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Sharks Place Mackenzie Blackwood On Injured Reserve

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3:09 p.m.: Blackwood is expected to miss between seven and 15 days with the injury, Sharks coach David Quinn said Wednesday (via Max Miller of The Hockey News).

12:48 p.m.: Before tomorrow’s game against the Ducks, the Sharks placed goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Magnus Chrona was called up from AHL San Jose in a corresponding move to give starter Kaapo Kähkönen his backup for the next few games.

Blackwood will not be available for the Sharks’ weekend back-to-back against the Wild and Stars. He can be activated before Tuesday’s game against Dallas at the earliest, although it’s unclear how much time he’ll miss. He left yesterday’s loss to the Devils in the first period after catching a shot in the midsection from a New Jersey player (video link).

In his first season with the Sharks, Blackwood has posted a 9-18-3 record with one shutout over 32 starts and three relief appearances, recording a .899 SV%. It’s been a nice bounceback season for the 27-year-old, who signed a two-year, $4.7MM deal with the Sharks last summer after they acquired his signing rights from the Devils for a 2023 sixth-round pick.

The 2015 second-round pick has saved 2.6 goals above expected in all situations, per MoneyPuck, his first season in the black since he finished sixth in Calder voting with New Jersey in 2019-20. He’s done so while facing 34.5 shots per 60 minutes, the most of any starter in the league.

Despite starting eight fewer games, Kähkönen has put up slightly better numbers with a .901 SV% and 4.1 goals saved above expected in 28 appearances. Slated for UFA status this summer and carrying a reasonable $2.75MM cap hit, he could be on the move at the deadline as an attractive option for teams looking for more affordable goalie help. If Blackwood will miss extended time past his minimum seven-day IR stint, however, that could dissuade the Sharks from moving Kähkönen unless they can get an NHL-capable goalie to carry them down the stretch.

That’s because the 23-year-old Chrona has struggled in his limited NHL minutes this season, conceding eight goals on just 29 shots across one start and one relief appearance. While still a promising prospect, he’s not ready for the major-league level, and the Sharks would prefer to keep him in the AHL as much as possible.

Trade Deadline Primer: San Jose Sharks

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With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is now less than two weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the San Jose Sharks.

The San Jose Sharks are in the midst of a monstrously bad season. The year kicked off with an 11-game losing streak, which the Sharks have since topped with a 12-game losing streak in December. They’ve wrestled with the Chicago Blackhawks for dead-last in the league for most of the season, currently tied with 35 points, though San Jose has played in three fewer games. The franchise has trained their focus entirely on the future, eagerly anticipating their chance to draft local talent Macklin Celebrini in the 2024 NHL Draft. But the Trade Deadline offers an exciting appetizer before the draft, with San Jose offering some of the best value on the open market and likely in a position to take on any assets they’re offered. With the right aggression and a lucky market, San Jose could be poised to make foundational moves over the next few weeks.

Record

15-36-5, 8th in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Major Sellers

Deadline Cap Space

$11.38MM of cap space on deadline day, 2/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: SJS 1st, PIT 1st*, SJS 2nd, NJD 2nd**, VGK 4th, PIT 5th, SJS 7th, NJD 7th
2025: SJS 1st, SJS 2nd, SJS 3rd, SJS 4th, WPG 4th, SJS 6th, SJS 7th, WSH 7th

* 2024 pick is top-10 protected. Penguins will have the option to send their 2025 first-round pick if the pick ends up in the top-10.
** If the Devils make the 2024 Eastern Conference Final, they will send their 2024 first-round pick.

Trade Chips

San Jose has a nearly endless list of assets available at this deadline, offering value at every position and at every scale. They likely won’t find a blockbuster deal at forward, with both Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl carrying hefty cap hits and again dealing with injury, but the Sharks could make a splash by trading starting goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen, who carries a .905 save percentage despite San Jose’s losing season. Kahkonen has a modest $2.75MM cap hit and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, making any trade a short-term commitment for contending teams.

