Latest On Wennberg, Brossoit
A familiar face in teal is absent for this evening’s action, as Sharks center Alexander Wennberg is out with an upper-body injury per the team.
With Igor Chernyshov also out to injury after being hospitalized, Philipp Kurashev and Pavol Regenda fill out the Sharks’ third line in Ottawa, the team needing to stockpile points to hold onto Wild Card berth.
Igor Chernyshov Cleared Of Major Injury
- The San Jose Sharks have yet to confirm any serious injury for young prospect Igor Chernyshov. In yesterday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, Chernyshov suffered a head injury, which caused him to bleed and stumble in his attempts to get up. He was immediately taken to a hospital, and it was believed he had suffered a concussion at the very least. However, according to Sheng Peng of SJ Hockey Now, Chernyshov was completely fine at the hospital and was cleared of any serious injury.
[SOURCE LINK]
Askarov Listed As Day-To-Day
While the Sharks needed to call up Laurent Brossoit on Friday to cover for Yaroslav Askarov’s injury, it appears the youngster won’t be out for long. San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reports that the lower-body injury is not believed to be serious. The 23-year-old has had an up-and-down first season in the NHL, posting a 3.56 GAA and a .886 SV% along with a -11.2 Goals Saved Above Average mark, per MoneyPuck. However, Askarov has made 40 starts so far, a solid number for a player in his first full NHL campaign. For now, Alex Nedeljkovic will serve as the starter heading into a back-to-back set against Montreal and Ottawa this weekend but he won’t be in that spot for long based on the news about Askarov, with Peng relaying (Twitter link) that he’s officially listed as day-to-day.
Sharks Sign Ty Dellandrea To Two-Year Extension
The Sharks announced they’ve signed center Ty Dellandrea to a two-year extension. It’s worth a total of $3.25MM for a cap hit of $1.625MM. He could have been a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
Dellandrea, 25, saw his signing rights acquired by San Jose from the Stars for a fourth-round pick in 2024. He inked a two-year, $2.6MM deal a few days later, so today’s news will give him a bit of a pay bump for 2026-27.
The 13th overall pick back in 2018 by Dallas, he rarely punched above a bottom-six role during his time in Texas. That hasn’t changed over the past year-plus in the Bay Area, but it’s worth noting the natural center has been deployed mostly down the middle after starting out his career as a frequent option on the wing.
Dellandrea’s first season in San Jose was one to forget. He’d struggled to find offensive consistency in Dallas but took things to a new low with the Sharks, managing just one goal and eight points in 68 games with a -31 rating.
This season, he’s gotten a bump in minutes, and the results have been slightly better. He’s averaging a career-high 14:24 per game and has been good on draws, winning 52.3% of them, while being used as a defensive specialist. Despite starting nearly 70% of his shifts at 5-on-5 in the defensive zone, he’s upped his production to 11 points in 42 games. His -15 rating and 38.4% Corsi share are still evidence that the Sharks are a long way away from winning his minutes, though.
He’s also been out of the lineup since early January with a lower-body injury. His absence has paved the way for rookie middleman Michael Misa to get more consistent reps in a top-nine role. Considering the 2025 #2 overall pick has four goals and seven points in 10 games since the beginning of February, it’s unlikely they’ll be moving him back down the depth chart. When Dellandrea returns, it’ll likely be to usurp younger stopgap Zack Ostapchuk as the team’s fourth-line center between Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Reaves.
Dellandrea’s new deal will walk him to unrestricted free agency in 2028. The Sharks don’t buy out any UFA years with the contract, instead buying up the rest of his team-controlled seasons.
Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Sharks Recall Laurent Brossoit
The Sharks were without starter Yaroslav Askarov against the Bruins in Boston last night, forcing Alex Nedeljkovic to take the starter’s crease and University of New Hampshire goalie Kyle Chauvette to dress as his backup with no time to get a recall out from the West Coast. With it looking like Askarov will miss at least another game with his undisclosed issue, they’re back to having two healthy goalies on the active roster by recalling Laurent Brossoit from AHL San Jose, the team announced.
If Askarov is out long enough to warrant Brossoit getting a start, it will be his first NHL appearance in nearly two years. He has 140 games of NHL experience and was viewed as one of the best #2 options in the league heading into free agency in 2023, coming off back-to-back seasons of .927 save percentages in spot starts with the Golden Knights and Jets. He landed a two-year, $6.6MM commitment from the Blackhawks, but needed meniscus surgery just weeks later, which spiraled into a whole host of other lower-body issues. He lost the entire 2024-25 campaign to knee surgeries and was out for several weeks to begin the 2025-26 campaign as well after a subsequent hip procedure.
