San Jose Sharks Activate, Re-Assign Nikolai Knyzhov
The San Jose Sharks have announced that defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov has been activated from his long-term injury conditioning loan, and re-assigned to the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
This return is a long time coming for Knyzhov, 24, who has been recovering from an Achilles injury for over a year. Before his conditioning stint began in January, Knyzhov had last played competitive hockey in May 2021, when he skated in over 21 minutes of a Sharks 6-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Before his injury, Knyzhov had steadily developed for the Sharks, going from a depth defenseman in 2019-20 to a candidate for top-four ice time in 2020-21. He’d taken a bit of a wild road to that point, with stops in the WHL, his native Russia, and the NAHL.
Now, Knyzhov has worked his way back to full health and has re-entered the Sharks’ defensive picture. He’s largely skated in a top-four role during his three-game conditioning stint with the Barracuda and will head back there to in all likelihood play a major role for the squad.
The Sharks currently carry seven defenseman, five of whom either have significant NHL experience or have been leaned on by coach David Quinn. It’s possible that Knyzhov unseats Scott Harrington or Jacob MacDonald for a role in the NHL lineup, although he’ll likely need to spend some time in the AHL getting back up to speed first.
Timo Meier Emerging As Top Target For Rangers
The New York Rangers have their sights set on San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier, according to Frank Servalli of Daily Faceoff. The pending restricted free agent is now New York’s “No. 1 target” says the insider, who also points out how well Sharks general manager Mike Grier knows the Rangers organization from his time as a hockey operations coordinator there.
Latest On Timo Meier
San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier could be one of the most in-demand names on the trade market as we inch closer to the deadline, and potential suitors for his services are starting to become clearer. On TSN’s Insider Trading program, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun revealed that he had interviewed New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald and that in the interview Fitzgerald confirmed the Devils’ interest in acquiring a top-six winger.
Avalanche And Sharks Complete Four-Player Trade
Ryan Merkley‘s trade request has been granted as the Sharks have traded the defenseman to the Avalanche along with winger Matt Nieto in exchange for winger Martin Kaut and defenseman/winger Jacob MacDonald.
Merkley was a first-round pick by San Jose back in 2018 (21st overall) and showed plenty of offensive upside during his junior career in the OHL where he had 269 points in 248 games in four seasons. However, that hasn’t really translated into much offensive success in the minors as he has just two career goals in the minors, neither of which came this season. Merkley made his NHL debut in 2021-22, getting into 39 games with the Sharks but he hasn’t had a chance to suit up at the top level this year which resulted in the trade request. He has 14 assists in 30 games with the Barracuda this season. He’s in the final year of his entry-level contract with a $863K cap hit and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Nieto, meanwhile, is no stranger to Colorado as he spent parts of four seasons with them between 2016-17 and 2019-20. During that stretch, he was a serviceable provider of depth scoring, notching 34 goals and 47 assists in 251 games. The 30-year-old is producing at a similar clip this season, tallying eight goals and seven assists in 45 games with the Sharks while logging a career-high 15:39 per game. He won’t see that type of ice time in his second go-round with the Avs but with them in need of reliable options in the bottom six, Nieto should still be called upon to play an important depth role. He’s also in the final year of his contract with a $850K cap hit and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.
Kaut was also a first-round pick in the 2018 draft, going 16th overall to the Avalanche. However, while he impressed in the minors as an 18-year-old and earned an NHL stint at 19, he hasn’t had much success at the top level. So far, he has played in just 47 career NHL contests, 27 of which have come this season where he has just a goal and two assists to his credit while averaging 9:08 per night. Kaut has also played in ten AHL games this season where he has five goals and three helpers and is currently in the minors having been sent down last week. The 23-year-old is also in the final year of his entry-level deal, one that carries an AAV of $863K. He should get an opportunity to see some regular minutes for San Jose down the stretch in the hopes of him developing into a regular in the bottom six down the road.
MacDonald came up as a defenseman but has logged a lot of action on the wing this season with Colorado searching for bottom-six options as they’ve dealt with injuries all year long. The 29-year-old has suited up 33 times so far in 2022-23, picking up a pair of assists along with 29 hits. He has made 74 appearances with the Avs over the last three seasons, comprising the bulk of his NHL action (aside from a two-game stint with Florida in 2018). MacDonald is in the first year of a two-year, two-way contract that pays the minimum salary in the NHL (a $762,500 AAV) and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024. He’s likely to play a similar depth role with the Sharks, filling in at both positions when necessary.
