Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Sharks Rumors

Injury Notes: Barkov, Little, Johnsson, Ladd, Simek, Paquette

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Florida Panthers fans were quite worried Saturday when star player Aleksander Barkov skated off the ice during his second shift and did not return for the rest of the game. The Panthers deemed the injury as an upper-body injury and head coach Joel Quenneville refused to comment on it. However, The Athletic’s George Richards (subscription required) reports that general manager Dale Tallon referred to the injury as “minor.”

How Barkov was injured is a different story, as it doesn’t look as if Barkov took a hit, but the 24-year-old was seen clutching his side after an icing call on his second shift. He still lined up for the face-off, but looked to be in obvious pain. The team flew back to home last night and have Sunday off, with a home match against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

  • The Winnipeg Jets are looking for some added punch to their lineup as TSN’s Brian Munz reports that center Bryan Little, who has been sidelined all season with a concussion, is expected to play Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 31-year-old has served as the team’s second line center for quite some time. He scored 15 goals and 41 points last season.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs forward Andreas Johnsson was not at practice Sunday after blocking a Brandon Carlo shot Saturday and being forced out of the game and missing the third period, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton. X-rays on Johnsson’s leg came back negative, suggesting the injury isn’t too serious and the forward isn’t expected to be out for long. The 24-year-old winger has two goals and five points in nine games with the Leafs so far.
  • The return of Andrew Ladd could be coming soon as Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that the 33-year-old winger was skating in a regular practice jersey Sunday, after several practices in an orange non-contact jersey. Ladd is coming off a torn ACL and was limited to just 26 games last season. If healthy, Ladd could make some key contributions on the team’s bottom-six. He scored three goals and 11 points in those 26 appearances last year. Gross in a separate tweet, reports that both Jordan Eberle and Casey Cizikas, each on injured reserve with lower-body injuries, skated today, but separately from the rest of the team.
  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that defenseman Radim Simek is expected to join the San Jose Sharks on their five-game road trip, but the blueliner said that he likely won’t play in any of those games due to his leg injury. He has been practicing so a return could come in the next few weeks, but his return to health has taken longer than the team expected.
  • NHL.com’s Bryan Burns reports that Tampa Bay Lighting forward Cedric Paquette is now considered to be day-to-day. The 26-year-old forward, out with an arm injury, hasn’t played a game this season yet, but could be close. Paquette scored a career-high 13 goals last season.

 

Minor Transactions: 10/19/19

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Some of the NHL’s best teams early on were at it last night. The Avalanche maintained their unblemished loss column with a comeback win over the Panthers in overtime; the Penguins added their sixth win by handing the Stars their fourth straight regulation loss; the Oilers moved to 7-1 with a win over the Red Wings, and the six-win Ducks edged out the six-win Hurricanes. It’s a busy slate on Saturday with 22 teams taking the ice, including several more top contests, such as Colorado-Tampa Bay, Vegas-Pittsburgh, and of course Boston-Toronto. With so much action and many teams looking to keep their strong starts going, follow along with what could be a flurry of activity today:

