Flames Acquire Nikita Okhotiuk From Sharks
The Flames have acquired left-shot defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk from the Sharks as the deadline passes, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff confirms. A 2024 fifth-round pick is heading to San Jose in return, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Okhotiuk has appeared in 43 NHL games this season, scoring one goal and eight points and adding 44 penalty minutes and a -22. It’s his official rookie season in the league, though he played in 15 games with the New Jersey Devils across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. He’s totaled three goals and 11 points across his three-year career, also adding x points in 116 AHL games since debuting in 2020-21. The 23-year old was originally drafted in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, turning pro after three seasons with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s.
Okhotiuk is yet another new face to a Calgary blue-line that’s recently added Joel Hanley, Daniil Miromanov, and Brayden Pachal. Together, the quartet will fill the holes left by Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin, both traded by the Flames ahead of the Trade Deadline. Hanley has earned top-line minutes in the fallout of Calgary’s moves, playing in nearly 18 minutes in his first game with the Flames. The four new defenders will compete with each other for consistent spots in the lineup, though one will likely have to serve as Calgary’s seventh defenseman, unless the team opts to keep Dennis Gilbert in that role.
Sharks Recall Ohkotiuk, Activate MacDonald
The San Jose Sharks have recalled defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk from an AHL conditioning stint and activated Jacob MacDonald off of injured reserve. These moves return two defenders to a Sharks roster that’s cycled through nine different defensemen so far this season.
Okhotiuk, 22, was conditioning in the AHL after a season-opening injured reserve (SOIR) placement, warranted after his recovery from season-ending surgery last season took longer than anticipated. He’s played in five AHL games this year, netting a sole assist, two penalties, and a -4. Okhotiuk played in 10 NHL games last year, scoring once and recording a penalty. He also added 20 AHL games on the season, scoring six points.
MacDonald’s injury wasn’t disclosed, although he’s been on injured reserve since October 9th. MacDonald joined the Sharks partway through the 2022-23 season, moving to San Jose along with Martin Kaut, in exchange for Matt Nieto and Ryan Merkley getting sent to the Colorado Avalanche. MacDonald played in 25 games with the Sharks last year, netting one goal and six points. It was MacDonald’s first NHL goal since the 2020-21 season and brought his combined stats for the season up to eight points in 58 games. He signed a two-year, $1.5MM, two-way contract with the Avalanche last season that he is on the last year of.
With the duo returning, attention now turns towards who the Sharks will pull out of the lineup. Veteran defenseman, and former Sharks icon, Marc-Edouard Vlasic was recently a healthy scratch and could be at risk of losing his spot again; as could rookie defenseman Ty Emberson, who has only managed one point and a -1 in five games this season. The Sharks blue line has become a bit of a revolving door but the team will look to find some stability with two NHL options back in the fold.