But really, there are likely not many names San Jose wouldn’t hear out offers on. Anthony Duclair and Mikael Granlund headline a long list of Sharks forwards that could be moved. Granlund has a pricey $5MM cap hit through the end of next season, but he’s proven to be a dynamic playmaker in San Jose, recording 25 assists and 32 points through 43 games this season. Duclair is a budget option, coming in at $2MM cheaper than Granlund, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this off-season. He has a measly 19 points in 51 games this season, but he scored 31 goals and 58 points in 74 games with the Florida Panthers two seasons ago, and could benefit from a livelier offense than San Jose’s. San Jose also offers admirable depth in Nico Sturm, Mike Hoffman, and Justin Bailey – all likely cheap options for teams that find a lineup fit.

There is also the matter of Mario Ferraro, who’s appeared in trade rumors every time they flare up, and for good reason. The 25-year-old defenseman has a great contract, boasting a $3.25MM cap hit through the end of the 2025-26 season, and has established himself as a strong defensive presence through San Jose’s woes. It’s always hard to place the right value on defensive stalwarts, but any trade for Ferraro comes with the added benefit of opening room for Shakir Mukhamadullin in the Sharks lineup, making any potential return easier to pallet.

Team Needs

1) Take What You Can Get – The Sharks have a great framework forming. Fabian Zetterlund and Filip Zadina are each finding their own groove, supporting William Eklund’s push of youth into San Jose’s forward group, and the team boasts strong prospects in Quentin Musty, William Smith, and Daniil Gushchin. That should be enough to let San Jose seek out as much value for their veteran forwards as they can find, confident that they find proper replacements. The Sharks only have six picks in the top two rounds of the 2024 and 2025 NHL Drafts, while the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks each have nine. San Jose is a step behind of their counterparts in the race for future capital but they have a chance to catch up this March. An ideal deadline will see Mike Grier’s phone constantly ringing, and players like Duclair, Granlund, Kahkonen, and Ferraro all moved out for modest draft capital at the least. Future capital is more valuable to the Sharks than veteran talents – and it will be better for the team to leave the Deadline with any semblance of the former, rather than too much of the latter.

2) Be Active Sellers – The market is too rich for San Jose to get bogged down with just negotiating their own pieces. Players like Kaapo Kakko, Arthur Kaliyev, and Philip Broberg have all been made available and could help the Sharks kickstart their lineup of the future. The Sharks could also try to go all-out by acquiring Trevor Zegras, who has reportedly been shopped around by the Anaheim Ducks. Zegras has everything a team would want in a young player. He’s in the first year of a bridge contract that carries a $5.75MM cap hit until the end of the 2025-26 season, giving any new team plenty of time to fit him into their lineup before they commit big dollars. And Zegras will certainly demand it at some point. The 22-year-old forward has scored 23 goals in each of the last two seasons, rounding them out with 61 points and 65 points respectively. He’s quickly proven effective in the NHL, capable of playing top-line minutes and serving as his team’s leading scorer. Zegras also entered the league as a winger but worked with the Ducks development staff to take on a center role, giving him flexibility that few young players have. There may not be a pricier player this Trade Deadline – but there also may not be a team more poised to pay big than the Sharks. San Jose doesn’t have the draft capital of some of their peers, but they have a deep prospect pool, strong lineup pieces, and plenty of cap space, giving them a chance to take something on in addition to offering a big return. Zegras is undoubtedly a longshot for any team this Deadline, but he headlines a long list of young players available this year – a list the Sharks should be eagerly engaged in.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sharks Not Shopping Mario Ferraro, No Extension Talks With Anthony Duclair

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  • Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro has been a speculative trade candidate. He’s not a typical rental player who moves at this time of year as he’s signed through 2025-26 at a reasonable $3.25MM price tag which would be appealing to several teams.  However, his agent Peter Wallen told San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng that GM Mike Grier informed him that Ferraro is not actively being shopped.  The 25-year-old is fifth in the NHL in blocked shots so far with 151 in 52 games.
  • Still with San Jose, winger Anthony Duclair told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that there have been no discussions about a possible extension with the Sharks. Duclair, who represents himself in negotiations, is a pending unrestricted free agent and it’s reasonable to infer that if a new contract isn’t in place by the March 8th trade deadline, he’d be a likely candidate to be traded.  Duclair is having a down year after putting up 31 goals with Florida last season as he has just 11 goals and eight assists in 59 games.

