- Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic took to the ice today as he continues to try to work his way back from a back injury, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). The 37-year-old has yet to play this season because of the injury, one that he was hoping he’d only miss a few weeks with originally. Vlasic’s playing time has dropped to that of a third-pairing player in recent years after being an anchor of their defense corps for more than a decade. He still has one year left on his contract after this one at a $7MM AAV.
Sharks Rumors
Snapshots: Guentzel, Holmstrom, Chernyshov, Bains
It’s one of the busiest nights of the hockey year. Unlike in years past, the Winter Classic is no longer a standalone event. The NHL has 12 other games on the docket, all backlit by Team Canada taking on Team USA in an exhilarating World Junior Championships tournament. The heap of action has pulled together sparked plenty of news from around the league.
Most notably, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Jake Guentzel returned to the team’s practices in a no-contact jersey on Tuesday, per NHL.com’s Eduardo A Encina. It was his first time skating since suffering an upper-body injury in the team’s Saturday game. He was designated as day-to-day, and missed his first game of the season on Sunday. Tampa Bay have until Thursday to prepare for a three-game slate this weekend. Guentzel’s return to the ice could be an indication that the Bolts will be getting another star scorer to support the effort.
Guentzel has been fantastic in his first season in Tampa Bay. He’s recorded 20 goals and 37 points through 33 games this season. That equals out to a 1.12 points-per-game scoring pace, which stands as the highest of Guentzel’s nine-year career and puts him on pace for 50 goals and 91 points across 81 games. He’ll need to return soon to uphold those numbers, and continue contributing to a Lightning top-six with three players outscoring him.
Across the Eastern Division, the New York Islanders have lost forward Simon Holmström to an upper-body injury. He has been designated as day-to-day, per a team announcement, and missed his first game of the season on Tuesday. Holmstrom has been a rare bright spot in the Islanders lineup, posting nine goals and 22 points across 37 games so far. He’s nearly past his career-high of 25 points set in 75 games last season, and has slowly climbed the Islanders lineup as a result. The Islanders scored just one goal in his absence on Tuesday, pulling their record to 4-6-0 in their last 10 games. All four of those wins required four-or-more goals, meaning New York now faces the challenge of maintaining their offense without one of their top scorers.
Traveling to the other coast – San Jose Sharks prospect Igor Chernyshov has shared that he hopes to return to game action in January, per Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News. Chernyshov – the fisrt pick of the second round in last year’s draft – has been skating with Sharks staff to support his recovery. He was a top prospect in last year’s class, with many even dubbing him a first-round talent. But a shoulder surgery in August has so far held him out of all 2024-25 action. He is expected to head to the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit when he returns to full health.
Finally, Vancouver Canucks winger Arshdeep Bains has changed agents, now represented by Wasserman’s Darren Hermiston per PuckPedia. Bains is in the final year of his entry-level contract. He began the year in the minor leagues, but was the clear top option on Vancouver’s call-up chart. He’s already been recalled seven times this season, resulting in Bains stepping into 11 NHL games. Unfortunately, he hasn’t done much to make the call-ups stick – with just one assist and a -4. He’s been much more active in the minors, recording 11 points, 20 penalty minutes, and a -5 in 12 games. Bains ranked second on the Abbotsford Canucks in scoring last season with 55 points in 59 games. His change of representation months before a new deal could be a step towards fighting for a hardier chance at the top flight.
Sharks Place William Eklund On IR, Recall Collin Graf
The San Jose Sharks are getting some much-needed forward depth before their game tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. The organization announced they recalled Collin Graf from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, and placed forward William Eklund on injured reserve to open up the roster spot.
There are no surprises with Eklund’s placement on the injured reserve. It’s been known for over a week that he would miss a few games with an upper-body injury making his transaction a formality. He’s eligible to return any day now considering the move was retroactive to December 23rd.
Still, he’s an important piece missing from the lineup. He’s still dealing with some growing pains at the NHL level but has been productive this season with seven goals and 20 assists in 36 games. He’s tied with Macklin Celebrini for second on the team in scoring despite being drafted only four years ago.
Graf doesn’t carry the same prospect pedigree as Eklund but has been an electric factory for the Barracuda this season. He’s scored six goals and 26 points in 29 games in his first full season with AHL San Jose good for second on the team in scoring.
The call-up should be a good opportunity for Graf to prove his long-term worth in the NHL. Should he continue his pace in the AHL, he’ll likely become a consistent player on the Sharks after their expected trade deadline activity.
Fractured Cheek For Vanecek, Listed As Week-To-Week
- Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky provided an update on injured goaltender Vitek Vanecek. He told reporters including Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link) that the upper-body injury the netminder is dealing with is a fractured cheek. He’s now listed as out week-to-week. Vanecek has a 3.84 GAA and a .885 SV% in 14 outings this season and could be a possible trade candidate for a team looking for extra goaltending depth when he’s cleared to return as he’s in the final year of his contract.
