- Max Miller of The Hockey News is reporting that San Jose Sharks forward, Filip Zadina, is back on the ice for practice. It is unclear if he will be able to play in the team’s game tonight or Tuesday, as Miller points out the Sharks are looking for his return against his former team, the Detroit Red Wings. Zadina has been out of San Jose’s lineup for a little over a week with an upper-body injury.
- One player for San Jose who is likely making his return to the ice tonight is forward Alexander Barabanov (X Link). Having not played since late October, Barabanov has been on the injured reserve recovering from an injury to one of his fingers. Being one of the highest-scoring players on the Sharks roster last season, San Jose could certainly use his help, as they continue to struggle as a team on offense.
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Sharks Rumors
Sharks Place Nikolai Knyzhov On Waivers
The Sharks have made a roster move in advance of tomorrow’s game against the Rangers. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve placed defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov on waivers.
The 25-year-old has battled significant injury trouble in recent years. Two sports hernia surgeries, an adductor repair, and a bone infection cost him the entire 2021-22 campaign. Then, in August of 2022, Knyzhov tore his Achilles tendon doing off-ice training which kept him out of the lineup until March.
He returned to play a dozen games with San Jose down the stretch where he was limited to a third-pairing role. Nonetheless, GM Mike Grier saw fit to sign him to a two-year, $2.5MM contract extension that runs through the 2024-25 campaign.
This season, Knyzhov has been a regular on the Sharks roster but not in their lineup as he has suited up in just ten games so far. He has a single assist in those appearances along with 17 blocks and nine hits while averaging 17:39 per contest. With his contract and injury history, it’d be a bit surprising to see him get claimed but a demotion to the AHL’s Barracuda could be a good opportunity for him to see more regular action and play a bigger role as he looks to work his way toward becoming a full-time NHL regular as he was in the 2020-21 season.
Earlier today, Max Miller of The Hockey News relayed (Twitter link) that the Sharks placed Luke Kunin on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, opening a roster spot. Knyzhov’s removal from the roster tomorrow will create a second. With Alexander Barabanov and Jan Rutta believed to be close to a return, these moves appear to be the precursors to activating them off IR.
Barabanov And Rutta Close To Returning, Upper-Body Injury For Kunin
- The Sharks could soon welcome back a pair of veterans as head coach David Quinn told reporters including Max Miller of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that defenseman Jan Rutta and winger Alexander Barabanov are very close to returning and should play at some point on their six-game road trip. Rutta has missed the last week and a half with an undisclosed injury and has struggled in his first season with San Jose, notching just one point in 19 games with a 37.7 CF%. Barabanov, meanwhile, has been out since late October with a finger injury. After putting up 47 points last season, he was held off the scoresheet in his first six games this year.
- The news on the injury front wasn’t all good for the Sharks, however. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relays (Twitter link) that winger Luke Kunin is dealing with an upper-body injury, resulting in him missing tonight’s game against New Jersey. Kunin sits third on San Jose in goals this season with five, one behind co-leaders Fabian Zetterlund and Mike Hoffman.
Givani Smith Out Day-To-Day
- The Hockey News’ Max Miller relays word from San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn, who says forward Givani Smith will be a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Smith, 25, is dealing with a “mid-body injury” according to Quinn. A relentless, physical forward, the injury cost Smith most of yesterday’s game against the Boston Bruins. He has three points and 29 penalty minutes in 21 games this year.
Injury Notes: San Jose Sharks, Conor Sheary, Timothy Liljegren
San Jose Sharks winger Alexander Barabanov returned to the team’s practice for the first time since his October 24th finger injury. Barbanov did not take part in line rushes during the team skate, suggesting that he still isn’t ready to return just yet. The Sharks were also without top winger Tomas Hertl at the Thursday practice. Hertl has been out of action since November 25th with a mid-body injury.
The loss of the wingers is a hit to the Sharks forward group. Hertl substantially leads the team in points, scoring four goals and 16 points through his first 21 games. Fabian Zetterlund, who has nine points in 22 games, ranks second on the team in scoring – significantly behind Hertl. And while Barabanov has gone without a point through the six games he’s managed this season, he did record 15 goals and 47 points in 68 games last year – adding 20 penalty minutes and a -30. His point totals ranked fifth on the 2022-23 Sharks.
Other injury notes around the league:
- Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper shared that Conor Sheary is working closer to a return. Tampa is gearing up for a six-game road trip that begins in Nashville and then takes the team across the Northwest, beginning on December 7th. Cooper said that Sheary will likely play at some point on the road trip, albeit likely one of the later games.
- Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe shared that Timothy Liljegren has returned to on-ice activities but isn’t yet close to a return. Liljegren has been out since November 2nd with an ankle injury. The 24-year-old defenseman has appeared in 10 games this season, notching one assist and a -1. He totaled six goals and 18 points in 67 games last season.