Marc-Édouard Vlasic Out Day To Day

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The 32-year-old sustained the injury in a Jan. 16 game against the Sharks and has been out of the lineup for over a month, missing Chicago’s last 14 games. The Moscow native had two goals, five assists, seven points, and a remarkable +2 rating on a bottom-feeder Blackhawks team in 26 games, although he averaged only 15:56 per contest.

  • Sharks veteran blue-liner Marc-Édouard Vlasic is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and could miss up to a week, head coach David Quinn said Saturday (via Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group). Vlasic sustained the injury in practice yesterday and will sit after playing in 14 straight games, his longest stretch of the season. It’s been a difficult campaign for the 36-year-old Sharks lifer, who was a frequent healthy scratch through November and December as his all-around game continues to decline. Once regarded as one of the top shutdown defenders in the league, Vlasic’s 41.3% Corsi share at even strength is second-worst among full-time Sharks defenders this year, only ahead of rookie Nikita Okhotyuk. He carries a $7MM cap hit through the 2025-26 season.

Sharks Assign Jacob MacDonald To AHL

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Feb. 21: MacDonald cleared waivers Wednesday, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The Sharks subsequently assigned him to the Barracuda, per a team announcement.

Feb. 20: The San Jose Sharks have placed defenseman Jacob MacDonald on waivers, per a report from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Not only will this mark MacDonald’s first waiver placement of the season, but also represents the first time the Sharks have attempted to move MacDonald down to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.

A versatile player for the Sharks, MacDonald will more than likely offer the same versatility to the Barracuda in the coming days as they stay committed in their playoff hunt. Over 22 games for the Sharks this year, MacDonald has scored six goals and seven points overall while averaging a touch over 12 minutes of ice time per game.

Even though he’s played in about half as many games as his peers on the roster, MacDonald sits tied for eighth on the team in total goals and tied for third on the team in powerplay goals. Due to the playing time he has been offered in San Jose, MacDonald has scored 13 points over 47 games with the Sharks, two more points than he achieved with the Colorado Avalanche, even with 27 more games played.

At the AHL level, MacDonald has produced at a solid rate, scoring 68 goals and 121 assists over 271 career games. If he does clear waivers, it will mark his first action in the AHL since the 2021-22 season, when he scored 10 goals and 25 points in 33 games for the Colorado Eagles.

Maple Leafs Believed To Have Interest In Mario Ferraro And Luke Kunin

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The Maple Leafs have shown interest in Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro and forward Luke Kunin, reports The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.  It’s believed that Toronto doesn’t want to part with a first-round pick for a rental but Ferraro has two years left on his contract at a $3.25MM cap charge while Kunin is controllable for one more year if he’s tendered a $3MM qualifying offer.  Ferraro is logging nearly 23 minutes a night on San Jose’s back end and would certainly give Toronto a boost in their top four while Kunin has struggled offensively, scoring just eight times in 50 games so far.  With Toronto’s interest, it’s worth noting that cap space is quite tight at the moment and as things stand, they can’t afford the full contract of one of those players let alone both.

Update On San Jose’s Deadline Plans

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In an article today from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, he indicates that the San Jose Sharks holding the status of a deadline seller could be a bit of an understatement. Pagnotta reports that San Jose General Manager Mike Grier has the phone lines open and is well-positioned to complete a full-on fire sale by March 8th.

Although some teams have reportedly been calling the Sharks in regards to Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, their contracts and injury status this season make a trade all the more unlikely. A bulk of San Jose’s movement should primarily come out of their second- and third-tier groups, such as Mario Ferraro, Anthony Duclair, Mikael Granlund, Mike Hoffman, Alexander Barabanov, Luke Kunin, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Kaapo Kahkonen, Kevin Labanc, and Jan Rutta.

Outside of a few, most of these players may not command a large return individually but could net the Sharks a nice return in the bigger picture. With the bonus of being able to retain the salary of at least one outgoing player, San Jose’s cupboard for prospects and draft picks could very well expand considerably in the next 20 days.

