Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Sharks Rumors

San Jose Sharks Activate James Reimer, Reassign Eetu Mäkiniemi

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks have activated goaltender James Reimer from injured reserve and reassigned Eetu Mäkiniemi to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda; the team announced Monday evening.

Reimer landed on injured reserve back on November 28 after playing through a lower-body injury. The injury caused him to miss eight games, dating back to a pre-Thanksgiving contest against the Seattle Kraken on November 23.

A free agent acquisition a year and a half ago, Reimer’s numbers flattened out after a strong October. Still, his .903 save percentage and 3.00 goals-against average are much better than his counterpart Kaapo Kähkönen, and he’ll undoubtedly return to the starter’s role now that he’s healthy.

Mäkiniemi got into two games during his callup, the first of his NHL career. Acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes this past offseason in the Brent Burns trade, the 2017 fourth-round pick got the win in his only start against the Anaheim Ducks on December 9, making 23 saves on 24 shots. With a strong AHL track record so far (.920 save percentage across the last year and a half), expect Mäkiniemi to continue to get callups when injuries strike and even potentially unseat Kähkönen if his poor play continues.

Evgeny Svechnikov, Dominic Toninato Clear Waivers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Dec 7: Both players have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Dec 6: Two more forwards have hit waivers today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Evgeny Svechnikov of the San Jose Sharks and Dominic Toninato of the Winnipeg Jets are available for claim.

The former’s placement is especially curious, given the Sharks just placed Matt Nieto on injured reserve today, recalling C.J. Suess to take his place. Svechnikov played a season-high 16:26 in the team’s most recent game, and has six points in 20 appearances this year. The older brother of Carolina Hurricanes star Andrei Svechnikov, the 26-year-old finally saw regular NHL action last season, playing in 72 games with the Winnipeg Jets and scoring 19 points.

Toninato, meanwhile, cleared waivers in October, but has spent enough time on the active roster to need it again if the Jets want to assign him to the minor leagues. The 28-year-old has played in just four games, registering a single point. Like Svechnikov, he too was a regular in the Winnipeg lineup last season, scoring 14 points in 77 games.

Both players come with cap hits of the league minimum $750K.

San Jose Sharks Recall Eetu Makiniemi

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks have called up another goaltender, adding Eetu Makiniemi for the first time this season. Aaron Dell has been returned to the AHL, after allowing five goals on 37 shots against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.

Makiniemi, 23, was a part of the Brent Burns trade this summer, coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes along with a third-round pick and Steven Lorentz for the star defenseman. The young netminder was originally selected 104th overall in 2017 and has been excellent in his short time in North America.

Over 26 AHL games since the start of 2021-22, Makiniemi has gone 17-6-2 with a .920 save percentage. Given Dell’s struggles, it’s easy to see why the team would want to switch.

Still, it’s not easy to be a Sharks goaltender right now. The team is bleeding shots and scoring chances, and is now one of just three teams in the league to have given up at least 100 goals. Three losses in a row takes them to 8-16-4 on the year, only ahead of the Anaheim Ducks in the Pacific Division.

With James Reimer still working through an injury, it’s Kaapo Kahkonen’s net with Makiniemi likely serving as backup. The team has a very light schedule at the moment, with just three games between now and December 17. That means Makiniemi may not actually end up making his NHL debut, though he’ll get some experience and exposure to the league over the next few days at least.

Sharks Notes: Meier, Injuries, Riedell

at CDT | by 4 Comments

One of the more interesting restricted free agents this summer will be Timo Meier.  While he has an AAV of $6MM, his contract isn’t subject to the new qualifying rules that came into effect in the CBA (which is the lowest of 120% of the AAV or the same salary from the final year).  That means that he will be owed a $10MM qualifying offer this summer, one that would also give Meier salary arbitration and a path to accept a one-year deal that walks him to unrestricted free agency.  Accordingly, many expect the Sharks to look into what an early extension might cost them.  However, his agent Claude Lemieux told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link) that they’re open-minded to discussing such a deal and are waiting for an offer to come.