Cap space is limited for the Avalanche and it’s worth noting that they are adding a little less than $100K on their books with this swap. However, they get a more proven forward in Nieto that should bolster their bottom six and an interesting wild card in Merkley. If he’s able to develop into a regular defender down the road, this will be a nice pickup for GM Chris MacFarland. If it doesn’t pan out, all it will cost them is a couple of depth options so it’s a low-risk move that could carry a fair bit of upside as they look to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Central Division.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Timo Meier
San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier is one of the biggest names featuring heavily in trade rumors as of late, and it was only yesterday that news came in that Meier’s camp was being “very realistic” about the possibility of their client being traded. Today, it seems Meier the trade market for Meier could be starting to take shape.
Latest On Timo Meier
Talented San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier has been the subject of intense trade rumors in recent weeks, and he could be one of the most sought-after wingers on the trade market over these next few months. The 26-year-old Swiss national has scored 26 goals this season and leads all Sharks forwards with 46 points in 46 games. Meier is a restricted free agent at the end of this season, and is owed a $10MM qualifying offer should the Sharks (or another team) want to keep his RFA rights.
Meier’s agent, former NHLer Claude Lemieux, spoke to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News about his client’s situation, saying “we have not discussed a contract extension and we are very realistic of the possibility of Timo getting traded.” Meier’s expensive qualifying offer makes his status on the trade market somewhat complex, as some teams may only be able to afford to acquire him as a one-year rental. But in any case, it seems that the prospect of the Sharks dealing one of their most valuable players is becoming more and more realistic with each passing day.
Could Timo Meier Be The Right Fit For Winnipeg?
The Jets find themselves in a situation that not many expected them to be in at this point of the season as they’re battling for first in the Central Division. They also happen to have some cap flexibility unlike several of their competitors so they’re likely to be buyers over the next six weeks. To that end, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun suggests that Sharks winger Timo Meier could be the right target for Winnipeg. While a $10MM qualifying offer looms large, that can be overcome with a long-term agreement beforehand while it could also offer some insurance with Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Connor Hellebuyck (plus potentially Pierre-Luc Dubois) all set to hit the open market in 2024. Winnipeg has all their first-round picks and some young prospects that might be intriguing to San Jose should they decide to move on from the 26-year-old.
Erik Karlsson On Trade Rumors: "I Want To Win"
Karlsson, through all of the trade rumors and speculation, has never indicated a desire to leave the San Jose Sharks organization, where he has settled down with his family. He holds a no-movement clause and can determine his fate, even if a team does step up with the massive asking price that has been rumored. After a four-point effort on Wednesday, Karlsson leads the league in assists and is on pace for 110 points.
Detroit Red Wings Acquire Jasper Weatherby
2:25pm: In a separate (but connected) AHL deal, Patrick McGrath is also going to the Griffins. The 29-year-old is signed to a minor league contract and couldn’t be included in the NHL portion of the trade. McGrath is an agitator, with just a handful of points to his name over a long minorleague career.
2:05pm: The San Jose Sharks have made a minor move, sending Jasper Weatherby to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Kyle Criscuolo. The trade swaps two players that were in the minor leagues for their respective organizations, with neither one seeing any NHL action this year.
Weatherby, 24, played 50 games for the Sharks last season after signing out of the University of North Dakota and scored 11 points. The 6’4″ center showed a little promise, even if his offense was rather limited. Surprisingly, he hasn’t seen so much as a recall this season, and is struggling in the AHL. Weatherby has just six points in 39 games for the San Jose Barracuda and was trending toward being unqualified in the summer. While there still may be a bit of potential there, his status as a restricted free agent and sudden drop down the depth chart suggested his time with San Jose was nearing an end.
In Detroit, he’ll join a Grand Rapids Griffins team that is struggling to get much of anything going. The team has been outscored by 40 goals this season and has a 14-19-3 record so far. Perhaps he finds a new level in his game and earns a contract in the offseason, but that is no guarantee. Given the fact that Weatherby is arbitration-eligible, many teams would likely be moving on if his performance continues.
Criscuolo, meanwhile, is at the other end of the spectrum. A 30-year-old undersized, undrafted forward, he has spent nearly his entire professional career in the minor leagues. With just 15 NHL appearances, he’s purely an AHL depth piece at this point. Criscuolo is also a free agent at the end of the year, though he’ll be unrestricted, and at least offers a bit more experience for the Barracuda. In 335 AHL contests, he has recorded 187 points and won the Calder Cup in 2017.
Fans waiting for big trade news will have to wait, as neither of these players project to make much of an impact at the NHL level.
Scott Harrington Returns To Practice
- Sharks defenseman Scott Harrington left Wednesday’s game early with an upper-body injury but it appears it won’t keep him out for long. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News notes (Twitter link) that the veteran was back at practice on Sunday. Harrington has a goal and five assists in 16 games this season with San Jose, a decent showing after attending training camp on a PTO. He wasn’t in the lineup today against New Jersey but he should be nearing a return to game action.