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Jan Rutta

Jan Rutta Linked To Swiss League

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Last season was a tough one for veteran defenseman Jan Rutta.  He dealt with some lower-body injuries and when he was in the lineup for San Jose, he was often on the third pairing.  That has certainly contributed to his going unsigned through the first seven weeks of free agency but that might be coming to an end soon.  Earlier this week, Blick’s Gregory Beaud reported that the blueliner is expected to sign with Geneve-Servette in Switzerland.

Rutta played in 54 games for the Sharks last season, picking up just three goals and six assists in a little over 17 minutes a night of playing time.  However, he took a regular turn on their penalty kill and played some tough defensive minutes.  Speculatively, NHL teams could be eyeing him as a PTO candidate to fill a sixth or seventh role if things went well in training camp but clearly, a full contract offer has yet to materialize and at some point, a guaranteed deal overseas could be viewed as a better option than trying to earn a contract off a tryout.

Rutta debuted fairly late in the NHL with his first season coming at the age of 27 with Chicago.  Since then, he has suited up in 417 regular season games between four different clubs, putting up 23 goals and 75 assists along with 479 blocked shots.  He also has a pair of Stanley Cup rings from his time with Tampa Bay.

Assuming Rutta eventually agrees to a deal with Geneve-Servette, he will be the third veteran NHL player to join that team this offseason.  Previously, they signed wingers Jesse Puljujarvi and Jimmy Vesey and have one import slot remaining that it appears they want to use to bring in a veteran defender.

Injury Notes: Heineman, Rutta, Hayes

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Montreal Canadians’ left winger Emil Heineman returned to the lineup tonight in an all-important matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, per Eric Engles of Sportsnet. He is slotted on the fourth line alongside Jake Evans and Joel Armia. Heineman has missed the last five games due to his upper-body injury.

In 61 games this season, the 23-year-old has produced 10 goals and 18 points. The 6’2, 200-pounder has also contributed 171 hits while maintaining a low amount of penalty minutes (20). His return comes after his second extended injury of the year. He previously missed five weeks with an upper-body injury sustained on a road trip in Utah when he was struck by a car. The Habs need a win against the Hurricanes to secure their place in the playoffs.

Other injury updates of note:

  • Veteran defender Jan Rutta was on the ice for the San Jose Sharks’ morning skate and could be inserted back into the lineup, per Max Miller of the Sharks Hockey Digest. Miller noted that Luca Cagnoni was sent back down to the AHL yesterday, perhaps clearing a path for Rutta’s return. Rutta missed nearly two months with a lower body injury before recently returning to the lineup. However, the team opted to sit Rutta out in game two of a back-to-back on Monday. Rutta recently expressed his desire to re-sign with the Sharks. The 34-year-old is set for free agency this summer but has enjoyed his opportunity to play in San Jose. On the season, Rutta has produced nine points, 80 blocked shots, and a minus-three rating.
  • Penguins’ forward Kevin Hayes is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, NHL.com reporter Wes Crosby. With Pittsburgh having one game remaining on the season (Thursday against the Capitals), Hayes’ season is more than likely done. Hayes has produced 13 goals and 23 points in 64 games on the season. Despite spending time early in the season as a healthy scratch, Hayes has produced solid numbers in a mostly fourth line role. He was also recently nominated as the team’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy nominee. The award is given to the player who best exemplifies leadership and made significant contributions to the community. Hayes has one year left on his current deal and comes with a $3.5MM AAV (Philadelphia retains half of his salary).

Snapshots: Badinka, NHL Draft, Rutta

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The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned defense prospect Dominik Badinka to the AHL after the conclusion of his season in Sweden’s SHL, per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. Badinka finished the SHL season with five points across 57 games during the Malmo Redhawks regular-season and postseason. That mark sits one point higher than he managed in 33 SHL games last sesaon. He also improved his plus-minus from minus-nine to minus-five from last season to this season, and totaled 18 penalty minutes on the year.