The 26-year-old had a career year last season with 35 goals and 41 assists in 77 games and is producing at a slightly lesser pace this year with 12 tallies and 11 helpers in 26 contests.  That type of production isn’t quite worth $10MM in this market so GM Mike Grier will need to decide over the next couple of months if Meier is someone that they want to try to keep long-term and work on a deal now or if they should be looking into moving him before the March 3rd trade deadline.

More from San Jose:

  • While they were hoping to have goaltender James Reimer back this weekend, that won’t be the case as Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now relays that Reimer, center Nico Sturm, and defenseman Mario Ferraro have all been ruled out of the next two games. Sturm was also believed to be nearing a return from his suspected concussion but the Sharks will hold him out for a couple more days at least.  Ferraro skated yesterday for the first time as he begins to work his way back from a foot injury.
  • The Sharks have made a move at the AHL level as their farm team announced the signing of defenseman Will Riedell. The 26-year-old wrapped his college career last season with Ohio State where he had 10 points in 33 games before joining Philadelphia’s farm team for the stretch run.  So far this season, Riedell has four assists in 15 games with ECHL Savannah.

James Reimer Could Return This Weekend

at CDT | by 6 Comments

  • The Sharks could get James Reimer back this weekend, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The veteran is currently on IR with a lower-body injury, his second one from November but he’s eligible to be activated as early as Saturday.  San Jose plays both Saturday and Sunday so there’s a good chance he’ll be able to suit up for one of those.  Reimer has a 3.00 GAA and a .903 SV% in 15 starts so far this season.

James Reimer Moved To Injured Reserve

at CDT | by 1 Comment

When the San Jose Sharks recalled Aaron Dell over the weekend, it suggested that James Reimer’s injury might be hampering him more than originally thought. The veteran netminder had played through it against the Los Angeles Kings, but didn’t look himself, allowing four goals on 28 shots. Today, the Sharks have decided to shut him down for at least a few days, moving Reimer to injured reserve and recalling Jeffrey Viel in the process.

Reimer, 34, has played in 15 games so far this season and has alternated between outstanding performances and struggles behind a leaky Sharks team. He has allowed four or more goals in seven games, but two or fewer in six. It has added up to a .903 save percentage but there have been times when San Jose would have been run out of the building without his acrobatic performance.

Behind him is Kaapo Kahkonen, who hasn’t been able to pull off the feat quite as often. The younger netminder has a 2-5-2 record and .871 save percentage through nine games. Dell, meanwhile, hasn’t posted acceptable NHL numbers since 2019-20, and shouldn’t be getting much playing time even if Reimer is held out for a longer period of time.

The Sharks likely won’t be able to avoid it, though, as they have two back-to-back situations coming up this week. The team will play tomorrow in Montreal, Wednesday in Toronto, Saturday in Ottawa, and Sunday in Buffalo, before returning home. Since Reimer must miss a minimum of seven days (since his last appearance), the best case is that he returns in time for the game against the Sabres.

It could be a tough week for the struggling Sharks, who now sit seventh in the Pacific Division and have lost three in a row.

San Jose Sharks Recall Scott Harrington

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks announced this afternoon that they’ve recalled defenseman Scott Harrington from the San Jose Barracuda, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding transaction was announced, however it does come a day after the team placed defenseman Mario Ferraro on IR. The recall gives the Sharks a full 23-man squad, but more importantly, seven defenseman on the roster for this evening’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Harrington, 29, signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Sharks back in September to serve as key defensive depth for San Jose as the team works through its (bigger picture) roster transition. The defenseman has bounced between both levels so far this season, getting into a pair of games for the Sharks, where he’s recorded one assist, as well as five games for the Barracuda, including an assist there too.

The veteran defenseman, a second-round pick of the Penguins back in 2011, made his NHL debut in 2014-15 as a member of those Penguins, but spent the bulk of his career in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, primarily serving as depth. Last season, Harrington had his first AHL work since 2016-17, where he played in 50 games for the Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate. Given his shuffle in the San Jose organization thus far, it’s unclear what the plan for Harrington is right now, but with the absence of Ferraro on the backend, there could be some extra minutes to go around for the Sharks.

