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Zadina Leaves Game With Undisclosed Injury

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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.

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Sharks’ Jan Rutta Placed On IR, Matt Benning Activated

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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.

Kevin Labanc Out With Upper-Body Injury

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1:26 PM: Further reporting from Max Miller of The Hockey News suggests that Labanc is actually out with an upper-body injury as a result of the slew foot from Vancouver Canucks’s Nils Hoglander the other night.

12:49 PM: San Jose Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka is reporting that San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Labanc will be a healthy scratch tonight meaning that the Sharks will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen when they take on the Seattle Kraken. Labanc has struggled this year and has just two assists in the first 13 games of the season.

Labanc is in the final year of a four-year $18.9MM contract he signed in October 2020. At the time, the contract seemed like a gamble on a player who was 24 years old, but coming off a season in which he was -33. Now granted, Labanc was just a year removed from posting 56 points in 82 games in 2018-19, but his production had steeply declined in 2019-20 to the tune of just 14 goals and 19 assists in 70 games. The decline in offense didn’t stop the Sharks from offering the Brooklyn, New York native a lucrative extension, which Labanc promptly signed. Unfortunately for San Jose, Labanc’s 33-point season turned out to be a sign of things to come for his offensive ceiling going forward.

After another 33-point season in 2022-23, the Sharks were hopeful that Labanc could regain his 56-point form and become a trade chip at the trade deadline. However, given Labanc’s start to the season, it doesn’t appear that he will be in demand this season. Labanc was nearly waived earlier in the season, and it appeared that the Sharks would send him to the AHL to bury $1.15MM of his $4.725MM hit in the minors. The team reversed course and opted to keep him with the NHL club.

It will be interesting to see what the Sharks do with Labanc for the rest of the season, they could retain half his salary in a trade, but it would represent the final contract the Sharks could retain, and it would handcuff them for the rest of this season until Labanc’s contract expires. The Sharks have already retained salary on both Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns and would likely need to do the same to move on from any of their other veterans under contract.

Eetu Makiniemi Recalled To Barracuda

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  • The Sharks have promoted goalie Eetu Makiniemi back to the AHL level, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 24-year-old was sent down last week to get some playing time as he has just one AHL appearance under his belt so far.  However, he didn’t fare particularly well in his two games with ECHL Wichita, allowing nine goals on 72 shots.  Makiniemi, who got into two games with the Sharks last season, is in the final season of his entry-level contract.

Matt Benning Nearing Return, Could Play Wednesday

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  • After getting Jacob MacDonald back in the fold earlier today, another injured Sharks veteran is on the precipice of a return to the lineup. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports defenseman Matt Benning could come off IR before Wednesday’s game against the Kraken. Benning will miss his ninth straight contest tonight against Vancouver with an undisclosed injury. The 29-year-old has played in eight games this season, recording an assist and a -6 rating in 18:29 of average ice time.

Sharks To Activate Jacob MacDonald From IR

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The Sharks will activate defenseman-turned-forward Jacob MacDonald off injured reserve before today’s game against the Canucks, head coach David Quinn told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News.

MacDonald, 30, has missed the last five games with an undisclosed injury and has not played since the Sharks’ back-to-back ten-goal concessions against the Canucks and Penguins earlier this month. Those are his only two appearances this season, posting a goal, an assist and a -5 rating.

The Oregon-born journeyman will slot in on the fourth line alongside a pair of similarly seasoned veterans, Ryan Carpenter and Givani Smith. MacDonald, in the second season of a two-year, $1.525MM contract, came to the Bay Area via trade from the Avalanche last season. He appeared in 25 contests for the Sharks after the trade in 2022-23, notching a goal, five assists, and a -11 rating.

An undrafted free agent signed by the Panthers back in 2018, MacDonald played three full pro seasons in the AHL and ECHL after graduating from Cornell University before finally earning an NHL deal. Since then, he’s played in 103 games, including a career-high 58 split between the Sharks and Avalanche last year.

Standing at 6 feet and over 200 pounds, MacDonald will likely remain on the roster for the time being as a solid supplementary veteran presence. He will need waivers to head to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda if the team chooses to demote him to the minors, where he hasn’t played since 2021-22.

Sharks Notes: Gushchin, Lindblom, Benning, MacDonald

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When the Sharks returned high-ceiling winger prospect Daniil Gushchin to the minors yesterday, most thought he would be back up quickly after getting some playing time over the weekend. However, head coach David Quinn told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now that Gushchin’s demotion is of a more permanent nature.

Gushchin, 21, was the 76th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Quinn called the second of two games on Gushchin’s recent call-up “a little bit of a hard game for him” and thought he got “overwhelmed defensively.” While he would likely provide a bit more offensive punch than many currently on the Sharks’ roster, the organization obviously believes in playing the long game with Gushchin and thinks dominating the AHL, where he has 13 points in 11 games with the San Jose Barracuda, is better for his development at this stage.

Elsewhere around the Sharks conversation today:

  • Also, speaking to Peng earlier today, Quinn said forward Oskar Lindblom’s recovery timeline from his lower-body injury is week-to-week. Lindblom landed on IR five days ago after a recent call-up, playing just one game before sustaining the injury – which prompted Gushchin’s initial recall. The former Flyers winger, who recovered from a diagnosis of Ewing’s sarcoma in 2020, did not get on the scoresheet in his lone appearance and has just two points in eight games with the Barracuda this season.
  • Quinn also confirmed that a pair of injured Sharks defenders, Matt Benning and Jacob MacDonald, are close to returning to the lineup and will likely travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. The veteran pair have played just a combined ten games this season and are likely to return within the next week, while the Sharks have two games against more northern Pacific Division neighbors. MacDonald has taken line rushes as a forward in his return to practice with the team and will likely suit up in a fourth-line role when he does play, while Benning, in the second season of a four-year deal, could be slated for a top-four role on a very fluid Sharks backend. No corresponding moves will need to be made to activate them while center Nico Sturm, who carries a non-roster designation while on personal leave, is away from the team.