Carolina drafted Badinka with the 34th-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft and signed him to his entry-level contract just over two weeks later. His plan was always to return to the SHL for his age-19 season, but Badinka will get a fast track to North American pros with this news. He was never particularly known for his scoring – though he did record 13 points in 17 games in Sweden’s junior league last year. Insteead, Badinka’s defining traits are his poised and gritty physicality and ability to shutdown opponents as they enter the defensive zone. He continued to round out both of those traits this season, while getting a hardy chance at an everyday pro role. His gritty, hard-nosed style should work much better in the more condensed play of the AHL. He’ll get a chance to prove that with the Chicago Wolves, who have already clinched a berth into the AHL postseason.

More notes from around the league:

  • The San Jose Sharks have mathematically clinched last spot in the NHL and earned the top odds at the upcoming draft lottery per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The Sharks will hold a 25.5 percent chance at securing first-overall for the second consecutive season, while the Chicago Blackhawks will hold a 13.5 percent chance and the Nashville Predators an 11.5 percent chance. Many have claimed OHL defenseman Matthew Schaefer as the consensus top pick, though he has only played in 17 games this season due to a collarbone fracture. If not Schaefer, the top pick is likely to go to OHL exceptional status forward Michael Misa or Boston College top center James Hagens. The NHL Draft lottery is set to be held on May 7th.
  • Sticking in San Jose, defenseman Jan Rutta expressed his desire to re-sign with the Sharks to Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News on Sunday. Rutta is set to enter unrestricted free agency this summer and told Pashelka that he’s happy to have a chance to slot into San Jose’s lineup routinely. The 34-year-old defenseman has recorded nine points and a minus-three in 53 games this season, while typically filling a third-pair role. His plus-minus is the second-highest among Sharks defenders with at least 20 games played this season, behind only Jake Walman’s minus-one. Walman was traded to the Edmonton Oilers at the Trade Deadline.

Evening Notes: Ferraro, Rutta, Sorensen, Ekman-Larsson, McCabe

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The San Jose Sharks will swap out a pair of injured defensemen through the end of the season. Top defender Mario Ferraro has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, while depth option Jan Rutta will be activated from injured reserve for Friday night’s game, per Jason Gregor of Sports-1440. Ferraro suffered a lower-body injury in Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild. Rutta was also facing a lower-body injury, and has missed San Jose’s last 27 games.

Ferraro’s season will come to a close on the heels of a streak of heavy utilization. He’s appeared in at least 24 minutes of play in six of his last 10 games. That mark raised his season-long average to 21:24 through 78 games. Ferraro recorded five goals, 17 points, and a minus-25 with those minutes. He also led the Sharks defense with 125 blocked shots and 150 hits on the year. His minus-25 was also Ferraro’s highest plus-minus since the 2021-22 seaosn. He had another year of a hard-fought role, and the defense will feel the weight of his absence through their final four games.

Rutta has handled far less of a role through his healthy games this season. He’s recorded eight points, a minus-six, and 28 penalty minutes in 51 games while rotating through a role on San Jose’s bottom pair. His average of 16:57 in ice time is the fewest of any Sharks defender with more than 30 games played. Nonetheless, Rutta will slot back into a role on the Sharks’ bottom two pairings with Ferraro out.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Chicago Blackhawks head coach Anders Sorensen has been named an assistant coach for Team Sweden at the upcoming World Championship per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. It will be his first time coaching in an international tournament at any level. In fact, Sorensen didn’t play in any international tournaments during his short-lived playing career either – though his pro journey did span tenures in Sweden, France, and Norway. Sorensen has grown through the ranks of Chicago hockey, coaching prominent youth club the Chicago Mission for many years before graduating to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs’ head coaching role, then assuming Chicago’s head coach role this season. Sorensen has set a 15-30-8 record in 53 games behind the Blackhawks’ bench this season.
  • Johnston also reported that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will miss Saturday’s game with a day-to-day injury. The Leafs will also be without Jake McCabe per Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, though Siegel adds that McCabe is nearing a return. He has missed the last three games. Both defenders have served strong roles with the Leafs this season, and sit right next to each other across many stats. Ekman-Larsson has scored 29 points in 77 games, while McCabe has managed 23 points in 66 games. Both defenders average 21 minutes of ice time, and round out Toronto’s left-hand side alongside Morgan Rielly. The Leafs will watch for the return of both options closely as they prepare for a long playoff run, after clinching a spot on April 2nd.

