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Nico Sturm

Sharks Recall Yaroslav Askarov

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The Sharks announced Monday that they’ve recalled top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov from AHL San Jose. The team placed center Nico Sturm on injured reserve to open up a roster spot.

Askarov was expected to compete for an NHL job out of training camp after being acquired in a blockbuster swap with the Predators in August. A lower-body injury sustained over the offseason threw a wrench into those plans, though. Since Askarov didn’t get on the ice with San Jose until the beginning of October, they kept their veteran tandem of Mackenzie Blackwood and Vítek Vaněček intact while loaning the 22-year-old to their AHL affiliate.

If the 2020 11th-overall pick’s desire for NHL time wasn’t apparent when he requested a trade out of Nashville, it’s crystal clear now after his impeccable start in the AHL. He’s been among the league’s best netminders with a 1.92 GAA, .939 SV%, two shutouts, and a 6-3-0 record in nine appearances behind one of the AHL’s worst teams over the past few seasons. His play has fuelled the Barracuda to a 93-point pace, which would be their second-best record in franchise history since their inception in 2015.

It’s a marked improvement on his already strong numbers with AHL Milwaukee while in the Predators’ system. He started 40-plus games in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns with matching .911 save percentages, earning himself a pair of All-Star Game nods. It only translated into two NHL starts and one relief appearance with Nashville during that time, posting a 2.58 GAA and .914 SV% with a 1-1-0 record.

Askarov is expected to back up Blackwood tonight against the Red Wings. His recall comes after Vaněček sustained an undisclosed injury in the first period against the Penguins on Saturday and did not return after the intermission.

While Blackwood has been strong for the Sharks this year with a .914 SV% and 4.7 GSAA in 11 appearances, Vaněček’s .899 SV% and -0.5 GSAA in 10 games have solidified him as the weak link in San Jose’s tandem thus far. If he’s out long enough for Askarov to get some game action, there’s a small but visible opening for him to steal the No. 2 job behind Blackwood and potentially push the pending UFA Vaněček to the waiver wire or force San Jose to carry three goalies.

Meanwhile, Sturm lands on IR after missing Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury. His placement is retroactive to Nov. 14, so he’ll miss at least two more games but is eligible to return for Thursday’s road tilt against the Blues. The German pivot has averaged just 9:50 per game this season but is still tied for seventh on the Sharks in scoring with six points (3 G, 3 A) in 18 games.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

West Notes: Eriksson Ek, Brodin, Walman, Sturm, Vanecek

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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.

Injury Notes: Eriksson Ek, Zuccarello, Arvidsson, Chytil, Sturm

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The Minnesota Wild are losing a pair of top-six forwards in their game tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. The organization announced that Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello would not return after the first period due to lower-body injuries.

Zuccarello left tonight’s game with approximately seven minutes left in the first period. He was positioned in front of Montreal’s net when a deflected point shot from defenseman Brock Faber seemingly hit Zuccarello in the groin. He could skate off the ice under his power but was reasonably in plenty of pain.

Eriksson Ek’s injury is a bit more difficult to ascertain. Nothing notable was caught on video regarding the incident leading to the injury but he was seen skating off the ice in some duress. He will exit tonight’s contest after having only managed 3:43 of ice time while Zuccarello only skated in 3:15.

Other injury notes:

  • Jason Gregor of Sportsnet 1440 reported that the Edmonton Oilers would be without forward Viktor Arvidsson against the Nashville Predators tonight. Gregor didn’t allude to any injury concerns for Arvidsson but did say he’s expected to play this weekend. Arvidsson has scored two goals and five points through 16 games in his first season in Alberta.
  • K’Andre Miller and Filip Chytil accidentally collided in the second period of tonight’s matchup between the New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks. Unfortunately, the Rangers announced that Chytil wouldn’t return to the game due to an upper-body injury. Chytil was slow to get to his feet and it’s uncertain whether it’s a precautionary move given Chytil’s recent battle with concussions.
  • Chytil wasn’t the only player in tonight’s game to leave the contest. Shortly before Chytil’s injury took place, the Sharks announced Nico Sturm wouldn’t return due to an upper-body injury. Sturm’s injury appears non-contact in nature which could lead to a larger concern from the Sharks. Now in his third year in San Jose, Sturm has already missed 27 games for the Sharks due to injury.

Sharks Officially Activate Logan Couture And Nico Sturm Off IR

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The Sharks will indeed welcome back not just one but two centers tonight when they take on Anaheim.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have activated Logan Couture and Nico Sturm off injured reserve as expected.  To make room on the active roster, center Mikael Granlund and defenseman Ty Emberson have been transferred to IR, moves that were suggested as likely on Friday.