  • After sending him to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs to get his first taste of pro competition, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they have recalled No. 3 overall pick Kirby Dach from his conditioning stint. Dach failed to record a point in three games with Rockford and it will be interesting to see where the Blackhawks go from here. The team can still give Dach nine games of NHL experience before burning the first year of his entry-level contract, so there is plenty of time before the team is forced into a tough decision. However, the early results of Dach’s pro career would seem to indicate that he is likely headed back to the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades this season.
  • The San Jose Sharks have shuffled their depth. After sending rookie forward Danil Yurtaykin back to the AHL Barracuda yesterday, CapFriendly reports that fellow rookie forward Lean Bergmann will follow him to the minors. In a combined ten games, Yurtaykin and Bergmann have recorded one lone point this season and the Sharks can’t afford that inefficient production in the midst of a poor start to the season. Noah Gregor has earned his first NHL recall in their place, having recorded three points in three games with the Barracuda after an 88-point WHL campaign last year. They hope Gregor, a fourth-round pick in 2016, can provide an offensive spark right away.
  • The Washington Capitals have reassigned rookie defenseman Martin Fehervary to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, the team announced. While Fehervary began the season in D.C. he had been demoted until recently, when he was recalled as a precaution while Jonas Siegenthaler dealt with injury concerns. Finally, with a healthy stable of their seven top defensemen, the Capitals have no room for Fehervary right now and would rather he play big minutes in Hershey. Fehervary, the team’s 2018 second-rounder, did not look out of place in the NHL level and will one day be there permanently, but he’s likely in for a full season in the minors this year barring more injuries to the Washington blue line.
  • Carolina Hurricanes prospect netminder Pyotr Kochetkov has been traded in the KHL. Kochetkov, 20, is coming off a dominant 2018-19 season that earned him a second-round selection in June as an overage player. The young Russian keeper was stellar at the World Junior Championship and in Russia’s second-tier VHL last year, as well as in his first two KHL appearances late in the campaign. However, taking on the primary backup role with powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg this season, Kotchetkov has struggled in six KHL games, posting a 2.66 GAA and .887 save percentage. He is still young to be facing this level of competition, especially in the offensively-inclined KHL, but SKA needed a more reliable backup as a top contender. As a result, the team pulled off a blockbuster trade with Vityaz Podolsk, sending Kochetkov as part of the package for the more established Alexander Samonov. Although he was the backup for Vityaz, Samonov has arguably been the best goalie in the KHL this year, nearly untouchable with a 0.88 GAA and .976 save percentage through seven appearances. He’ll provide more stability for SKA, while Podolsk is happy to be patient with one of the top goalie prospects in the league. Although a Hurricanes draft pick, if Kochetkov follows a typical Russian goalkeeper development path, he could remain with Vityaz for another three or four years.
  • With Joel Eriksson Ek injured, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that Gabriel Dumont will get the call for the Minnesota Wild. While Dumont may be a new name for Wild fans, the ten-year pro had been around for a while before signing in Minnesota this summer. With five points in five games for AHL Iowa, Dumont hopes to bring some offense with his experience as he joins the parent club. Russo notes that this is already the 28th player to grace the roster this season for the struggling Wild.
  • After Daniel Carr cleared waivers on Wednesday, the Nashville Predators opted to keep him on the NHL roster while they dealt with an injury to Filip Forsberg. The team announced this morning that Carr has now been sent down to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. In his place, the Predators have recalled both long-time depth forward Miikka Salomaki and the untested Yakov Trenin. Trenin, a 2015 second-round pick, is in his third pro season but has played exclusively with Milwaukee – until now. With a team-leading five points in three games for the Admirals, Trenin has finally earned his call-up and will be an intriguing name to watch if he sees action in Nashville.
  • With Jordan Oesterle dealing with a head injury after taking a shot to the back of the head on Thursday, the Coyotes will recall blueliner Aaron Ness from AHL Tucson, reports Craig Morgan of The Athletic.  The 29-year-old is in his first season with Arizona after having a strong season with Hershey a year ago, one that saw him put up 55 points.  That should help get him into some game action at some point during his recall.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have recalled center Sam Gagner from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, while assigning forward Gaetan Haas to Bakersfield. The 30-year-old Gagner was acquired at the trade deadline last year from Vancouver, and played 25 games last season with the Oilers, but didn’t make the team out of training camp this year and has been playing with the Condors this season. He has two goals and two assists in four games there so far. Haas signed with Edmonton in July this summer out of the NLA, but the 27-year-old has just one assist in five games. The Edmonton Journals’ Jim Matheson reports that Haas isn’t thrilled about spending weeks in the AHL and the scribe believes that Haas has an out-clause to return to the Europe if he stays there. The team was hoping for some more offense from their bottom-six players. The hope Gagner might be able to provide some of that offense. Through eight games so far this season, the team has gotten no goals from Riley Sheahan, Jujhar Khaira, Patrick Russell, Josh Archibald, Markus Granlund, Tomas Jurco and Haas as the team has received all its offense from their top-six.

Lukas Radil Questionable For Saturday

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • Sharks winger Lukas Radil is questionable for Saturday’s game due to an illness, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). If he’s unavailable and Marcus Sorensen is unable to return, San Jose will be down to 11 forwards on their roster and may have to reserve today’s assignment of Danil Yurtaykin to the minors.

Minor Transactions: 10/17/19

at CDT | by 1 Comment

All six home teams won last night in the NHL, including the high-flying Edmonton Oilers continuing their resurgence against the Philadelphia Flyers. Connor McDavid led the way with five points and put himself squarely in the conversation for a second consecutive first star of the week, while Mikko Koskinen made 49 saves as the Flyers poured on the pressure. The action continues tonight with nine more games on the schedule, including the first meeting of the top two 2019 draft picks. Jack Hughes is looking for his first NHL point while Kaapo Kakko and the New York Rangers will suit up for just the fourth time this season. As teams prepare, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The San Jose Sharks have returned Trevor Carrick to the minor leagues, something that we should get used to this season. Carrick seems to be the player GM Doug Wilson will flip back and forth to save cap room this season on off days (at least until Radim Simek is back to full health), as he’s already been involved in four transactions since the start of the month.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have sent Brian Gibbons back to the AHL after playing two games with the NHL club. Gibbons, 31, has spent plenty of time in the minor leagues over his career to this point but is a nice depth piece for Carolina to call on when they face injury up front.
  • Nelson Nogier has been recalled once again by the Winnipeg Jets, who take on the New York Islanders tonight. Winnipeg is off to a 4-4 start to the season despite massive changes to their defense corps, but will need even more from their group to compete for a Central Division playoff spot.