Sharks Notes: Kostin, Vanecek, Eklund, Walman
The San Jose Sharks have activated forward Klim Kostin from the injured reserve. Kostin has missed the Sharks past five games with an upper-body injury but isn’t likely to play tonight and will serve as a healthy scratch. Kostin has had several stretches this season where he has served as a healthy scratch due to poor play, including a stretch of three weeks in November. The former first-round pick was solid as a depth scoring option in Edmonton during the 2022-23 season but has just a goal and three assists in 20 games this year.
In other Sharks notes:
- The Sharks have placed goaltender Vitek Vanecek on the injured reserve. The 28-year-old hasn’t played in almost two weeks and can be activated whenever he is healthy enough to play again. It’s been a struggle this season for Vanecek as he’s posted a 3-8-1 record with a .885 save percentage and a 3.84 goals-against average. Vanecek was acquired from the New Jersey Devils back in March and is in the final season of a three-year $10.2MM contract.
- Sharks forward William Eklund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). The 22-year-old took a nasty hit from Tyler Myers in the first period of Monday night’s game against Vancouver and missed the second and third periods. The Sharks don’t appear overly concerned at the moment and are monitoring Eklund’s recovery. The former seventh overall pick in 2021 has been sloppy with the puck at times this season, but his play-driving abilities and offensive instincts have been on full display. In 36 games this season Eklund has posted seven goals and 20 assists.
- Finally, Sharks defenseman Jake Walman is also out day-to-day with a lower-body injury (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). Walman suffered an apparent injury at some point in Saturday’s game against Edmonton and will miss his second consecutive game this evening. The 28-year-old has already set a career-high in points this season with 25 (five goals and 20 assists) in just 31 games.
Sharks Expected To Begin Extension Talks With Mikael Granlund In January
When Mikael Granlund took a two-year, $10MM deal with San Jose in 2023, the thought was that he’d try to use the opportunity to play a prominent role and turn it into a more lucrative contract down the road. With how things have gone for him so far, he may have made the right choice.
It appears that we may soon see what type of bigger deal the veteran could earn. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period recently reported (video link) that San Jose and Granlund’s camp are expected to begin discussions about a possible contract extension next month.
Last season, the 32-year-old led the Sharks in points, tallying 12 goals and 48 assists despite only playing in 69 of 82 games. Granlund was the team leader in ice time among forwards, logging a career-best 20:58 per night which certainly helped contribute to the uptick in production. But with San Jose adding Macklin Celebrini and William Smith to their group of middlemen for this season, many assumed Granlund would have a smaller role.
That hasn’t been the case, however. Granlund’s ice time has actually ticked up slightly this season and he’s already just one goal shy of equaling his output from last season while chipping in with 22 assists. As a result, he’s once again the team leader in scoring with 33 points, six ahead of William Eklund. Clearly, there’s room for Granlund to still play a prominent role beyond this season.
But how much would an extension cost? While Granlund has a history of up-and-down production which hurts his market value, it’s fair to say he has earned a fair-size raise if he’s going to remain in this type of role. Numbers-wise, he could push for more than $6MM on another multi-year agreement.
There are two other factors to consider here, however. First, Sharks GM Mike Grier needs to weigh the value of re-signing him against the potential trade value he’d carry by the March 7th trade deadline. While San Jose doesn’t have any salary retention slots remaining, Granlund would be one of the top middlemen available and should land them a quality return. Is it worth not getting that return to keep him in the fold?
The other factor is Granlund’s role. With the Sharks, he’s a number one center. That isn’t going to be the case on many other teams who would view him as a second or even a third option. Accordingly, their offers in free agency are likely going to reflect that. With that in mind, it stands to reason that the richest offer he’s going to receive is from the Sharks. Does he go that way and remain with a rebuilding team or consider taking less to play in more of a winning environment?
With talks expected to start in a few weeks, Granlund still has ample time to ponder the answer to that question but with the Sharks fully knowing that he’s one of their top trade chips if a deal can’t be reached, they’re probably going to want an answer sooner rather than later.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.
Warsofsky: More Info On Vanecek Expected Soon
- Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (subscription link) that they expect to have more information on the path forward for goaltender Vitek Vanecek in the next day or two. The netminder was hit by a puck on the bench on Tuesday and was listed as week-to-week. He has since seen a specialist so further clarity on how much longer he’ll be out should be coming soon. Vanecek, a pending unrestricted free agent, has a 3.84 GAA and a .885 SV% in 14 appearances this season.
Mackenzie Blackwood Was Open To Extension With Sharks Prior To Trade
Netminder Mackenzie Blackwood is thriving early on in Colorado after the Avalanche acquired him from the Sharks earlier this month. But before the deal, the pending unrestricted free agent was open to inking an extension to stick around in the Bay Area, he told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now before yesterday’s 4-2 win.
The Sharks didn’t have a similar level of interest, but even with how well Blackwood had played to begin the season, it’s justifiable. San Jose is in no position to make a long-term commitment to a starting or even high-end tandem option between the pipes, with Yaroslav Askarov on the cusp of full-time duties. Both their other veteran options, Vítek Vaněček and short-term Blackwood replacement Alexandar Georgiev, are also due to test the UFA market next summer and shouldn’t be considered likely extension candidates.