Sharks’ Henry Thrun, Jan Rutta Out With Injury Long-Term

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The San Jose Sharks are dealing with a pair of injured defenders who could be done for the year per Max Miller of The Hockey News. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Miller that veteran Jan Rutta is still weeks away from returning, and hasn’t yet returned to the team’s practices. Warsofsky was a bit less decisive on Henry Thrun, who he dubbed as being just beyond week-to-week. Miller adds that Rutta is at risk of missing the remaining five weeks of the season, while Thrun will continue to fight for a return.

Rutta hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury in San Jose’s January 23rd loss to the Nashville Predators. He’s missed 14 games since – a number that would double should Rutta miss the rest of the year. His season would end on a bad note if he does, with Rutta boasting just eight points, 28 penalty minutes, and a minus-six in 51 games. That, surprisingly, marks the lowest scoring pace of Rutta’s historically uneventful career – narrowly beating out his nine points in 56 games of the 2022-23 season. Rutta split the time between that down year and this one with a small resurgence last season. He recorded 19 points, 38 penalty minutes, and a minus-21 in 69 games of the 2023-24 campaign – the most he’s scored since he managed 20 points in 57 games as an NHL rookie.

Rutta filled a menial bottom-pair role throughout the season. San Jose has turned back to career-long Shark Marc-Édouard Vlasic to fill in Rutta’s role. Vlasic has played in nine games in relief, posting no scoring, a minus-eight, and two shots on net. He’s averaged 16 minutes of ice time each night across that stand.

But the Sharks haven’t wanted to tap into their defense depth behind Vlasic, leaving Thrun’s vacancy in the top-four a bit tougher to fill. He has worked his way into more-and-more ice time this season, ultimately rivaling upwards of 24 minutes of ice time in one of his most recent games. Thrun’s new absence comes after he reaggravated the upper-body injury that held him out for a week-and-a-half in early March. He’ll be set to miss even more time, after already missing five games due to the injury.

San Jose has recalled career minor-leaguer Jimmy Schuldt to step into the lineup with Thrun out. Schuldt has scored 18 points in 54 AHL games this season. He’s in his first season in the Sharks organization after spending the last two years with the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Schuldt tallied 56 points in 139 games with the Firebirds. He’s tagged into two NHL games over the course of his seven-year pro career – one just days after signing his first pro deal with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018-19, and one earlier this season with San Jose. He has one assist in the pair of outings. The Sharks could need an extended fill-in for Thrun, which could pave the way for Schuldt to find his first NHL goal.

Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Boeser, Kovalenko, Rutta

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Aside from the Boston Bruins losing Charlie McAvoy, the Vegas Golden Knights are another team that lost an impact player during the 4 Nations Face-Off. According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic, the Golden Knights don’t have any new updates regarding defenseman Shea Theodore’s injury status. However, head coach Bruce Cassidy provided updates on another pair of injured players.

Forwards William Karlsson and Cole Schwindt have resumed regular skating making their returns imminent. Neither Karlsson nor Schwindt has played in a game for Vegas in February as they’re both dealing with lower-body injuries. The former has been impacted by injuries for much of the 2024-25 campaign as he’s only managed seven goals and 18 points in 38 appearances.