Pacific Notes: Hjalmarsson, Subban, Middleton

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Arizona Coyotes could be without one of their defensemen for a while as The Athletic’s Craig Morgan noted last night that Niklas Hjalmarsson left Pepsi Center last night on crutches. The 32-year-old blocked a shot last night from Erik Johnson against Colorado Saturday and was forced to leave the game. He only played 4:32.

Morgan reported that Hjalmarsson did not join the team on their flight to Winnipeg last night and while there is no word on the severity of the injury, he is expected to miss some time.

“At this point I’m not sure, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be day to day,” said head coach Rick Tocchet after the game Saturday. “That’s a big loss for us. Nik is a good defenseman.”

The team is expected to recall a defenseman to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman while Hjalmarsson is out. The scribe followed that report up that Kyle Capobianco, who was assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners Saturday, will be returning to the team.

  • Sinbin’s Steve Carp suggests that the Vegas Golden Knights could be in trouble in goal in the near future with the constant injury problems that backup Malcolm Subban has dealt with over his career in Vegas. Subban left after the first period Thursday against Arizona with a lower-body injury. The team brought Oscar Dansk up as an emergency recall, but the problem is 34-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury has received no rest so far this year, which could continue with the team likely hesitant to give Dansk a start. The team also has Garret Sparks in the AHL, who they can recall, but have not done so yet. However, with Subban unable to remain healthy, the team may have some issues to come down the road if they can’t get a solid goaltender to take a significant amount of playing time from an overworked Fleury.
  • San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer gave an update for defenseman Jacob Middleton, who has been out with an undisclosed injury, and is just one of a number of defensive injuries that has depleted the Sharks’ depth there so far this year. The blueliner is expected to miss between four to six weeks, according to Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka. The scribe writes that the team is more likely to get back veteran Dalton Prout sooner as he has already started skating again.

Pacific Notes: Marleau, Sorenson, Eakin, Crouse

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks lost a key piece of their core this offseason when veteran Joe Pavelski signed with the Dallas Stars. The Sharks were looking to bring in some of their young prospects to fill the gaps on their team. However, it didn’t take long for San Jose to realize that those pieces might not be ready yet.

The team rectified that issue when it went out and inked former Sharks’ veteran Patrick Marleau to a one-year deal. The veteran immediately made quite an impact, scoring two goals in his return to the franchise. However, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski writes that head coach Peter DeBoer felt that was a major need.

“One hundred percent. You’re not replacing Pav. But he’s definitely of that ilk,” said DeBoer, who said he had several conversations with general manager Doug Wilson after he was bought out by the Carolina Hurricanes this summer. “There was a commitment here to give the young guys an opportunity. The reality is sometimes it takes a bit longer.”

  • Sticking with the Sharks, Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News reports that forward Marcus Sorensen, who has been out for the past two games with an undisclosed injury after taking a collision into the boards, could be ready to return to the lineup on Sunday against the Flames. Sorensen scored 17 goals last season and could help the struggling Sharks get back into the win column. The scribe also reported that defenseman Tim Heed is also close to returning, but likely won’t be available Sunday.
  • Vegas Golden Knights have activated center Cody Eakin as the team expects to insert the veteran into their lineup tonight, according to Las Vegas Review Journal’s David Schoen. The team is expected to have him step onto the third line with youngster Cody Glass moving to the wing. Eakin had a career-year last year, scoring 22 goals and 41 points last year. The 28-year-old has been out with an undisclosed injury that he sustained during the preseason.
  • NHL.com’s Alex Kinkopf writes that Arizona Coyotes forward Lawson Crouse remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old forward is expected to play today against Colorado. Crouse finished last season with 11 goals, 25 points and 288 hits.

 

Jonny Brodzinski, Michael McCarron Placed On Waivers

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Thursday: Both players have cleared waivers. McCarron was immediately sent to the minor leagues.

Wednesday: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the San Jose Sharks have placed Jonny Brodzinski on waivers today and he’ll be joined by Montreal Canadiens forward Michael McCarron. The Sharks needed to make room for Patrick Marleau, who is coming in on a one-year deal, while McCarron must be healthy enough to get back into game action after starting the year on season-opening injured reserve.

Brodzinski, 26, was brought in on a one-year, two-way contract after he became a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer and allowed to compete for a job with the Sharks. He ended up landing one and played in the team’s last two games, but rarely saw the ice and is now likely headed for the minor leagues. Brodzinski has dominated the minor leagues throughout his young career, but can’t seem to find much opportunity at the NHL level. Through 56 career games, he has 11 points.

