San Jose Sharks Activate Will Smith
As expected, the San Jose Sharks announced that they’ve activated Will Smith from the injured reserve. The Sharks placed forward Ty Dellandrea on injured reserve yesterday to make room for Smith’s return.
Smith, 20, has been on the shelf for a month due to an upper-body injury. At the time, he was second on the team in scoring behind Macklin Celebrini. He has since been surpassed by Alexander Wennberg, Tyler Toffoli, and William Eklund.
Still, in terms of points-per-game, Smith is clearly San Jose’s best offensive option behind Celebrini. Before suffering the upper-body ailment, the sophomore forward had scored 12 goals and 29 points in 33 games. Had he continued that pace over the course of the entire regular season, Smith would have finished with approximately 72 points, a 27-point increase from his rookie campaign.
According to line rushes this morning, Smith will reprise his role on Celebrini’s wing, alongside rookie Igor Chernyshov. The two youngsters primarily played with Philipp Kurashev earlier in the year, with the trio combining for a 45.2% xGoals%.
Somehow, despite losing their second-best scorer, the Sharks’ offense has taken off since Smith exited the lineup. In his 33 games to begin the year, San Jose averaged 2.9 GF/G and a 18.6% success rate on the power play. Without him in the lineup, they’ve averaged 3.84 GF/G and a 25.6% powerplay. Getting Smith back into the lineup should vault the Sharks’ offense even higher moving forward.
Hurricanes, Sharks Complete Minor Trade
According to a team announcement, the San Jose Sharks have traded defenseman Kyle Masters and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for the Blackhawks’ 2027 fifth-round pick.
Oddly enough, this trade is largely centered around forward prospect Michael Misa. Since he is about to play in his 10th game of the year, the Sharks must officially register Misa’s contract. Since the team already had 50 contracts, Misa was ineligible to play tonight unless San Jose removed one from their organization.
Masters, 22, is the consequence. The Sharks acquired Masters earlier this season in a trade with the Minnesota Wild. He was the 118th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft and is in the final year of his entry-level contract.
Despite having an NHL contract, Masters is not close to reaching the sport’s highest league. He’s spent the entire year with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder, registering three assists in 10 games with a -8 rating. It’s a far cry from what he produced last season, scoring five goals and 13 points in 27 games for the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders, and three points in 16 games for the AHL’s Iowa Wild.
The strategy for acquiring Masters was simple for the Hurricanes. The team already had two open contract spots, meaning they’ll upgrade a fifth-round pick to a fourth-round pick simply by acquiring an expiring asset. Assuming Carolina stashes Masters in the ECHL, he’ll join the Greensboro Gargoyles for the remainder of the season.
Sharks Place Ty Dellandrea On Injured Reserve
According to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, the San Jose Sharks have placed forward Ty Dellandrea on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. The designation has likely been made retroactive to January 6th, meaning Dellandrea is eligible for activation whenever he’s healthy.
Dellandrea, 25, was given a day-to-day recovery timeline, so he should return to the Sharks’ lineup relatively soon. Pashelka suggested that his injury designation might indicate that young player Will Smith could be returning to the lineup tomorrow against the Detroit Red Wings. Smith has been recovering from an upper-body ailment and has not played in a contest with San Jose for over a month.
When healthy, Dellandrea was providing decent tertiary scoring to surprisingly competitve Sharks team. He had scored two goals and 11 points in 42 games, on best for the second-best point production in his career. A few years ago, then with the Dallas Stars, Dellandrea had scored nine goals and 28 points in 82 games.
The biggest part of Dellandrea’s game that San Jose will miss for the time being is his work in the faceoff dot. The former 13th overall pick has managed a 52.3% success rate in the dot across 511 faceoffs this season, which is even more impressive considering he’s begun over 70% of his shifts in the defensive zone at even strength.
Kraken Activate Chandler Stephenson, Reassign Oscar Fisker Molgaard
The Seattle Kraken have returned to a fully healthy forward core. The Kraken announced that they’ve activated Chandler Stephenson from the non-roster list and have reassigned Oscar Fisker Molgaard in a corresponding roster move.
Stephenson was placed on the non-roster list only three days ago, as he and his wife were expecting the birth of their child. He missed two games for Seattle, and the team earned a split decision, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes before beating the New York Rangers.
He’s expected to reprise his role as the team’s second-line center, where he’s played relatively well this season. He’s third on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 27 points in 42 games, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game. Additionally, he’s been the best faceoff taker on the team, winning 52.4% of his draws.
Still, there is reason to believe that his production may dip relatively soon. Stephenson is averaging a 38.6% CorsiFor% at even strength, far and away the worst output of his career. However, it’s not an issue unique to Stephenson, as the Kraken themselves are 31st in the league in terms of possession quality, ahead of only the San Jose Sharks.
Meanwhile, Fisker Molgaard returns to AHL Coachella Valley after failing to appear in a game with Seattle throughout the duration of his recall. He’s skated in two games for the team this season, registering an assist while averaging 6:00 of ice time per game. He’s understandably been far more productive with the Firebirds, scoring six goals and 18 points in 30 games with a -5 rating.
