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Sharks Place Jeff Skinner On Injured Reserve, Recall Zack Ostapchuk

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Sharks winger Jeff Skinner left Thursday’s game against Calgary due to a lower-body injury and it will keep him out of the lineup for at least a week.  He has been placed on injured reserve, according to the NHL’s media site.  Taking his place on the roster will be center Zack Ostapchuk who has been recalled according to the AHL’s transactions log.

Skinner is in his first season with San Jose after signing a one-year, $3MM contract with them in free agency back in July.  The 33-year-old has slowed down offensively over the last couple of seasons and that has continued early on in 2025-26 as he has been limited to four goals and three assists in 17 appearances while averaging a career-low 12:22 in ATOI.

As for Ostapchuk, this will be his second recall of the season after briefly being up with the Sharks last week although he didn’t see any game action.  The 22-year-old has played in 11 games with the Barracuda this season, picking up three goals and an assist.  He got into 56 NHL outings last season between Ottawa and San Jose, notching four points and 110 hits on their respective fourth lines.

The fourth line is likely where he will land as they only have 12 healthy forwards at the moment so the Sharks will either need to play Ostapchuk tonight against Seattle or dress seven defensemen which would give either Nick Leddy or Shakir Mukhamadullin a chance to get back into the lineup.  Blueliner Vincent Iorio is also on the active roster but is with the Barracuda on a conditioning assignment, making him unavailable for tonight’s contest.

Sharks Activate Alex Nedeljkovic, Reassign Jakub Skarek

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Nov. 14, 12:03 p.m.: The Sharks announced that Nedeljkovic has re-joined the team and has thus been added to the active roster. Skarek was reassigned to the AHL after backing up Askarov in last night’s loss.

Nov. 13, 12:05 p.m.: The Sharks officially announced Skarek’s recall and moved Nedeljkovic to the non-roster list.

Nov. 13, 11:06 a.m.: The Sharks are expected to recall goaltender Jakub Skarek from AHL San Jose today, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports. Skarek is expected to back up Yaroslav Askarov tonight against the Flames in place of Alex Nedeljkovic, who left the club’s road trip to deal with a personal matter, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told the beat following Tuesday’s overtime win over the Wild (via Peng). Nedeljkovic will presumably land on the non-roster list as the corresponding transaction for Skarek’s recall.

Skarek, fresh off his 26th birthday, had an interesting summer. He became a Group VI unrestricted free agent after spending the first six years of his North American professional career in the Islanders organization. He initially returned to Europe, inking a one-year deal with a second-year option with HIFK in Finland in May. Just over two months later, he terminated that deal and signed a one-year, league-minimum contract with the Sharks to serve as their third-string netminder.

Despite his boatloads of professional experience stateside, Skarek only has two NHL appearances to his name. Both came with the Isles last season. In one start and one relief appearance in February, the 2018 third-round pick conceded five goals on 34 shots for a .872 SV% and 3.94 GAA.

Skarek’s minor-league track record leaves much to be desired. He was consistently among the AHL’s worst starters during his time in Bridgeport. He hasn’t had a .900 SV% at any level since his post-draft season in Finland, and so far, that trend looks to continue. Through six games for San Jose’s affiliate, Skarek has a 4-2-0 record but has paired that with a .875 SV% and 3.63 GAA. He’s now technically the No. 4 option on San Jose’s depth chart and has been usurped as the Barracuda’s starter by second-year pro Gabriel Carriere, who has a .901 SV% in eight games.

The Sharks don’t want to interrupt the 25-year-old Carriere’s play, so it’ll be Skarek getting the call. Nedeljkovic isn’t expected to miss more than a couple of games at most, Warsofsky said, so it would be surprising to see Skarek get a start without any upcoming back-to-backs.

Sharks Activate William Eklund From IR, Reassign Ethan Cardwell

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3:04 p.m.: The Sharks have indeed reassigned Cardwell to AHL San Jose to make room for Eklund’s activation, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Cardwell scored once and averaged 12:21 per game during his four-game call-up.