San Jose Sharks Place Mario Ferraro On Injured Reserve

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks have placed defenseman Mario Ferraro on injured reserve, according to the team’s media relations department. The 24-year-old defenseman is poised to miss at least a week-long stretch of time.

Ferraro registered a shot on goal, four blocks, and a -1 rating in 21:05 of ice time in last night’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings. The team has not commented on the nature of Ferraro’s injury, when he sustained it, or any potential timeline.

San Jose signed Ferraro to a four-year extension last summer, a reward for the heavy minutes he’s logged in the past two seasons. His play has dipped this year, though, with his role less certain and defensive weaknesses more exposed. His -14 rating is the worst on the team.

Nick Cicek will draw into the Sharks lineup for Ferraro, at least in the short term. The 22-year-old undrafted defenseman was recently called up and has two assists in his first five NHL games.

And while Ferraro hasn’t been his best to start the year, his minutes have kept up, playing nearly 23 minutes per game. How the Sharks replace those minutes with a depleted defense core is a fair question to ask. It’s not a realistic expectation to increase the workload of Erik Karlsson, who’s already averaging over 25 minutes per game. They’ll need veteran players like Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Matt Benning to step up unless Cicek is able to surprise.

San Jose Sharks Recall Aaron Dell

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Nov. 26: Dell is now back up with the Sharks, giving San Jose three goalies on their active roster for the time being.

Nov 25: After Reimer missed a game this week, he’s ready to go again and will start for the Sharks today. Dell has been returned to the AHL.

Nov 22: In a curious move, the San Jose Sharks have recalled Aaron Dell from the minor leagues, giving them a third goaltender on the roster. James Reimer was present at yesterday’s skate and Kaapo Kahkonen was outstanding in the team’s win over the Ottawa Senators.

Dell’s recall would suggest there might be an injury, though it is unclear which goaltender would be unavailable at this point. The Sharks are scheduled to travel to Seattle to take on the Kraken in a match tomorrow night, before returning to San Jose for a mini two-game homestand over the weekend.

In seven games for the San Jose Barracuda, Dell has posted a .904 save percentage. The 33-year-old netminder is back with the organization that gave him a chance at the NHL level, icing him 107 times over four seasons. Dell has struggled since leaving San Jose, and appears to be nothing more than a third or fourth-string option at this point.

Kahkonen stopped 37 of 38 saves against the Senators, bringing his save percentage up to .894 on the season. Reimer, the team’s starter, has a .906 in 14 appearances so far.

San Jose Sharks Activate Radim Simek, Place Nico Sturm On IR

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks have announced that they have activated defenseman Radim Simek off of injured reserve.

Additionally, the team has announced that forward Nico Sturm has been placed on injured reserve.

Simek, 30, was originally placed on injured reserve on November 14th, landing there after taking a hit from Minnesota Wild forward Mason Shaw. Simek has one goal in 17 games so far this season and is skating in just under 15 minutes a night.

Undrafted defensive prospect Nick Cicek had been recalled from AHL San Jose in Simek’s place, and now that the Czech blueliner is back it’s possible Cicek is returned to the AHL.

But since Sturm is heading onto injured reserve, there’s no need for the Sharks to make an immediate corresponding move. Sturm, 27, arrived in San Jose in the offseason as a free agent, signing a $2MM AAV deal that expires in the summer of 2025.

The former Colorado Avalanche center won a Stanley Cup last season and has gotten off to a relatively hot start so far this year, scoring six goals and eight points in 20 games.

While those numbers might not scream “hot start” in a vacuum, Sturm scored just nine goals 74 games last year, so his scoring this year is a bit of a surprise.

Landing now on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, Sturm will hope to have a speedy recovery so he can return to the Sharks lineup and pick up where he left off.

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

scroll to top