McCarron meanwhile has been down this road before with the Canadiens, as he cleared waivers at the end of the 2018 training camp as well. The 2013 first-round pick has suited up in 70 games for Montreal over the years, but has just eight points and has had a tough time even securing a fourth-line role. Standing 6’6″ he would provide the diminutive Canadiens group with some size down the middle if he could ever figure things out, but at 24 years old time is running out for McCarron to become an impact player.

San Jose Sharks Sign Patrick Marleau

at CDT | by 9 Comments

Wednesday: The team has officially filed the Marleau contract, meaning his iron man streak was not broken last night. Marleau was at practice today for the Sharks alongside Logan Couture and Timo Meier, indicating he’ll be asked to play a big role right from the start with the struggling club.

Tuesday: It was inevitable after all. Patrick Marleau has signed with the San Jose Sharks, returning after a two-year absence to the city where he spent most of his career. A deal was hinted at earlier today by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, who noted that several teams had recently reached out to the veteran forward. The deal will be a one-year contract that pays a league-minimum salary of $700K.

Marleau, 40, left the Sharks as an unrestricted free agent in 2017 to sign a lucrative three-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but didn’t finish it. Instead, after two seasons with in Toronto, Marleau was shipped off to the Carolina Hurricanes in order to facilitate a buyout of the final year of his contract. The Hurricanes were happy to eat the $6.25MM cap hit in exchange for a first-round pick, meaning Marleau could decide exactly where he wanted to play this season. There seemed to be an obvious fit in San Jose, but things didn’t materialize through the summer as the Sharks dealt with a cap crunch thanks to their hefty defensive contracts and restricted free agent deals.

Now, with the Sharks suffering multiple injuries (however minor) up front, the time was right for Marleau to rejoin his old squad. Originally selected second overall in 1997, Marleau jumped into the NHL right away and played 74 games with the team in 1997-98. That would turn out to be the fewest games of his career in a single non-lockout-shortened season, as he proved to be a pinnacle of health. In fact, Marleau has played in at least 81 games in 14 different seasons and hasn’t missed a single game in ten years.

Even though his iron man streak is something to behold, there are questions about how effective Marleau can be at this point in his career. His play dropped off last season for the Maple Leafs as he scored just 16 goals and 37 points—both the lowest totals he’s had in a full season since his rookie year—while even his previously elite skating ability seemed to slow somewhat. While Sharks’ teammate Joe Thornton still believes Marleau can skate well enough for the NHL, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be an effective option for the Sharks on a nightly basis.

Still, for a team like San Jose that has struggled out of the gate and is looking for reinforcements up front, you could do worse than a player who has scored 551 goals in his NHL career. Marleau currently sits fifth on the all-time games played list, and needs 77 to pass both Ron Francis and Jaromir Jagr. With 79 games left in the Sharks season it is certainly possible, especially for a player who hasn’t sat one out in a decade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Marcus Sorensen Listed As Day-To-Day

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Patrick Marleau Market “Heating Up”

at CDT | by 6 Comments

When the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Patrick Marleau to the Carolina Hurricanes who subsequently bought him out earlier this summer, it wasn’t expected to end his career. The 40-year old forward made it clear that he wanted to continue playing, but the season eventually started without a contract being signed. Marleau has continued to skate hoping something would come up however, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that things are “heating up” with regards to a potential offer. LeBrun reports that multiple teams including the San Jose Sharks have reached out to Marleau’s camp.

Any contract for Marleau now would obviously qualify as a 35+ deal, meaning it comes with certain restrictions and benefits. For one, it would mean that if the veteran forward retired at any point or was bought out, the entire cap hit would remain on the books. However it also allows a team to include performance bonuses in a one-year deal, something that could limit the risk involved with adding a player of his age after the season has already started.

For the Sharks, who are dealing with some injuries up front (Marcus Sorensen is now listed as day-to-day according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic), would have to send down or waive one of their other forwards in order to even bring Marleau on board, and it would need to be for a near-minimum salary in order to fit in under the cap ceiling. The team would have to worry about potential bonuses being carried over to next season, though obviously there are infinite ways to structure the contract at this point.

There has been a prevailing though that Marleau would prefer the end up on the west coast, but at this point perhaps other teams are reaching out to see if he’ll consider somewhere else. Former Sharks teammate Joe Thornton just this morning told Kurz that Marleau “should be playing somewhere,” indicating that his old friend can still skate well enough to be in the league. Marleau scored 16 goals and 37 points in 82 games with the Maple Leafs last season, and hasn’t missed a game due to injury since the 2008-09 season.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top