason and has been a big boost to San Jose’s back end. Through 13 games this season, he leads their blueline group with nine points (including eight assists, one off his career-high) and an ATOI of 22:42 so whenever he’s cleared to return, he’ll be a welcome addition to their lineup.
- The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that winger Mark Stone is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The injury explains the earlier recall of winger Jonas Rondbjerg from the minors. Stone is off to a terrific start to the season, recording six goals and 15 assists in 13 games so far to lead the team in scoring while logging over 19 minutes a night so his absence will certainly be felt.
Pacific Notes: Kraken, Walman, Turcotte, Janmark, Stonehouse
With another day off after losing to the Colorado Avalanche on November 5th, the Seattle Kraken have made a few transactions to shore up their cap space. The organization announced they reassigned Cale Fleury, John Hayden, and Ryan Winterton to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, although all three are expected to return tomorrow.
Each of the trio has played in limited action at this point in the regular season as Fleury leads the pack with only two games played. Considering how close the Kraken are to the salary cap limit it’s likely not the last team these three will be papered down to the AHL this year.
On the injury front, Seattle won’t have Philipp Grubauer for the next few days with reports indicating he had an “unfortunate accident” at home (X Link). There weren’t specifics offered for Grubauer’s injury though it’s not expected to be long-term.
It’s not all bad news on the injury front for the Kraken as the team’s radio host Mike Benton shared that defenseman Vince Dunn is expected to begin skating soon. Dunn hasn’t played since October 17th after starting the year with one goal and three points in four games.
Other Pacific notes:
- Defenseman Jake Walman was surprisingly listed as a healthy scratch for the San Jose Sharks’ most recent game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, this may not have been the full story with Max Miller of The Hockey News reporting Walman won’t play tonight due to an upper-body injury. He’s been a bright spot on the Sharks’ roster this season with nine points in 13 games while averaging 22:42 of ice time per game.
- Los Angeles Kings’ manager of editorial content, Zach Dooley, reported earlier that forward Alex Turcotte will not play tonight due to an upper-body injury. Dooley noted that it’s not a head injury for Turcotte but he will still miss a second straight game. He’s only scored one goal and five points in 13 games this season but he has been one of the Kings’ most formidable players with a team-leading 3.6 E +/- according to Hockey Reference.
- In more injury news from the Pacific Division, Edmonton Oilers’ reporter Tony Brar shared that Mattias Janmark is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. There won’t be a major shakeup in Edmonton’s roster in Janmark’s absence with the veteran forward averaging under 13 minutes a night on the season.
- Staying in Edmonton, the organization announced Brady Stonehouse had been activated from the season-opening injured reserve and loaned back to the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. Stonehouse will begin his fourth season with the 67’s after signing his entry-level contract with the Oilers 13 months ago. In his first three years with OHL Ottawa Stonehouse has collected 75 goals and 136 points in 200 games.
Pacific Notes: Walman, Bjorkstrand, Joshua, Samsonov
In an interesting decision for San Jose Sharks head coach, Ryan Warsofsky, defenseman Jake Walman will be a healthy scratch in the team’s game tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets (X Link). Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now theorized that it could be linked to an apparent injury Walman suffered in the team’s most recent loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
It’s important to note that there hasn’t been any confirmation about an injury as Warsofsky was quoted as saying, “I’m sure he’s frustrated. I think everyone wants to play. That message is gonna be between him and I.” At any rate, it’s a peculiar move from a rookie head coach with arguably the team’s top defenseman.
Walman is leading all Sharks’ defensemen in scoring with one goal and nine points in 13 games including seven points in the last four games. However, he struggled in the team’s loss to Vancouver producing a -2 rating over 20:35 of ice time including being on the ice for the deciding goal. The Sharks have played better recently with three wins in their last five games but Warsofsky may just be sending a stark message to keep his team on the right track.
Other Pacific notes:
- Joining Walman as a healthy scratch tonight is Pacific Division counterpart Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Seattle Kraken according to Emerald City Hockey. This healthy scratch designation is more of a public message to the group with head coach Dan Bylsma saying, “The message is not just to Oliver. It’s to the whole group.” Bjorkstrand has struggled out of the gates with three goals and five points in 13 games while the team has dropped six of their last seven contests.
- The Canucks organization may be getting a major boost this week with Harman Dayal of The Athletic reporting forward Dakota Joshua is a legitimate possibility to suit up on Thursday. Joshua hasn’t played for Vancouver since May 20th earlier this year as he continues to recover from testicular cancer. Despite the delayed start to the year, Vancouver re-upped with Joshua this summer to a four-year, $13MM contract as he’s expected to be a big factor in the team’s success over the next half-decade.
- Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov is out until at least next Monday. Granger assured that it’s not a long-term injury but Samsonov hasn’t suited up for the Golden Knights in almost a week. He’s gotten off to a decent start with the third franchise of his career managing a 3-1-1 record through five starts with a .906 save percentage.