12:28 p.m.: Sharks winger William Eklund will be in the lineup against the Wild tonight, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports. He will need to come off injured reserve. They don’t have an open roster spot and will need to make a corresponding transaction. Since no injuries are lingering on their active roster, that will likely be an AHL demotion – presumably for the waiver-exempt Ethan Cardwell, who projects to exit the lineup with Eklund returning.

Eklund’s IR stint was brief. He only landed there on Saturday to create a roster spot for Ryan Reaves’ activation. He’s missed the last four games after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Avalanche on Nov. 1. During that stretch, the streaking Sharks went 3-0-1 without the services of their third-leading scorer.

One of the first high-end picks in San Jose’s rebuild, the 23-year-old Eklund is in the early stages of his third season as a full-time NHLer. He’s rattled off five goals and six assists for 11 points through 12 games, on pace to breach the 70-point plateau for the first time if he stays healthy the rest of the way. He’s done so without seeing much ice time next to Macklin Celebrini at even strength, instead serving as the top scoring piece on the Sharks’ second line with Philipp Kurashev and Alexander Wennberg.

Collin Graf got the bump in minutes alongside Wennberg while Eklund was sidelined, and the young adept penalty killer managed two assists in four games during the elevation. He should be ticketed for a return to third-line duties next to Ty Dellandrea as San Jose attempts to extend its win streak to four and its point streak to seven. The Sharks haven’t strung together four wins in over four years, last doing so in October 2021.

San Jose Sharks Activate Nick Leddy

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According to a team announcement, the San Jose Sharks have activated veteran defenseman Nick Leddy from the injured reserve. A few hours ago, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News was the first to report that Leddy would be returning to the active roster.

It’s been nearly three weeks since Leddy last suited up with the Sharks. In the Sharks’ overtime win against the New York Rangers on October 23rd, Leddy left the game after one shift with an upper-body injury and hasn’t played since.

Leddy has skated in seven games for the Sharks this year, including the short game against the Rangers. He’s registered two assists in that brief timeframe with a -4 rating, averaging 17:12 of ice time per game.

It’s important to note that injuries have recently become a recurring theme for Leddy. In his first two full seasons with the St. Louis Blues in 2022-23 and 2023-24, Leddy skated in 160 out of 164 potential games, but only managed to appear in 31 last season due to injury issues.

Still, his importance in a lineup has decreased over the last few years. San Jose claimed Leddy in the early part of the offseason largely as a salary anchor to keep them above the salary cap floor. Understandably, given that he is a pending unrestricted free agent, and making a fairly modest $4MM salary this season, it would be unsurprising to see Leddy moved at the upcoming trade deadline in March.

Regardless, we’ll know tomorrow if Leddy will return to the lineup. The Sharks have played relatively well of late, so they may not be inclined to change things up despite Leddy returning to the active roster.

Sharks Assign Zack Ostapchuk To AHL, Send Down Vincent Iorio On Conditioning Loan

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With the team off until Tuesday, the Sharks have made a pair of roster moves.  The team announced this afternoon (Twitter link) that forward Zack Ostapchuk has been assigned to AHL San Jose.  Meanwhile, blueliner Vincent Iorio has also been sent to the Barracuda on a conditioning stint.

Ostapchuk’s stint with the Sharks was short-lived as he had only been recalled on Thursday and didn’t see any action after his promotion.  Acquired from Ottawa at last year’s trade deadline as part of the Fabian Zetterlund deal, the 22-year-old played somewhat regularly down the stretch, getting into 13 games.  However, with the option of having limited playing time in the NHL or a bigger role in the minors, the Sharks have opted for the latter this season while he remains waiver-exempt.  In nine games with the Barracuda this season, Ostapchuk has two goals and an assist.

As for Iorio, he was claimed off waivers from Washington midway through last month when the Sharks were dealing with some injuries on the back end.  He played regularly for about a week and a half, getting into six games where he was held off the scoresheet while posting six blocks in 16:20 a night of playing time.  However, he has been a healthy scratch in seven straight games as some of their injured rearguards have started to return.  With this being a regular conditioning loan, it can last for up to two weeks.

While two players are coming off the roster, the Sharks are only gaining one roster spot with these moves.  Iorio will remain on San Jose’s roster while on assignment, meaning that they still have 22 players on their active roster.