Brossoit returned to health in December. Chicago didn’t have much of a use for him with Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom holding down the fort in the NHL, and they didn’t want him taking starts away from third-stringer Drew Commesso in the minors. After Brossoit showed he was back to full health, logging a .901 SV% in six outings with AHL Rockford after clearing waivers, San Jose – in need of an upgrade in the #3 slot – moved to acquire him.
Since the pickup, the 32-year-old has been exceptional in a minor-league role for San Jose. In 14 games, he has a .915 SV%, 2.48 GAA, and a 11-2-1 record. He’s seventh in the league in save percentage across both Rockford and San Jose among goalies with at least 20 appearances this year. He’ll look to be an extremely comfortable stopgap option behind Nedeljkovic for the time being as the Sharks chase down their first playoff berth in seven years.
Sharks Sign Kyle Chauvette To Amateur Tryout
The Sharks have signed University of New Hampshire starter Kyle Chauvette to an amateur tryout, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. He will serve as the emergency backup to Alex Nedeljkovic for tonight’s game against the Bruins. Yaroslav Askarov is unable to dress due to an undisclosed injury that became apparent at morning skate today. As Askarov wasn’t ruled out until this morning, San Jose didn’t have time to get an AHL recall coast-to-coast in time for tonight’s contest.
If an injury to Nedeljkovic forces Chauvette into action, it won’t be a miracle story like we’ve seen in the past with EBUGs like David Ayres and Scott Foster. Chauvette just wrapped up his senior season of college hockey yesterday, when UNH’s season ended in the first round of the Hockey East tournament against Northeastern. The 24-year-old transferred to his hometown school last summer after spending the first three seasons of his NCAA career at Union College, where he was named an ECAC Third Team All-Star in 2024-25.
Still, since Chauvette doesn’t have any professional experience, he’s eligible to dress for San Jose as an EBUG. The 6’1″, 190-lb netminder put up respectable numbers behind a New Hampshire squad that finished second-last in the conference, logging a .902 SV% and 2.63 GAA in 34 appearances with a 13-19-1 record and five shutouts. He appeared in all but one game for the Wildcats and should have multiple pro offers in the coming weeks with his NCAA career in the rearview.
The question for the Sharks, still in the thick of a wild-card race in the West, becomes how long they’ll be without Askarov. The 23-year-old has arrived as a full-time NHLer and, while he’s started 40 out of 62 games, the workload was likely going to shift more toward the veteran Nedeljkovic down the stretch anyway.
The 2020 first-round pick has had his moments this season and has received enough goal support to register a 19-17-3 record, but his .886 SV% and 3.56 GAA are some of the worst marks in the league among starters. His -11.2 goals saved above expected this season are eighth-worst in the league, per MoneyPuck.
Compared to Nedeljkovic’s .900 SV%, 2.83 GAA, and 0.5 GSAx in 22 starts and five relief appearances, Askarov was in danger of losing out on some starts with San Jose in a tight race with the Kings, Kraken, and Predators for the second wild-card slot in the West – the Mammoth are virtually locked into the first wild-card slot at this rate with an 81% likelihood of ending up there. Askarov’s recent play – he only has a .869 SV% since the beginning of February – may have begged the question of whether Nedeljkovic should be the Sharks’ Game 1 starter if they emerge from the field.
It’s also worth noting that those numbers from Nedeljkovic have come with him rarely making back-to-back starts – something he hasn’t done since Askarov was out with an illness in December. How will he perform in an increased workload if Askarov misses more than a couple of games?
It’s now where the Sharks’ acquisition of Laurent Brossoit from the Blackhawks in January could pay dividends. The 32-year-old hasn’t seen NHL action since the 2023-24 season due to various lower-body surgeries but has been excellent for both Rockford and San Jose in the AHL this season and is arguably the best veteran third-string option in the league. In 14 games since the trade, he has a .915 SV% and 2.48 GAA for the Barracuda with an 11-2-1 record.
Sharks Recall Igor Chernyshov
The Sharks announced today that they’ve recalled left winger Igor Chernyshov from AHL San Jose. With an ample number of healthy forwards on their roster, Chernyshov is already the third of the five post-deadline standard recalls San Jose can make, joining defensemen Nolan Allan and Nick Leddy.
Chernyshov, 20, was the 33rd overall pick by San Jose in the 2024 draft. He has been on an absolutely torrid trajectory ever since. A dynamic 6’2″ power forward, he spent all of his pre-draft development in his native Russia but opted to immediately sign with San Jose and come to North America. Instead of assigning him to the AHL right away last season, the Sharks loaned him to the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit to make a more comfortable adjustment in junior hockey.