Couture has missed the entire season with what previously had been an undisclosed injury.  Today, he told reporters including Max Miller of The Hockey News that he had been dealing with osteitis pubis.  He twice tried to come back from this already but suffered setbacks each time, resulting in cortisone shots, extended rest, and a different training regimen as the team tried to figure out how to best treat the injury.

The 34-year-old is coming off of one of his best seasons offensively as he recorded 67 points while playing in all 82 games for only the second time of his career.  A 14-year veteran, some have wondered if Couture could be a trade candidate at some point with San Jose clearly in a full-scale rebuild.  He’ll need to demonstrate not only that he is fully healthy but that he is also still capable of producing at a top level as Couture has three years left on his contract after this one with a $8MM cap charge.  The Sharks, meanwhile, only have one salary retention slot remaining through the end of next season.

Nevertheless, his return will be a welcome one for a team whose offense has struggled mightily this season, recording just 89 goals in 45 games, putting the Sharks dead last in the league in that department.  Couture is expected to play alongside Alexander Barabanov and Fabian Zetterlund in his debut.

As for Sturm, the 28-year-old has been out for more than a month after re-aggravating a wrist injury.  He has played in 26 games so far and while he only has two goals and two assists, he’s among the NHL’s leaders in faceoff percentage, checking in at just over 62%.  With faceoffs and penalty killing being elements that teams often try to upgrade before the trade deadline, it’s possible that Sturm, who has one year left after this one at $2MM, could be someone that teams inquire about in the coming weeks.

West Notes: Sturm, Anderson, O’Brien

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It had already been known that San Jose Sharks’ forward, Nico Sturm, wouldn’t be joining the team on their current road trip against the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche, and it appears he could miss a few more games as well. Max Miller of The Hockey News is reporting that Sturm will be out on a week-to-week basis with an undisclosed injury.

Already suffering from a serious lack of depth at the beginning of the season, Sturm now becomes the sixth current member of the Sharks to hit the injured reserve, even with forwards Filip Zadina and Alexander Barabanov recently returning from their injuries. Even with so many injuries over the past several weeks, San Jose holds a 6-3-1 record in their last 1o games, moving ahead of the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks in the league standings.

Nevertheless, the team should be able to effectively weather the hole left by Sturm, as he has not been a primary offensive factor for the team this season. Operating as a bottom-six forward for much of his career, Sturm has two goals and four points in 26 games for the Sharks this season, placing him 17th on the team in scoring.

Other notes:

  • Another Western Conference team severely struggling with depth this season, the Blackhawks announced forward Joey Anderson would not return to the ice tonight as the team takes on the Vancouver Canucks. Much like the Sharks, Chicago has a total of five players currently on the injured reserve, most notably players such as Andreas Athanasiou, Seth Jones, and Taylor Hall.
  • Brien Rea of Ballywood Sports Southwest is reporting that the Dallas Stars have released goaltender Joe O’Brien from his tryout agreement with the club, further clowding the future of Dallas’ solution in the crease moving forward. It was always going to be difficult for O’Brien to secure a contract with the Stars, as the Niagara University product failed to secure a save percentage above .885 over 26 games in the NCAA.

Pacific Notes: Kraken, Sturm, Carpenter

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In a series of interesting roster moves, the Seattle Kraken announced they have recalled forward Shane Wright from their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds while sending down forward Tye Kartye in the same transaction. Furthermore, the team announced they had placed Jaden Schwartz on long-term injured reserve retroactive to November 28th.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise given that amid his rookie season, Kartye is tied for 10th on the team in scoring, and tied for fifth in goals. In his own right, Wright is off to a solid start this season in Coachella Valley, scoring nine goals and 16 points in 18 games, sitting fourth on the team in scoring.

However, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times gave some context to the transaction, indicating that it was made for “salary cap management” purposes, and would make more sense by the end of the weekend. It didn’t take long for the transaction to make sense, as the Kraken traded for Tomas Tatar only a few hours later.

Other notes:

  • Injured in their most recent game against the Winnipeg Jets, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports that San Jose Sharks’ forward, Nico Sturm, will not travel with the team for their upcoming road trip. Thankfully, the road trip only consists of two games, before the Sharks return to the Bay Area next Tuesday. In 26 games so far this season, Sturm has recorded two goals and four points, tied for 17th on the team in scoring.
  • In similar news to Sturm, Peng also reported that forward Ryan Carpenter would not be making the road trip with the team, as well. Carpenter has been out of the line since the team’s game on December 3rd, suffering from an undisclosed injury. Providing a bit of depth scoring for the team this season, Carpenter has recorded one goal and five points in 18 games, averaging just under 12 minutes of ice time per game.