Sharks Activate Ryan Reaves, Place William Eklund On IR

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The San Jose Sharks have placed top winger William Eklund on injured reserve, retroactive to his last game on November 1st, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Eklund will be forced to miss Saturday’s matchup against the Florida Panthers, but he could be activated before the team’s next game on Tuesday.

This move opens the roster space needed to activate Ryan Reaves off of IR without having to reassign Zack Ostapchuk. Reaves has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury sustained on October 28th. He returned to the lineup on Saturday.

Reaves has continued his role of fourth-line enforcer through his 16th year in the NHL. He has two goals and two fights, while averaging fewer than seven minutes a night, through 11 games this season. He has been a welcome veteran presence to a young Sharks squad, but also stands as a barrier to the lineup for many top prospects.

Reaves is the fifth-oldest player in the NHL this season. His lack of career scoring glares around company like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby at the top of the NHL’s age chart. Despite that, Reaves expressed interest in continuing his career through his age-40 season on the latest Spittin’ Chiclets episode. One more year would give Reaves a chance to reach 1,000 games – a mark that would be particularly impressive for the pure enforcer. He is currently 77 games away from the feat.

San Jose won’t let that pursuit interfere with Eklund’s return to the lineup once he’s back to full health. The 2021 seventh-overall pick has emerged as a fixture of the Sharks’ top line, and reached 41 assists and 58 points in his first season next to Macklin Celebrini last year. He scored 11 points in 12 games to start this season, before falling to injury. The Sharks offense has taken off while Eklund has been out, and could improve even further with his return. San Jose will have to decide who to scratch between Reaves and Ethan Cardwell when Eklund returns.

Sharks’ Michael Misa Out Week-To-Week

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The San Jose Sharks will be without the ace up their sleeves for the next few games. Rookie winger Michael Misa is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained during practice, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (subscription required). Warsofsky emphasized that the medical staff was confident Misa’s recovery will only take a few weeks. He also said that the Sharks will continue to use video coaching and light skates to focus on Misa’s development.

Misa, the 2025 second-overall pick, has been rotated in-and-out of the lineup through the start of his NHL career. He has one goal and three points in seven games. More importantly, he’s posted five blocked shots and a 52.6 faceoff percentage. Those are positive signs of Misa’s adjustment to the NHL, especially on a Sharks team that’s allowed the sixth-most goals this season.

Misa is a true star prospect, coming off a near goal-per-game season in the OHL last year. He finished the season with 62 goals and 134 points in 65 games, the second-most from a draft-year OHL player since 2000, behind Patrick Kane’s 145 points in 2006-07. San Jose’s lineup won’t be much affected by Misa’s absence, given his rotating role and Ryan Reaves’ return from injury, but making sure their latest top-pick stays on the track will remain top priority.

Working through a frustrating injury and returning to a strong role in the lineup could be enough to earn Misa a crack at minutes in the top-six, or on the powerplay. He has been held out of both groups so far, but created a dynamic fourth-line alongside fellow rookie Collin Graf and veteran Adam Gaudette. The trio spent 20 minutes of even-strength ice-time together across three games in mid-October and outscored their opponents three-to-zero. Misa recorded a point on all three goals, stretched across a brief three-game point streak. It has become clear that the Sharks want to make Misa earn his path to top minutes, but his success in a depth role is an encouraging sign of things to come. He’ll jump right back into that climb up the lineup on the other side of the first injury of his career.

Sharks Recall Zack Ostapchuk

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4:41 p.m.: It’s an IR placement for Misa as the corresponding move, per Peng. He sustained the injury in the morning skate prior to yesterday’s game, so the placement can only be backdated to Nov. 5. That puts him out for San Jose’s next three games. He’ll be eligible for activation on Nov. 13.

3:13 p.m.: The Sharks have recalled center Zack Ostapchuk from AHL San Jose, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. With no open roster spot, they need to make a corresponding move. That will presumably be an IR placement for either William Eklund or Michael Misa, both of whom are ticketed to miss tomorrow’s game against the Jets with lower-body injuries.

