Sharks Notes: Simek, Barabanov, Megna, Grievance
Sharks defenseman Radim Simek played just two partial games over the final six weeks of the season due to injuries and a lower role on the depth chart but he confirmed to Lukas Losleben of hokej.cz that he will suit up for the Czechs at the upcoming World Championships. The 29-year-old had a tough year, recording just two points in 36 games while averaging just over 13 minutes per game. Simek expressed some frustration with his usage, telling Losleben that management called his reduced role a coaching decision while the coaches said it was management’s call. A fresh start at the Worlds certainly won’t hurt as San Jose will undoubtedly be looking to move the final two years of his deal (which carries a $2.25MM AAV) this summer.
More from San Jose:
- Earlier this week, interim GM Joe Will met with reporters, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, as part of their end-of-season media conferences. He mentioned that he would like to re-sign a pair of pending UFAs in winger Alexander Barabanov and defenseman Jaycob Megna. Barabanov was a capable secondary scorer for the Sharks this season with 39 points in 70 games which has him in line for a sizable raise on the $1MM deal that’s set to expire. Megna, meanwhile, averaged over 19 minutes a game in 44 contests on the back end. That should be enough to get him a one-way deal for the first time in his career with a price tag that checks in a little above the $750K minimum.
- Also from Pashelka’s piece, Will indicated that the team expects the Evander Kane grievance to be settled by July 13th which is the start of free agency this summer. San Jose terminated Kane’s deal with the winger filing a grievance back in January with the first hearing only occurring last month. Getting clarity on that front will be critical as there’s an expectation that the Sharks will face some cap penalties but the severity (or lack thereof) will go a long way in determining what they can or can’t do from a roster-building standpoint.
USA Hockey Announces Roster For 2022 World Championship
The U.S. roster for the upcoming IIHF World Championship has been set, a group that includes both NHL stars and prospects waiting for their first opportunity. The event will be held later this month in Helsinki, Finland, and will see the U.S. squad try to improve from their third-place finish a year ago.
The full roster:
G Jon Gillies
G Strauss Mann
G Alex Nedeljkovic
D Nick Blankenburg
D Jordan Harris
D Luke Hughes
D Caleb Jones
D Seth Jones
D Jaycob Megna
D Andrew Peeke
D Nate Schmidt
F Riley Barber
F Kieffer Bellows
F Thomas Bordeleau
F Sasha Chmelevski
F Sean Farrell
F Alex Galchenyuk
F Adam Gaudette
F John Hayden
F Sam Lafferty
F Vinni Lettieri
F Karson Kuhlman
F Ben Meyers
F Austin Watson
One of the most interesting names to watch will be Mann, who represented his country at the Olympics earlier this year and recently signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. The 23-year-old netminder has had quite an odd path to this point, including going undrafted, playing three years at the University of Michigan, and then going to play in Sweden this season.
It will certainly be some mixed emotions for Canadian fans from the Montreal area, given how this squad includes two of the highly-touted Canadiens prospects in Harris and Farrell. The former signed and made his debut at the end of the year, while the latter just completed an outstanding rookie season at Harvard. Farrell was also a part of the U.S. Olympic squad this year, and scored three goals and six points in four games on the international stage.
The U.S. will kick things off on May 13 against Latvia.
Snapshots: Bordeleau, Megna, Leddy
It has been a season to forget for the San Jose Sharks, but as their campaign winds down their fanbase may be treated to a night to remember. One of the team’s top prospects, Thomas Bordeleau, is set to make his NHL debut tonight in the team’s contest against the Minnesota Wild. According to coach Bob Boughner, Bordeleau will center a line with Rudolfs Balcers and Noah Gregor for his debut game.
Bordeleau, 20, has been one of San Jose’s most talented prospects since he was drafted 38th overall in 2020. As a freshman at the University of Michigan Bordeleau posted 30 points in 24 games, and this season he had 37 points in 37 games on a stacked Wolverines squad. Bordeleau’s professional career has gotten off to a decent start, with three points in two AHL games, and with the Sharks’ offensive issues in recent games Sharks fans have to hope that Bordeleau’s debut can add a spark to their team.
- In another update for the Sharks, defenseman Jaycob Megna will be out for the game against the Wild (and perhaps even longer) after taking a puck to the head in the Sharks’ game against the Stars last night, The Athletic’s Corey Masisiak relays. Megna, 29, has been an NHL-AHL tweener for most of his nine-year professional career, although he has set a career-high in games played this season, getting into 37 ties for the Sharks.
- The St. Louis Blues’ major trade deadline acquisition Nick Leddy had an injury scare on Saturday, leaving the game after being cut under the eye against the Wild. Today, Blues head coach Craig Berube issued an update on his situation, stating that he is “feeling better” but still is unable to play in tonight’s game. The Blues have serious intentions of going on a playoff run, so it will be important for Leddy to return to the lineup. As it stands with this update, it appears that Leddy’s injury will not be a major setback.
Injury Updates: Perunovich, Kassian, Karlsson, Rowney
Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich recently completed his five-game LTIR conditioning assignment with AHL Springfield where he had a goal and an assist. However, as Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic points out (Twitter link), the 23-year-old remains on LTIR and head coach Craig Berube indicated that Perunovich is still being evaluated. It’s unclear if this is a flare-up of his upper-body injury or something else entirely but it appears as if St. Louis will be without the young defenseman for a while yet. His continued presence on LTIR will make it that much harder for them to bank any cap space in an effort to give themselves any sort of wiggle room to try to add before the upcoming trade deadline.
More injury news from around the NHL:
- The Edmonton Oilers had Zack Kassian back on the ice today as he continues to recover from a broken jaw, according to Ryan Rishaug of TSN. The veteran forward hasn’t played since February 9, when he left a game against the Chicago Blackhawks after taking a puck to the face. Kassian was wearing a full cage to protect the injury and it is still not clear when he’ll actually be back in the Oilers’ lineup.
- The Sharks are hoping to have defenseman Erik Karlsson back in the lineup on Thursday, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. He has been out for the last six weeks with a shoulder injury that has been giving him trouble since the start of the season although it hasn’t held him back offensively as the 31-year-old has 26 points in 31 games. Pashelka adds that blueliner Jaycob Megna could also return on Thursday. The 29-year-old underwent surgery last month to repair a foot fracture, one that carried a recovery timeline of four-to-six weeks. It appears he’ll be on the short end of that range.
- Red Wings winger Carter Rowney left Friday’s game with what appeared to be a foot injury, notes Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. He had just come back from a lower-body injury that cost him 17 games, scoring in two straight before last night. Veteran penalty killing forwards are often something playoff teams look to add by the deadline but this injury may end any chance of Rowney being on the move by March 21st.