While Chernyshov lost a good portion of the season to injury, he was, bar none, the league’s best player when in the lineup. He had 19 goals, 36 assists, and 55 points in just 23 appearances for Saginaw alongside now-Sharks teammate Michael Misa, leading the league with an incredible 2.39 points per game.
It’s no surprise, then, that Chernyshov’s first professional season has gone as swimmingly as it has. He’s fit in well amid a deep minor-league group in San Jose, posting 13 goals and 33 points in 41 games with 36 penalty minutes and a +11 rating. That got him a look on the NHL roster for about a month across December and January while Will Smith was on injured reserve. He got a long look in Smith’s spot on the top line with Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund and did not disappoint, posting a 3-8–11 scoring line and nine hits in 15 games. He also managed 3.27 shot attempts per game, good for eighth on the team.
He’s now getting another look on the active roster, although it doesn’t appear he’ll be getting into game action immediately. Eklund got banged up with a lower-body issue against the Sabres on Tuesday but took line rushes at this morning’s skate and is expected to play tonight against the Bruins, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Sharks Recall Nick Leddy, Assign Nolan Allan To AHL
The Sharks have shuffled up their depth defense. The team announced (Twitter link) that veteran Nick Leddy has been recalled from AHL San Jose while after being recalled just yesterday, blueliner Nolan Allan was sent down to the Barracuda.
Last offseason, the Sharks decided to claim Leddy off waivers from St. Louis, absorbing the final year and $4MM left on his contract. Coupled with some of their veteran additions on the back end (including Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg), they were hoping to raise the floor of their defensive group. Orlov and Klingberg were able to do so but things haven’t gone anywhere near as well for Leddy.
The 34-year-old has only played in 19 games for the Sharks this season, picking up four assists and 26 blocks while averaging 17:30 per night of ice time. In mid-January, San Jose decided to put him on waivers to open up a roster spot and sent him down to the Barracuda. However, with them, he has only suited up once. He may be a more logical option to serve as a reserve defender for the stretch run with him heading for unrestricted free agency in the offseason over having a younger player watching from the press box.
Allan’s recall didn’t yield any playing time so he’s still looking for his first NHL opportunity of the season after getting into 43 contests last season with Chicago. Acquired midseason as part of the Laurent Brossoit pickup, the 22-year-old has been fairly successful with the Barracuda, notching two goals and eight helpers in 20 outings since the swap.
The quick demotion is fairly curious, given that they burned one of their five post-deadline regular recalls when they brought Allan up. By sending him back down and bringing Leddy up, they’re now using another one in short order to fill a roster spot that’s unlikely to see much playing time.
Sharks Wanted To Keep Mario Ferraro, John Klingberg
- The San Jose Sharks retained their numerous pending unrestricted free agents through the deadline as their own rentals, rewarding the team’s performance so far. Speaking with Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News, General Manager Mike Grier said, “So it kind of felt like it was the best thing to do, in all fairness to them, to kind of keep the group together and see how the rest of the season goes.” Regardless, that didn’t stop teams from making calls, specifically regarding Mario Ferraro and John Klingberg.
[SOURCE LINK]
Sharks Recall Nolan Allan
Earlier this season, the Sharks added some extra depth on the back end when they added Nolan Allan from Chicago as part of the trade that saw them take on Laurent Brossoit’s contract. Now, they’ll get a chance to see what Allan can do as the team announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner has been recalled from AHL San Jose.
The 22-year-old was a first-round pick by the Blackhawks back in 2021, being taken with the 32nd and final pick of the opening round. However, he hasn’t had a ton of success professionally just yet. Allan got into 43 games with Chicago last season and did okay in a limited role, picking up eight points, 48 blocks, and 61 hits in a little over 15 minutes per night.
However, he was assigned to the AHL in training camp and has been there ever since, aside from a brief stint playing for Canada at the Spengler Cup back in December. With Chicago having strong defensive depth, they were okay with including him in the deal that offloaded Brossoit’s contract.
Before the swap, Allan had two goals and four assists in 29 games with Rockford. However, he has been more productive since then, notching two goals and eight helpers in 20 appearances with the Barracuda to earn this promotion. Now, he’ll look to boost his value with his entry-level contract set to expire this summer.
Allan will take the place of Timothy Liljegren on San Jose’s roster after the Sharks moved him to Washington yesterday at the trade deadline. With now seven healthy defenders on their active roster, it’s unclear when he’ll get a chance to make his Sharks debut while his recall will count against their post-deadline regular recall limit of five.