Pacific Notes: Rutherford, Myers, Benning, Sturm

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Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford is in the final season of his contract with the club, a three-year deal he’d signed after being instated in a permanent role in December 2021. His and GM Patrik Allvin’s short-term surgery on the roster is a significant reason why the surging Canucks find themselves well-positioned to make the playoffs for the second time since 2015.

Speaking with Rick Dhaliwal and Don Taylor on CHEK’s Donnie & Dhali program yesterday, Rutherford said he’s had preliminary extension discussions with team owner Francesco Aquilini but it is not his “top priority right now.” The 74-year-old has been a high-level NHL executive for nearly 30 years, first joining the professional ranks as president and GM of the Hartford Whalers in 1994. Since then, he’s captured three Stanley Cups as a GM: 2006 with the Hurricanes and 2016 and 2017 with the Penguins. He also won the NHL’s General Manager of the Year award in 2016 after making midseason trades to acquire Trevor Daley, Carl Hagelin and Justin Schultz, all of whom played key supporting roles in Pittsburgh’s run to the championship. He was also inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame under the Builder Category in the class of 2019.

Under his watch, the Canucks now find themselves free of most of the bloated contracts signed with former GM Jim Benning at the helm and, in true Rutherford fashion, have already made a sizable trade this season to improve their depth well ahead of the trade deadline, capturing hulking defender Nikita Zadorov from the Flames for a value price.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • In yesterday’s interview, Rutherford also implied the team had not held extension discussions with pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Tyler Myers. The 33-year-old is Vancouver’s second-oldest defender behind offseason free agent signing Ian Cole and is in the final season of an oft-criticized five-year, $30MM contract carrying a $6MM cap hit signed in 2019 under the Benning regime. His name was featured in offseason trade discussions, namely a deal that almost sent him to the floundering Sharks for the Canucks to free up additional cap space. However, holding onto Myers may have benefitted the Canucks. His trade value has never been higher while with the team. He was paid a $5MM signing bonus at the beginning of the season and is due $1MM in actual salary during this campaign, making him a more palatable financial acquisition for teams. His on-ice stats have never been better as a Canuck. While his minutes have been reduced to under 19 minutes per game, he’s responded with two goals and 11 assists for 13 points in 29 contests, his best points-per-game rate in a full season since he tallied 37 in 80 games with the Sabres during his sophomore season in 2010-11. His two-way game is still an area of major concern, however, as his pairings with Cole and Carson Soucy have been the Canucks’ worst in terms of controlling possession quality this season.
  • Sharks defenseman Matt Benning is sidelined indefinitely with a lower-body injury, head coach David Quinn told reporters yesterday (via Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now). Benning last played on November 3 against the Rangers and was moved to injured reserve on Tuesday. Benning had ample opportunity to secure more arduous minutes on a thin Sharks blueline this season, but injuries have dogged him for much of the campaign. He missed ten games with an undisclosed injury in November and one with a lower-body injury in late October. It’s unclear if the injuries he suffered this season are related. The 29-year-old has two assists and a -5 rating in 14 games this season, averaging 18:29 per game.
  • Sticking with the Sharks, center Nico Sturm sustained what Quinn called a “mid-body injury” in Tuesday’s game against the Jets and is still being evaluated, Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News relays. According to Pashelka, the team expects more information today and is preparing for him to miss enough time to be placed on IR. Sturm missed one game earlier this month with a lower-body injury and a pair of contests in late November for personal reasons. Now in his second season in the Bay Area, the 28-year-old German (who has no relation to longtime Sharks winger Marco Sturm) has two goals, two assists and a -10 rating in 26 games. If Sturm gets placed on IR today, depth forward Ryan Carpenter is ready to come off the injured list after missing four games with an undisclosed injury.

Nico Sturm And Filip Zadina Returning Tonight

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Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now is reporting that the San Jose Sharks are set to welcome back Nico Sturm and Filip Zadina as they take on the New York Islanders this evening.

Sturm is returning to the Sharks lineup after missing their 6-5 loss on Sunday night to the New York Rangers with a lower-body injury. Zadina on the other hand is being activated off the injured reserve after missing the Sharks’ last five games. Both players figure to play in the bottom six as Zadina is likely to see fourth-line duty while Sturm will most likely center the Sharks third line.

Like many players in the Sharks lineup both Sturm and Zadina have struggled to find any traction offensively this season. Sturm had 14 goals and 12 assists in 74 games last year but has managed just two assists in 22 appearances thus far this season. Zadina on the other hand has three goals and two assists in 20 games which isn’t far off from the three goals and four assists in 30 games he posted last year while he was a member of the Detroit Red Wings.