Both Eklund and Misa missed yesterday’s 6-1 drubbing of the Kraken as well, which means San Jose was forced to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Ostapchuk gives them a 12th forward to slot in against Winnipeg if they want to go back to the traditional allocation. Acquired from the Senators in last year’s Fabian Zetterlund deal, the 22-year-old pivot isn’t off to a great start in the minors. Through nine AHL games, he has two goals and an assist with a -4 rating.

Ostapchuk, a second-round pick back in 2021, hasn’t had sustained offensive success anywhere since turning pro in 2023. He was well over a point per game in his final year in juniors, but aside from 11 points in 15 games for AHL Belleville last year before the trade, he has yet to pop. He spent most of last season up in the NHL with Ottawa and San Jose, but only recorded one goal and four points in 56 appearances while averaging 9:25 per game.

His long-term ceiling likely remains that of a fourth-line center. He showed he can at least handle the role last year and posted solid possession metrics in 13 games with the Sharks down the stretch – evidenced by a -1 rating despite not recording a point. He won 48.6% of his faceoffs, a good number for a pivot in his age-21 season with plenty of room to grow.

Ostapchuk will remain waiver-exempt this season but loses that status for 2026-27. He’ll get another chance here to stick around in a fourth-line role for the Sharks as he aims to push Misa or fellow AHL call-up Ethan Cardwell out of a job when San Jose gets back to carrying a healthy forward group.

West Notes: Gaudette, Leskovar, Akey

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The Sharks have activated forward Adam Gaudette off injured reserve, relays Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News (Twitter link).  The 29-year-old has missed a little more than a week due to an upper-body injury.  Signed to a two-year, $4MM contract this past summer, Gaudette has been reasonably productive in limited playing time, picking up three goals and an assist in nine games despite playing less than 11 minutes a night.  That usage is similar to last season when he averaged just 10:25 per game but still managed to notch 19 goals in 81 games with Ottawa.  With Patrick Giles being sent back down on Monday, they had the open roster spot available to activate Gaudette so no further moves were needed.

Elsewhere out West:

  • The Wild announced (Twitter link) that they have activated defenseman Stevie Leskovar off season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to ECHL Iowa. The 21-year-old is in the first season of his entry-level contract but he was dealing with a wrist injury that had kept him out of the lineup.  Leskovar had six points in 35 games last season with OHL Brampton and also got into one professional game with AHL Iowa.  But for now, he’ll go to the Heartlanders and look to get some playing time in at that level with the hopes of an AHL promotion later on.
  • The Oilers have assigned defenseman Beau Akey to ECHL Fort Wayne, per an announcement from AHL Bakersfield (Twitter link). The 20-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2023 and is in his first professional season but hasn’t been able to play yet due to injury.  Now cleared to return, he’ll get a chance to get in some game action with the Komets and will likely rejoin the Condors soon after with this assignment being more of a conditioning assignment than a long-term one.  Akey had 32 points in 52 games with OHL Barrie last season.

William Eklund Hopeful To Return Wednesday, Patrick Giles Reassigned To AHL

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San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund missed the team’s loss yesterday to the Detroit Red Wings with a lower-body injury, but the team is reportedly “hopeful” that Eklund will be fit to play as soon as Wednesday, per Sharks Hockey Digest’s Max Miller. Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky told the media that Eklund has been dealing with the injury for about a week, but the fact that it “got a little bit worse” is what necessitated his removal from the lineup.

The injury did not appear to slow Eklund down much, as he had an exceptional three-game stretch to finish the month of October, scoring three goals and five points. The 2021 seventh-overall pick ranks second on the Sharks in scoring so far this season, behind only second-year sensation and emerging franchise face Macklin Celebrini. He scored a career-high 17 goals and 58 points in 77 games last season, and assuming he can stay healthy, should cruise past those totals if he can manage to sustain his early-season form.

  • The San Jose Sharks made a roster move today, sending forward Patrick Giles back to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. Giles, 25, was elevated to the Sharks’ NHL roster on Oct. 28 when veteran blueliner Nick Leddy was placed on injured reserve. He ultimately played in three games for the Sharks, registering his second career NHL point (and first career assist) on top prospect Sam Dickinson’s game-tying goal late in the third period of yesterday’s game. The goal was also Dickinson’s first career NHL goal and first career point. Giles played in a fourth-line role across his three games, averaging under nine minutes of ice time per game.

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