Meanwhile, the positive injury updates continue as the team is expected to activate (X Link) forward Tanner Pearson for tonight’s contest against the Vancouver Canucks. Pearson missed the Golden Knights’ final two games before the break due to an undisclosed injury. The former 20-goal scorer has notched nine goals and 19 points in 53 games for Vegas this season averaging 12:01 of ice time per night.

Other Pacific notes:

  •  Vancouver could be headed for treacherous waters with their pending unrestricted free agent forward Brock Boeser. The team has been playing too well to warrant moving Boeser at the deadline but not much traction has been made for a potential extension. In an article from Thomas Drance in The Athletic, he argues the Canucks will treat Boeser as their own rental for the deadline. Still, Drance argues that if Vancouver significantly falters leading up to March 7th, that could make a Boeser trade more palatable from their perspective.
  • According to San Jose beat writer Curtis Pashelka, forward Nikolai Kovalenko nor defenseman Jan Rutta are expected to join the San Jose Sharks on their upcoming road trip. Pashelka adds that Rutta is still relatively far from a return, which could affect his trade value at the upcoming deadline. Rutta is a pending unrestricted free agent right-handed shot defenseman who would likely have some value as a potential depth option for a contending team.

Sharks Notes: Rentals, Sturm, Kostin, Rutta, Dellandrea, Granlund

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The Sharks are expected to once again be sellers in advance of March 7th’s trade deadline with the team well out of the playoff picture.  This is around the time of year where teams will often start talking about extensions with players they want to keep.  That doesn’t appear to be the case at the moment for San Jose as GM Mike Grier told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that while he has a sense of what his pending free agents are looking for, there haven’t been any negotiations with them and is unsure if there will be any before the deadline.

Their UFA crop includes veteran centers Mikael Granlund and Nico Sturm, winger Luke Kunin, plus defensemen Cody Ceci and Jan Rutta.  If they are going to try to move them, they won’t be able to retain any salary, however, as their three retention slots have already been used.  However, Grier indicated that he’s not too worried about that as he feels interested teams will either have or be able to open up the cap room to add any of those players to the point where retention wouldn’t necessarily have been needed.

More from San Jose:

  • It looks as if there won’t be much help on the horizon on the injury front. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now notes (Twitter link) that Sturm, winger Klim Kostin, and Rutta are all unlikely to play until after the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.  Speculatively, getting those players into some game action will be needed if they have any hopes of moving them before the deadline.  They should, however, get center Ty Dellandrea back sooner.  Peng mentions that Dellandrea skated today as he works his way back from an upper-body injury that landed him on IR last week.
  • Granlund missed practice today due to illness, relays Max Miller of The Hockey News (Twitter link). He’ll accompany the team on their trip to Seattle but isn’t a lock to suit up.  After putting up 60 points in 69 games last season, Granlund is scoring at a similar clip this year with 44 points in 51 games, leading the team in assists and points.

Sharks Recall Jack Thompson, Place Jan Rutta On IR

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The San Jose Sharks have recalled defenseman Jack Thompson and placed Jan Rutta on injured reserve. Rutta missed the team’s Saturday loss to the Florida Panthers with a lower-body injury. Head coach Ryan Wardofsky told Max Miller of Yahoo Sports that Rutta had been dealing with the injury for the last few games.

Rutta has seen his ice time dip from upwards of 19 minutes down to 13 minutes in the wake of this injury. He’s been a utility defender all season long, averaging 17 minutes of ice time and recording eight points through 51 games this season. Rutta also ranks second on the team with 76 blocked shots.

The Sharks turned towards left-shot defender Henry Thrun to fill Rutta’s right-side role on Saturday. But after a big loss, the Sharks are opting to bringing a true right-shot up in Thompson. Thompson has split time between the NHL and AHL lineup all year long, with similar results. He has five points in 14 NHL games and nine points in 17 AHL games on the year. After totaling just three NHL games over the last two seasons, Thompson is finally receiving a chance to carve out his role at the top-flight. With Rutta set to miss at least one week and two games, Thompson could have a perfect opportunity to plant his feet even further.