As far as what the Sharks may be looking for in a return, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now wrote today that the head coach of the team, David Quinn, is looking to add more size to the lineup. Depending on how aggressive the organization wants to be in realizing this desire from Quinn, there should be options available to them at the deadline.

Although an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, San Jose could look to poach defenseman Tyler Myers away from the Vancouver Canucks, who is tied for the tallest defenseman in the NHL this season. Unfortunately, Myers is the owner of a modified no-trade clause, and he may be unwilling to drop 30 spots in the standings for a change of scenery.

The available options certainly shrink on the offensive front, but there is one option that could entice the Sharks at this year’s deadline. Recently positioning themselves as a deadline buyer, the Detroit Red Wings could be willing to part with prospect Elmer Soderblom for the right return. Standing at the same height as Myers, the 22-year-old prospect has scored six goals and 19 points in 41 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.

Alexander Barabanov Healthy Scratched

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The Buffalo Sabres have loaned netminder Dustin Tokarski to the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League just a few days after recalling the 34-year-old. Tokarski was recalled and reassigned last week before being recalled again over the weekend due to an illness to Sabres backup Eric Comrie.

Tokarski backed up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s today in a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks and was nearly summoned to play as Luukkonen struggled stopping just 11 of 15 shots in the loss. Tokarski hasn’t played in an NHL game since February 18th, 2023, and is 7-7-2 with a .887 save percentage in 17 AHL games this season.

In other evening notes:

  • A day after sending forward Mark Jankowski to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, the Nashville Predators have recalled the 29-year-old. Jankowski has a goal in five games this season in the NHL but is currently third in AHL scoring with 15 goals and 32 assists in 40 games. He was named the AHL’s Player of the Month for January and will now re-join the Predators as they continue their five-game road trip tomorrow night in Vegas when they take on the Golden Knights.
  • The San Jose Sharks healthy scratched forward Alexander Barabanov today in their 4-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The 29-year-old has seen his name in trade rumors over the last few months despite struggling through a poor offensive season with just three goals and six assists in 34 games. Barabanov has put together a couple of solid offensive seasons in San Jose but hasn’t had the same quality of teammates this year which has led to poor offensive results. Barabanov is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but it doesn’t appear he was held out of action for a pending trade. Based on reports, it seems as though Barabanov was scratched for his defensive play in a previous game.

San Jose Sharks Activate Henry Thrun, Place Logan Couture On IR

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Missing the last six games due to a shoulder injury, San Jose Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun was officially activated off injury reserve by the team after he successfully took part in warm-ups before this afternoon’s game. In a corresponding move, the team has placed captain Logan Couture on injured reserve for the second time this season.

Not much of an offensive weapon on the blue line, Thrun has played adequately in his first full season with the Sharks. Only playing on a unit with veteran defenseman Jan Rutta, the two have combined for 2.19 Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes according to MoneyPuck, the second-best mark on the team.

Now activated off of injured reserve, Thrun joins eight more defensemen on the active roster for San Jose, a team that has had a difficult time maintaining any sort of health over the regular season. In a position to give multiple different players their first shot in the NHL, the team has awarded Thrun’s efforts with nearly 20 minutes of ice time per night.

On the opposite side of the transaction, Couture has been out of the lineup since January 31st after reaggravating the groin injury that prohibited him from playing in the first 45 games of the season. Being one of the few offensive talents on the Sharks’ roster, Couture was only able to manage one assist in six games upon his return.

Recovery Timeline For Hertl Still A Week Away

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  • It will still be another week or so before the Sharks learn exactly how long Tomas Hertl will be out for, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The 30-year-old has missed the last three weeks after undergoing surgery to remove cartilage from his left knee.  While it has been a particularly rough year for most players in San Jose, Hertl has fared relatively well this season, all things considered.  Despite missing six games, he still leads the Sharks in scoring with 34 points through 48 games.  Pashelka notes that there is optimism that Hertl will be able to return at some point before the regular season comes to an end in April but with San Jose so far out of playoff contention, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get shut down for the season altogether.

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