Pacific Notes: Sharks, Jones, Carrick, Podkolzin
The Sharks have started reaching out to teams to ask permission to interview for their GM vacancy, Pierre LeBrun reported in a recent TSN Insider Trading segment. Their internal list of candidates is still quite large – believed to be around 25 at the moment – but will be whittled down further before phone interviews begin which could be as soon as next week. Given how many are on their list, this process may take a while and ownership has previously indicated that there are no issues with interim GM Joe Will potentially leading the team through the draft in July if the search takes longer than expected. Lisa Dillman of The Athletic suggests (Twitter link) that ESPN’s Kevin Weekes is someone to keep an eye on; the former goaltender has interviewed for several GM openings recently and it seems like only a matter of time before he gets an opportunity.
More from the Pacific:
- Although Ducks winger Max Jones has received a clean bill of health after recovering from a torn chest muscle, he’ll be held out for the rest of the year for precautionary reasons, relays Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. The 24-year-old has missed all but two games this season due to the injury and will look to lock down a full-time spot in the lineup in training camp. In the meantime, he’ll likely continue to take part in Anaheim’s practices in a non-contact jersey.
- In a separate column, Teaford adds that center Sam Carrick isn’t expected to return this season due to a lower-body injury. The 30-year-old had just 11 points in 47 over parts of five NHL campaigns heading into 2021-22 but he has basically been a regular for the Ducks this season, collecting 19 points (including 11 goals) in 64 games. Carrick will be an unrestricted free agent in July.
- While the plus/minus statistic has lost a lot of its relevance in recent years, it’s something the Canucks will be monitoring over these final few games. As Thomas Drance of The Athletic points out (subscription link), rookie winger Vasily Podkolzin is tied for third among Vancouver forwards in that particular stat with a +9 mark. If he finishes in the top three, he earns an ‘A’ bonus of $212.5K, one that will count against Vancouver’s 2022-23 cap since the team has been in LTIR all season and has no banked cap room.
Anaheim Ducks Place Mason McTavish, Max Jones On Injured Reserve
Per CapFriendly.com (Twitter links), the Anaheim Ducks placed forwards Mason McTavish and Max Jones on the injured reserve list Tuesday night ahead of their contest against the Edmonton Oilers.
In their place, the team has recalled forward Sonny Milano and forward Sam Carrick from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. They’ll likely serve as healthy scratches tonight, allowing Sam Steel to draw into the lineup for the first time this season and for Derek Grant to return to the lineup.
It’s a rough break especially for the 18-year-old McTavish, who was drafted third overall this past year and has a goal and an assist through his first three games. He’ll miss at least the next ten days’ worth of action.
Milano and Carrick could make their season debuts during their callups. Milano missed a good portion of last season due to injury but still carries scoring upside. Carrick had the most productive year of his career at the NHL level last season, notching six points in 13 games during his time with the big club.
Two Players Clear Waivers
May 10: Both players have cleared waivers.
May 9: The waiver wire has been relatively quiet over the past month but a pair of players are on the wire today as CapFriendly reports (Twitter links) that Detroit goaltender Calvin Pickard and Anaheim center Sam Carrick have both been waived. The intention for both teams is to get their respective veterans back to the AHL for the final few games with the Ducks’ affiliate also set to take part in the Pacific Division playoffs. Pickard had been on recall long enough to require waivers to go back down while Carrick had played in more than ten games, necessitating his placement.
Pickard has spent the majority of the season on the taxi squad for the Red Wings although he has managed to get into six games with Detroit, including four starts. In those contests, he posted a 3.16 GAA with a save percentage of .874. He suited up just once with AHL Grand Rapids this season but will now have a chance to get into a few more games over the final week. The 29-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
As for Carrick, he was relatively productive in his time with the Ducks this season, posting two goals and four assists in 13 games while averaging just under 13 minutes per game. That more than doubled his career point output over parts of four previous years with Toronto and Anaheim. Carrick has also been productive with AHL San Diego, picking up 14 goals and 10 helpers in 27 games, sitting fifth in team scoring despite playing in just three games in the minors since the end of March. Like Pickard, the 29-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
It’s worth noting that players claimed off waivers after the trade deadline are ineligible to play for the remainder of the season. As a result, there’s little reason for anyone to place a claim and assuming they clear on Monday, they’ll be able to return to their respective AHL teams.