Evening Notes: Vesey, Henrique, Rutta

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New York Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey has been designated as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, head coach Peter Laviolette shared with Mollie Walker of the New York Post (Twitter link). Vesey took a hard hit from Florida Panthers’ forward Ryan Lomberg in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, leaving the game after just 5:47 in ice time.

Vesey has played in all 12 of New York’s postseason games this season, recording three points while averaging third-line minutes. It’s just the third time in his career that Vesey has received considerable playoff ice time, appearing in seven games and scoring one point last year and scoring five points in 12 games in the 2017 playoffs. He’s receiving the ice time after a slight resurgence this season, with Vesey recording 13 goals and 26 points in 80 games and improving his consistency throughout the season.

Vesey’s absence will likely make way for Kaapo Kakko to return to the lineup, after being healthy scratched in Game 2. It was the second time in the last three years that Kakko was scratched in the Eastern Conference Finals, coming after he managed just two points through New York’s first 11 playoff games. Vesey’s injury will also provide a bit more lineup security to bruiser Matt Rempe, who stepped back into the lineup for Game 2 – though the Rangers were very deliberate with his ice time. If not Rempe, then New York will likely turn to veteran Blake Wheeler, who’s been out since February with a leg injury. Wheeler posted 21 points in 54 games this season – his first year away from the Winnipeg Jets since 2010-11.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Edmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique sat out of Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals after being named a game-time decision and taking warmups with the team, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Henrique has now missed Edmonton’s last seven games with an ankle injury. He continues to be replaced by Sam Carrick and Connor Brown, the latter scoring Edmonton’s first goal of Game 2. Henrique appears to be nearing a return to the lineup, though it’s becoming less clear who will step out to make way.
  • Team Czechia and San Jose Sharks defenseman Jan Rutta has been suspended for one game of the 2024 IIHF World Championship for elbowing Team Sweden and Anaheim Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom. Rutta was not penalized for the hit during the game. He will miss Czechia’s gold medal matchup against Team Switzerland. He’ll conclude his tournament with one goal and eight penalty minutes through nine games, while Team Czechia will likely turn towards David Spacek to fill Rutta’s second-pair ice time. Spacek has five assists in Czechia’s nine games.

Multiple Sharks Players Shut Down For The Season

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In an article from Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, multiple members of the San Jose Sharks did not travel with the team for their current road trip to Western Canada, officially ending their season with the organization. Pashelka notes that Kevin Labanc, Mike Hoffman, Filip Zadina, Alexander Barabanov, Jacob MacDonald, Jan Rutta, and Mackenzie Blackwood will not suit up for the team’s final game against the Calgary Flames, and may have played their last games in San Jose.

Of the seven players listed, four will go to unrestricted free agency, one will go to restricted free agency, and two are signed into next year. Realistically, Labanc, Hoffman, and Barabanov will all head towards greener pastures, while the team may opt to keep MacDonald as a depth piece for the 2024-25 NHL season.

Even though Zadina will become a potential non-tender candidate this offseason, he may not find any interest outside of the Bay Area. Producing moderately well with 13 goals and 23 points in 72 games for the Sharks this season, Zadina’s defensive metrics from this year may be too ghastly for other teams to overlook, indicating that if he does play outside of San Jose, it will likely be in the AHL.

After acquiring Devin Cooley and Vitek Vanecek at this year’s trade deadline, Blackwood could be an interesting trade candidate this summer. In 41 starts for the Sharks this season, Blackwood has produced a 10-25-4 record, with 24 of those measuring as Quality Starts according to Hockey Reference. Certainly not playing himself into a starting role with his efforts this year, Blackwood could become a serviceable backup option for a contending team next year.

Nevertheless, it is not necessarily a negative that most of these players will be moving out of San Jose this offseason. With the Sharks hitting rock bottom over the past two years, it is now time to thin out a very saturated roster as much as possible to create space and playing time for San Jose’s up-and-coming prospects.

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