But it’s also easy to see why Blackwood would have been comfortable sticking around, even on a rebuilding Sharks squad. San Jose is where the 28-year-old reestablished himself as a legitimate NHL option, a status that was in doubt at the end of his time as a New Jersey Devil. Blackwood, a second-rounder by the Devils in 2015, had allowed 17 goals above average across his final two seasons in New Jersey before they opted to trade his signing rights to the Sharks in the 2023 offseason for a sixth-round pick.
Blackwood landed a two-year, $4.7MM prove-it deal with San Jose. While his overall numbers weren’t pretty at first glance last year, they were strong considering the league-worst Sharks defense he played behind. He posted a .899 SV% and 3.45 GAA in 44 appearances, his highest workload in four years, while saving 2.4 goals above expected.
He took a step forward before the trade in 2024-25, posting a 6-9-3 record with a .909 SV% and 3.00 GAA in 17 starts and two relief appearances. In three starts with the Avs since the trade, he’s allowed only six goals on 97 shots for a .938 SV% and has a 2-1-0 record.
While there will be some regression in his numbers with Colorado, he’s re-positioned himself as a legitimate tandem option who can handle a 30-45 start workload with slightly above-average play. His 5.8 goals saved above expected across both teams ranks 15th in the league this season, per MoneyPuck. There’s likely an argument for his $2.35MM AAV to jump to the $4MM or even $5MM range next season, whether on the open market or on an extension with the Avalanche, who don’t have an up-and-comer on the cusp of handling NHL minutes after trading Justus Annunen to the Predators.
Sharks Begin Extension Talks With Fabian Zetterlund
The San Jose Sharks have reportedly begun talking about a contract extension with pending free agent forward Fabian Zetterlund (as per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now). Peng describes the trade talks as “Casual” which likely means the two sides are in the early stages of negotiating.
The 25-year-old is in the final year of a two-year contract that carries a cap hit of $1.45MM and has been one of the better values in the NHL this season. Zetterlund is in his second full season with the Sharks after coming over in the Timo Meier trade from the New Jersey Devils at the 2023 Trade Deadline. He was originally drafted by the Devils in the third round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and spent parts of two seasons in New Jersey before being sent West.
In his first full season with San Jose, Zetterlund was very productive offensively, tallying 24 goals and 20 assists in 82 games. His plus/minus was ugly at -34, however, that number was certainly magnified because he was playing for a team with a goal differential of -146.
This season, Zetterlund has picked up where he left off, registering 12 goals and 11 assists in his first 35 games, however, his plus/minus is a solid +6, which is more in line with a player that has a defense first skillset.
On the surface, the Zetterlund contract doesn’t look like a difficult one to make happen. However, San Jose has to consider how they will allocate salary cap space as their young stars approach their second contracts as well as how they can mix in high priced veterans to their salary cap structure.
Either way, Zetterlund should do well on his next contract and it will be interesting to see what type of term San Jose offers the Karlstad, Sweden native.
Sharks Recall Yaroslav Askarov, Vitek Vanecek Week-To-Week
3:00 PM: Goaltender Vanecek has been designated to miss, “a couple of weeks” per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
1:00 PM: The San Jose Sharks have once again called up top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov from the minor leagues. Askarov will fill in for Vitek Vanecek on the depth chart after Vanecek was injured by a puck shot into the bench in San Jose’s Monday loss to Winnipeg. No update has been provided on Vanecek’s long-term outlook, though Askarov’s call-up suggests he’ll miss at least a few games.
Askarov returns to the NHL just three weeks after being assigned to the minor leagues on November 26th. That roster move came soon after Askarov’s first start of the season, in which he gave the opposing St. Louis Blues a free goal just seconds into the game after misplaying a loose puck. His assignment to the minors came with a clear message from head coach Ryan Warsofsky, and it’s one Askarov heard clearly. He’s been lights out on his latest AHL stint, setting a 5-1-2 record, one shutout, and a .934 save percentage in eight appearances. The dazzling numbers have launched Askarov up the AHL leaderboards, with his .938 in 14 games this season ranked second in the league and his 2.00 goals-against-average ranked third. Only Calgary Flames prospect Devin Cooley has posted a better statistical profile this season.
Askarov’s chance of starting on this recall will largely depend on Vanecek’s prognosis. The 22-year-old Russian has certainly shown an ability to perform at the top level – posting a .927 Sv% in two games with the Sharks this season – but needed to iron out some inconsistencies first. He’s seemed to do just that, but now faces new competition in the form of recently-acquired Alexandar Georgiev. Acquired in a swap for Mackenzie Blackwood, Georgiev has started both of his first two games with the Sharks – though he’s allowed seven goals on 53 shots, good for a .868 Sv%. Still, he’s a tenured veteran trying to find his footing in a new scene. That could be enough for San Jose to relegate Askarov to the backup role, though an extended absence from Vanecek could give the top prospect enough space to prove he belongs.