Sharks Issue Injury Updates On Four Players
The San Jose Sharks have sorted out their injuries ahead of a four-game road-trip through the Eastern Conference. Winger Philipp Kurashev will not join the team on the trip, but could return at the tail-end, if he is able to recover from an upper-body injury sustained on December 13th. He was deemed week-to-week at the time. San Jose will have defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Vincent Desharnais on the trip after both recovered from upper-body injuries. Finally, top forward Will Smith will be questionable for Thursday’s game against the Washington Capitals pending a return to full-contact practices. All updates were captured by NHL.com’s Max Miller.
Kurashev will continue to sit out of the lineup for at least a couple more games. He has already missed San Jose’s last 12 games, on top of a brief two-game absence in October. Kurashev was among San Jose’s hottest players through the turn into November. He racked up 11 points in 13 games between October 26th and November 20th – enough to earn top-six minutes through mutliple games. He cooled off significantly in the time since, with only three points in his next 12 games before going down to injury. Returning soon would give the Swiss winger a chance to get his legs back under him before going off to join Team Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics. It will be Kurashev’s first Olympic games, though he has notched 15 points in 32 World Championship games, across four appearances. Kurashev will slot into San Jose’s bottom-six when he’s healthy enough to return.
The Sharks will have two more options on defense through their next stretch. Desharnais has been out since late November but returned to practice on January 4th. He has served as one of many veteran bruisers and fighters on the Sharks lineup and should maintain a low-usage role if slotted back into the lineup. Mukhamadullin will be a more interesting watch, after missing the last four games. The 24 year old was continuing to struggle in his depth role prior to his injury. He posted no scoring and a minus-six in his last five games, bringing his year long totals to six points and a minus-four in 23 games. A return to the lineup would be a chance to continue earning minutes on an increasingly-crowded Sharks blue-line.
Smith will bring the most excitement back to the lineup. The 20 year old hasn’t played since sustaining an injury on December 13th. He has been skating on the side and didn’t rejoin San Jose’s team practices until last Friday. The Sharks will certainly want to ensure Smith is back to 100 percent before slotting him into the lineup – but his impact will be hard to wait for. Smith has 12 goals and 29 points in 33 games this season, good for fourth on the team in scoring despite missing the last 12 games. He has proven a dynamic and capable driver of the offense, able to play with or behind star center Macklin Celebrini.
The Sharks have seen the emergence of rookie Igor Chernyshov – who has nine points in his first 12 NHL games – since Smith’s injury. That will bring up some interesting questions as the Sharks juggle young players at the top of their lineup. Smith should return next to Alexander Wennberg and Tyler Toffoli, which would push Pavel Regenda back into the bottom-six. When those changes will occur will depend on how soon Smith can return to full-contact practice.
Hamilton Blocked A Trade To Sharks In Summer, Smith To Go On Road Trip
With the Devils believed to be searching for a new team for veteran defenseman Dougie Hamilton after scratching him today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest Saturday Headlines segment (video link) that the blueliner turned down a trade over the summer. Friedman stated that the Sharks attempted to acquire the 32-year-old over the offseason but Hamilton used his trade protection to scuttle that. San Jose has since added Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, and Nick Leddy to their back end and given that they’ve been using LTIR all season, it stands to reason that they may not be interested in rekindling those discussions to see if Hamilton’s stance has changed. He has two years left on his contract after this one with a $9MM AAV, a price tag that will be difficult to move for value.
- Sharks forward Will Smith will accompany the team on their upcoming four-game road trip, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The sophomore has missed the last four weeks due to an upper-body injury and recently returned to practice, albeit in a non-contact jersey. The fact he’s set to travel with the team suggests that Smith should be able to return at some point on the trip. Through 33 games so far, Smith has been quite productive, collecting 12 goals and 17 assists while averaging just under 18 minutes per game of playing time.
Michael Misa To Remain With Sharks For The Remainder Of The Season
Over the first month or so of the season, there is often talk about which junior-eligible rookies will go past the 10-game mark, officially burning the first year of their entry-level contract. Sometimes, teams will scratch a player from time to time to push back the decision but within a couple of months, the call has been made.
It was a different situation this season for Sharks forward Michael Misa. The number two pick in June broke camp with San Jose but had his playing time managed early on. However, after seven games, he suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for around a month. From there, he was eligible for an AHL conditioning stint and then he was off to the World Juniors.
As a result, Misa still hasn’t officially started his entry-level contract and is eligible to be assigned back to junior. However, that won’t be the case as the youngster told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that GM Mike Grier informed him that he’d remain with the Sharks for the rest of the season.
Despite that, it wouldn’t be too surprising if his ice time continues to be managed; he was a healthy scratch yesterday against Dallas but is in the lineup tonight. For starters, having been away from the team for so long, there is some value in getting him a bit of extra practice time first. Second, San Jose has quietly played its way into a playoff spot so the focus won’t entirely be on player development the longer that they stay in the race. That could result in the odd night off for Misa as well.