Sharks Assign Daniil Gushchin To AHL, Nico Sturm Takes Leave Of Absence

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Sharks winger Daniil Gushchin is headed back to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, per Max Miller of The Hockey News. Miller says this is not a permanent return to the minors for the promising youngster but rather a paper move to get him playing time with the Barracuda over the weekend. The Sharks do not return to action until Monday against the Canucks, by which time he’ll likely be back on the NHL roster.

The Sharks also announced that center Nico Sturm has taken a leave of absence to attend to a family matter and will miss the team’s next two games, meaning he’ll be away from the team for at least a week. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports the league granted a Sharks request for Sturm to occupy non-roster status while he’s away from the team, meaning he will not use a spot on the 23-man roster until he’s returned.

Gushchin has played in the Sharks’ last two games after a recall on Monday, recording an assist and an even plus-minus rating while playing top-six minutes. The 21-year-old hasn’t looked out of place and is off to an impressive start in 2023-24, racking up four goals and 13 points through 11 contests with the Barracuda.

It’s a promising trajectory for the 2020 third-round pick, who’s putting up quite good numbers at a young age and appears well on his way to an eventual top-nine role in the Bay Area. The 5-foot-10, 181-pound winger makes up for his lack of size with dogged effort and good puckhandling skills, as evidenced by his 45 points in 67 games during his rookie season with the Barracuda last year. That was good enough for second on the team, as were his 22 goals.

The Sharks have won three out of their last six outings, none more impressive than their 5-1 victory over the Blues last night. With confidence building in the room, the team likely feels less of a need to shelter their young players from blowout losses and could be more willing to give players like Gushchin some more runway at the NHL level.

Like many other Sharks, Sturm is off to a disappointing start this season, recording just two assists in 17 games while averaging nearly 15 minutes per contest. The 28-year-old German pivot is in the second season of a three-year, $6MM deal signed with the Sharks in free agency in 2022. He posted a career-high 14 goals and 26 points in 74 games last season and has been a decent defensive presence in the bottom six since gaining a full-time NHL role in 2020 with the Wild.

With a roster spot open for a recall in Sturm’s absence, someone like 21-year-old Thomas Bordeleau or 24-year-old Jacob Peterson could get a look with the Sharks early next week. They’ve played six games each this season but remain assigned to the Barracuda, where they’ve each put up solid offensive numbers.

Sharks Recall Daniil Gushchin, Place Oskar Lindblom On IR

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4:48 PM: In a clarification report, Sheng Peng of NBC Sports has relayed that Lindblom has in fact been placed on the injured reserve, rather than being sent down to the Barracuda.

2:02 PM: The San Jose Sharks recalled forward prospect Daniil Gushchin from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on Monday, per a team release. Forward Oskar Lindblom was returned to the Barracuda. in a corresponding transaction.

Gushchin hasn’t been the subject of much public discussion, but he’s seen his stock rise significantly since the Sharks selected him in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He’s off to a great start in the minors this season, leading the Barracuda in scoring with four goals, nine assists and 13 points in 11 games.

The 21-year-old right winger was a prolific scorer in junior hockey, leading the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks and the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs in scoring in his first two post-draft seasons. While he’s got a great shot, he also possesses the talents to develop into a proficient two-way winger, with Elite Prospects calling him a “tenacious back checker who often almost functions as a third defenseman in transition at times.”

Gushchin did not look out of place in a two-game call-up at the end of last season. Skating on a line with Tomáš Hertl and Jacob Peterson, he averaged 15:55 per game and notched his first two NHL points, a goal and an assist.

He was active in getting pucks toward the net during his stint, too, averaging four shots on goal and six shot attempts per game. The Sharks’ next game is on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers, during which he could make his 2023-24 NHL season debut.

Meanwhile, Lindblom returns to the minors after a five-day recall. He was on the Sharks’ active roster for their last three games but only played once, recording no shots and a -1 rating in 11:56 of action against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. The 27-year-old cleared waivers preseason after failing to make the team out of camp and recording just six goals in 73 games last season.

In the second year of a two-year deal earning him $2.5MM per season, it is still a remarkable comeback story for Lindblom, who’s still managed to leverage a solid pro career after missing most of the 2020 calendar year while undergoing treatment for Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of bone cancer. In eight games with the Barracuda this season, Lindblom has a goal, assist and -6 rating.

While buried in the minors, $1.35MM of Lindblom’s $2.5MM cap hit still counts against the team’s salary cap. With defenseman Radim Simek also counting $1.1MM against the cap while buried in the minors, the Sharks are currently hit with a $2.45MM penalty for buried players.

Two Setbacks For Couture, Not Close To Returning

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Originally, Sharks captain Logan Couture wasn’t supposed to miss much time due to his lower-body injury.  However, he still has yet to play this season with Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relaying that the middleman hasn’t just suffered one setback in his recovery but rather two separate ones last month.  GM Mike Grier added that they’re not in a position at this point to say if he’ll be back in a month or two, only that it’s something he’s not able to play through.  San Jose could certainly use Couture’s offensive skills – he’s coming off a 67-point showing last season – but clearly, he won’t be making his season debut anytime soon.

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