After starting the season with a 0-10-1 record the Sharks have turned things around recently going 4-5-1 in their last ten games including three wins in their last five games. At 6-17-2 the Sharks are still well outside of the playoff picture and figure to be a non-factor in the playoff picture for the remainder of the season. But for players like Sturm and Zadina, they don’t have much term left on their contracts and are playing for their NHL futures.

Sharks Assign Daniil Gushchin To AHL, Nico Sturm Takes Leave Of Absence

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Sharks winger Daniil Gushchin is headed back to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, per Max Miller of The Hockey News. Miller says this is not a permanent return to the minors for the promising youngster but rather a paper move to get him playing time with the Barracuda over the weekend. The Sharks do not return to action until Monday against the Canucks, by which time he’ll likely be back on the NHL roster.

The Sharks also announced that center Nico Sturm has taken a leave of absence to attend to a family matter and will miss the team’s next two games, meaning he’ll be away from the team for at least a week. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports the league granted a Sharks request for Sturm to occupy non-roster status while he’s away from the team, meaning he will not use a spot on the 23-man roster until he’s returned.

Gushchin has played in the Sharks’ last two games after a recall on Monday, recording an assist and an even plus-minus rating while playing top-six minutes. The 21-year-old hasn’t looked out of place and is off to an impressive start in 2023-24, racking up four goals and 13 points through 11 contests with the Barracuda.

It’s a promising trajectory for the 2020 third-round pick, who’s putting up quite good numbers at a young age and appears well on his way to an eventual top-nine role in the Bay Area. The 5-foot-10, 181-pound winger makes up for his lack of size with dogged effort and good puckhandling skills, as evidenced by his 45 points in 67 games during his rookie season with the Barracuda last year. That was good enough for second on the team, as were his 22 goals.

The Sharks have won three out of their last six outings, none more impressive than their 5-1 victory over the Blues last night. With confidence building in the room, the team likely feels less of a need to shelter their young players from blowout losses and could be more willing to give players like Gushchin some more runway at the NHL level.

Like many other Sharks, Sturm is off to a disappointing start this season, recording just two assists in 17 games while averaging nearly 15 minutes per contest. The 28-year-old German pivot is in the second season of a three-year, $6MM deal signed with the Sharks in free agency in 2022. He posted a career-high 14 goals and 26 points in 74 games last season and has been a decent defensive presence in the bottom six since gaining a full-time NHL role in 2020 with the Wild.

With a roster spot open for a recall in Sturm’s absence, someone like 21-year-old Thomas Bordeleau or 24-year-old Jacob Peterson could get a look with the Sharks early next week. They’ve played six games each this season but remain assigned to the Barracuda, where they’ve each put up solid offensive numbers.

Pacific Notes: Boeser, Johansson, Weegar, Sharks

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Canucks winger Brock Boeser has been featured in plenty of trade speculation in recent months but while a deal didn’t materialize last month, some have wondered if he’ll be on the move this summer.  But if the 26-year-old has his way, he won’t be going anywhere.  He told reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link) that he doesn’t want to be traded and would prefer to remain with Vancouver.  This season was a mixed bag for Boeser who actually came one point shy of matching his career high but he managed just 18 goals which isn’t a great return on a $6.65MM AAV.  He has two years remaining on his contract.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • Canucks prospect Filip Johansson will be joining AHL Abbotsford for their playoff run, relays Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic (Twitter link). The 23-year-old was a first-round pick by Minnesota back in 2018 but the Wild opted to take a compensatory second-round selection instead of signing him; Johansson signed with Vancouver soon after.  He played in 51 games with Frolunda of the SHL this season, picking up five goals and 16 assists, both career highs while also chipping in with five points in a dozen playoff contests.  This will be Johansson’s first taste of action in North America.
  • Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar will suit up for Canada at the upcoming World Championship, reports Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. The 29-year-old had a bit of a down year in his first season with Calgary, seeing his point output dip from 44 to 31 (in 81 games) while his playing time was shaved by more than two minutes per game.  While Weegar’s current contract expires in June, he has already locked in with the Flames for the long haul, inking an eight-year, $50MM extension back in October.  This will be Weegar’s first time suiting up for Canada in an international tournament.
  • Sharks winger Tomas Hertl won’t be suiting up at the Worlds next month, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). The 29-year-old struggled defensively in what he called a challenging season but reached the 60-point mark for the second straight year and third time in his career while winning nearly 55% of his faceoffs.  His 63 points placed Hertl third on the team in scoring.  Meanwhile, in a separate tweet, Pashelka notes that center Nico Sturm will play for Germany in the tournament, his first time representing his home country.  The 27-year-old had a career year this season, collecting 14 goals and 12 assists in 74 games.

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