Mid-Body Injury For Tomas Hertl
- Sharks center Tomas Hertl will miss tonight’s game due to what’s being termed a mid-body injury, relays Max Miller of The Hockey News. While many of San Jose’s players have struggled mightily this season, the 30-year-old has put up reasonable numbers, notching four goals and a dozen assists through 20 games. His injury paves the way for the recently-signed Justin Bailey to make his San Jose debut.
Sharks Sign Justin Bailey To NHL Deal, Place Filip Zadina On IR
The San Jose Sharks have announced that they’ve signed forward Justin Bailey to an NHL contract and placed forward Filip Zadina on the injured reserve. Bailey has signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Sharks with an NHL salary of $775K and a salary of $300K at the AHL level.
Bailey had a professional try-out with the Sharks this season, which he converted into an AHL contract with their affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. The 28-year-old dressed in 16 games in the AHL, posting six goals and five assists, which was good enough to lead the team in scoring. After signing his contract, Bailey was quickly recalled by the Sharks to replace the injured Zadina. Bailey has five goals and four assists in 82 NHL games with three different NHL teams.
The Sharks also announced today that Zadina has been placed on the IR. The former sixth-overall pick left the Sharks game on Friday night against the Montreal Canadiens and did not return. He reportedly was dealing with an upper-body injury and did not dress for San Jose’s game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Zadina signed a one-year deal with the Sharks in the offseason to ignite his NHL career after struggling through five seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. Thus far with San Jose, Zadina has been unable to find any traction, as he has just three goals and two assists in 20 games while posting a -19.
Injury Notes: Kraken, Sharks, Sebastian Aho
Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol shared that Brandon Tanev’s status for the team’s upcoming four-game road trip is still up in the air. Tanev is working back from a lower-body that had him expected to miss four-to-six weeks in mid-October. It’s been five weeks and it seems his status is progressing enough to earn a questionable tag.
Hakstol also shared that goaltender Philipp Grubauer will join the team on the road trip. Grubauer was placed on injured reserve in early November and activated off of it on November 18th. He played in two games after being activated but then suffered an undisclosed injury that held him out of the team’s last two games. If Grubauer slots in for the road trip, fans can expect Chris Driedger to be reassigned to the AHL.
The early season injury has held Tanev out of all but eight games this season. He managed two goals in those games, also recording nine penalty minutes and a -3. He scored 35 points in 82 games with Seattle last season. Grubauer has played in 12 games this year, setting a .885 save percentage and 3.36 goals-against-average. Both metrics are a step down from his totals last season when he recorded a .895 save percentage and 2.85 GAA in 39 games.
More injury news from around the league:
- The San Jose Sharks have announced that forward Filip Zadina is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Zadina left the team’s Friday night game against the Montreal Canadiens and is out of their Saturday game. The Sharks also shared that Jan Rutta and Alexander Barabanov have returned to practice. Both players have been working back from upper-body injuries.
- The New York Islanders have shared that defenseman Sebastian Aho has suffered an upper-body injury and is out indefinitely. The defender left the team’s Friday night game early on. He has played in 19 games this season, scoring four points and recording six penalty minutes.
Zadina Leaves Game With Undisclosed Injury
During tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, Max Miller of The Hockey News reported that San Jose Sharks’ forward, Filip Zadina, will not return to the game tonight. The injury sustained by Zadina is undisclosed at this time, but the forward did leave partway through the second period of the game after playing in just over four minutes.
Signing a one-year, $1.1MM contract with the Sharks over the summer, Zadina did not officially become a free agent until July 7th, after being placed on unconditional waivers by the Detroit Red Wings for the purpose of eliminating the final two years and $3.65MM left on his previous contract. After being drafted 6th overall by the Red Wings in the 2018 NHL Draft, Detroit had tried and failed for several years to unlock his offensive potential.
Now with access to much more playing time, Zadina is actually off to a better offensive start than he was last season, scoring three goals and two assists in the first 19 games of the season. With a limited amount of talent on San Jose’s roster, Zadina has also been used on a subpar Sharks powerplay as well.
Sharks’ Jan Rutta Placed On IR, Matt Benning Activated
Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now is reporting that San Jose Sharks defenseman Jan Rutta has been placed on the injured reserve while fellow defenseman Matt Benning has been activated off IR. Rutta left the second period of the Sharks game Wednesday night against the Seattle Kraken with an undisclosed injury and did not return. Very little is known about Rutta’s ailment at this time, but the 33-year-old did miss nearly a third of last season due to injury when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Rutta underwent core muscle surgery in the offseason before he was eventually dealt to the Sharks in August as part of the package that the Penguins put together to acquire reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. In 19 games this season with the Sharks, Rutta has posted a single assist, 36 blocks, 10 hits and a -11 rating.
In Rutta’s absence there is the possibility that Marc-Edouard Vlasic might make his way back into the Sharks lineup. The four-time all-star hasn’t played since November 14th and has no points in 13 games this season.
There is also the possibility that Benning could take Rutta’s spot as he is now available after being activated off IR today. Benning has dressed in eight games this season for the Sharks and has registered seven hits and 18 blocks while posting a single assist.