Once Misa eventually gets into his tenth NHL game, he’ll officially activate the first season of his contract. Considering that the Sharks are at the maximum of 50, his getting there would put them over the limit. Accordingly, the longer they wait to get Misa to that point, the more time Grier has to make a move.
From there, the next threshold to watch for is 40 games on the active roster which is when he’d accrue a season of service time toward UFA eligibility. For now, he’s a long way away from getting to that point so if management decides that they want to keep Misa below that threshold, there could be some finessing of his playing time as well. But while his minutes could still be limited, Misa at least has the peace of mind that he’ll be up in the NHL for the rest of the season.
San Jose Sharks Activate John Klingberg
The San Jose Sharks announced today that defenseman John Klingberg has been activated off of injured reserve.
Klingberg missed four consecutive games with a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old has been one of the Sharks’ most heavily-used defensemen this season, tied for first among blueliners in ice time with 21:37 per game. When healthy, he’s also quarterbacked the Sharks’ top power play unit, averaging 3:25 power play time on ice per game.
After two consecutive injury-riddled seasons, this year has been a bounce-back year for Klingberg from a production standpoint. He’s scored nine goals and 16 points in 31 games, which is a 24-goal, 42-point 82-game pace.
Klingberg had scored just 42 points in the three seasons following his 47-point 2021-22 campaign, which was his final year in Dallas.
Although returns in terms of Klingberg’s defensive value have been more mixed, that’s not entirely detached from what was expected of Klingberg even in the best years of his career.
Now back to full health, Klingberg will get the chance to continue to build on his momentum this season with an eye to the summer. His one-year, $4MM contract is set to expire this summer, making him a pending unrestricted free agent.
Los Angeles Kings Make Multiple Roster Moves
The Los Angeles Kings will have a different look against the Edmonton Oilers tonight. According to a team announcement, the Kings have returned forward Corey Perry from the non-roster list, placed Anže Kopitar on the injured reserve, and have reassigned Cole Guttman to the AHL’s Ontario Reign.
Perry, 40, missed two games for the Kings while on the non-roster list. The team didn’t fare well without him, losing in overtime to the San Jose Sharks and in regulation to the struggling Winnipeg Jets. Regardless, he’ll provide Los Angeles with more offense at the very least, scoring nine goals and 21 points in 35 games while averaging 13:33 of ice time per game.
Not only has Perry been one of the better scorers on the team in his age-40 season, but he’s been one of the most responsible. Regarding Kings’ forwards that have played in 25 or more games this season, Perry is fifth on the team in CorsiFor% with a 53.9% mark.
Meanwhile, Kopitar lands on the IR, having missed the same number of games as Perry over the last little while. The Kings’ captain has been dealing with a lower-body injury and won’t be eligible to return until Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights due to the IR requirements for activation. He’s scored six goals and 21 points in 37 games throughout the duration of his final season in the NHL.
Lastly, Guttman will return to AHL Ontario after not appearing in a game for Los Angeles. The former bottom-six forward for the Chicago Blackhawks is in his first year with the Kings organization after signing a two-year, $1.55MM contract last summer. He’s been a solid player in the AHL this year, scoring nine goals and 23 points in 31 games, good for fifth on the team in scoring.
Sharks Reassign Patrick Giles
Jan. 9: Giles was returned to the AHL today, the team announced. He was scratched for both games of his call-up on Tuesday and Wednesday. The move indicates one of the Sharks’ IR-bound defenders – Klingberg, Vincent Desharnais, and Shakir Mukhamadullin – could be returning to action tomorrow.
Jan. 5: The Sharks recalled center Patrick Giles from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on Monday, per a team announcement. To open a roster spot, the Sharks placed defenseman John Klingberg on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 31.
It’s the second recall of the season for Giles, who last appeared on the roster in November. The 26-year-old, who was acquired from the Panthers in last year’s Vítek Vaněček trade, has 20 games of NHL experience, including three on his previous recall this season.
The Chevy Chase, Maryland, native will provide the Sharks with an extra forward for Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jackets. While they now have 14 forwards on the active roster, Adam Gaudette has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury – although Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports he could be an option to return to the lineup against Columbus.
The 6’5″, 218-lb Giles grades out as a fine fourth-line pivot for a few games at a time, but shouldn’t be relied upon more than that. His possession numbers weren’t inspiring in more extended action with Florida last season, and he has a team-worst -10 rating with nine points in 28 games for the Barracuda.
As for Klingberg, San Jose’s top power play quarterback sustained a lower-body injury against the Wild on New Year’s Eve that caused him to sit out Saturday’s loss to the Lightning. He’s been ruled out of the Sharks’ upcoming back-to-back but will be eligible to return this weekend against the Stars, per Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest.
His absence means more opportunities for youngsters Sam Dickinson and Vincent Iorio while veteran Nick Leddy gets some added reps as well, despite serving as a healthy scratch for most of the campaign. Klingberg’s nine goals and 16 points in 31 games have him on pace for his best offensive showing since departing Dallas in free agency in 2022.