We’re back with the final installment of our ‘Greatest Sharks by Jersey Number’ series. Today, let’s look at the best to wear numbers 81-94. Numbers in the 90 range are sparsely worn in San Jose Sharks history; that’s why we’ve decided to include them in this list. Another reminder, these players will only be evaluated on their time in San Jose, not their entire careers. With all that out of the way, let’s break down the list.
Greatest Sharks By Jersey Number
#81 – Tyler Kennedy
The Sharks acquired Kennedy in June 2013 following a six-year stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kennedy spent one full year, 2013-14, with San Jose and played a bottom-six role. He chipped in 17 points and played a strong defensive game while helping the Sharks to 111 points in the regular season. He spent 25 games of the 2014-15 season with the Sharks before being dealt to the New York Islanders at the 2015 trade deadline.
#82 – Nikolay Goldobin
Goldobin spent the first 11 games of his NHL career in San Jose. He debuted in 2015-16 after spending 60 games in the AHL. That year, Goldobin had one goal and one assist in his nine games played. He had a strong, point-per-game season in the AHL before being called up for two games in 2016-17. In February 2017, the Sharks traded Goldobin to the Vancouver Canucks to give him a bigger opportunity. San Jose acquired Jannik Hansen, who played in 15 games following the trade.
#83 – Matthew Nieto
Nieto debuted in 2013-14 and established himself as a solid, bottom-six forward. Offensively, he had his two best seasons with the Sharks, with 24 and 27 points in 2013-14 and 2014-15, respectively. He had ten goals in each of those two years and even chipped in on the powerplay. Nieto is also an elite penalty killer, anchoring the unit to a top-ten finish in PK% in 2013-14. His final full campaign in San Jose came in 2015-16 when the team went to the Stanley Cup Final. However, Nieto’s time in Teal came to an unceremonious end. He was placed on waivers in January 2017 and claimed by the Colorado Avalanche.
#84 – Jan Rutta
Rutta spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Sharks after being a part of the Erik Karlsson trade. He played in 69 games and put up 19 points, the second-highest of his career. He is a solid defensive defenceman and registered 110 blocked shots. Rutta averaged just shy of 20 minutes per game, which is the highest of his career. He is under contract for 2024-25, so it will be interesting to see what GM Mike Grier decides to do with Rutta.
#85 – Shakir Mukhamadullin
Mukhamadullin is the only player in franchise history to wear #85. He was one of the main pieces of the Timo Meier trade, along with Fabian Zetterlund. Mukhamadullin debuted in 2o23-24 and played in just three games. He registered just one assist but blocked a staggering 11 shots. In the AHL, Mukhamadullin played in 55 games and had 34 points, including seven goals. This year, the 22-year-old will be vying for a roster spot on the back end. Don’t be surprised to see Mukhamadullin earn that spot and establish himself as a core piece of the defensive core.
#86 – Joachim Blichfeld
Blichfeld is also the lone player to wear #86, which is unsurprising to see him on this list with just eight games played. He scored his first and only NHL goal in the 2020-21 season against the Minnesota Wild. Following that year, Blichfeld played in the AHL and had 45 points in 61 games. He has spent the last two seasons with Vaxjo in the SHL.
#87 – Martin Kaut
The Sharks acquired Kaut in January 2023 from the Colorado Avalanche. Kaut played in nine games and had five points, three of which were goals. Following the trade, however, Kaut would spend 19 games in the AHL. In July 2023, the Czech winger returned home to play for HC Dynamo Pardubice, his original team in Czechia. San Jose still has his NHL rights. So if he makes a comeback, San Jose would be able to bring him back.
#88 – Brent Burns
You can easily make the case that Burns is the best defenceman in Sharks’ history. He spent 11 seasons and 798 games with the Sharks and was the number one defenceman during the best stretch in team history. Burns did everything. He scored double-digit goals in all but two seasons, was the quarterback of the top powerplay unit and registered over 22 minutes per game in all but two years. Defensively, he is second in franchise history in blocked shots with 1,165. Oh, and he also won the Norris Trophy in 2016-17. His time in San Jose came to an end in July 2022, when the Carolina Hurricanes acquired him.
#89 – Mikkel Bodker
Boedker spent the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons in San Jose. The latter year was his best, as he netted 15 goals and 37 points. He had this scoring output on just over 13 minutes per game, a relatively low total. In 2016-17, he had ten goals and 26 points in just over 14 minutes per game. In June 2018, the Sharks dealt Boedker to the Ottawa Senators and brought in Mike Hoffman.
#90 – Justin Bailey
Bailey played in the most games of his career in 2023-24, with 59. He registered 14 points, five of which found the back of the net. Bailey also brought a physical element to his bottom six role. He had 76 hits and blocked 29 shots. Bailey is signed for another year in the San Jose organization and will be competing for a roster spot in 2024-25.
#91 – Jan Čaloun
Čaloun had an interesting NHL career. The Sharks drafted him in the fourth round of the 1992 NHL draft. From 1990-1994, he was with Litvinov in Czechia and was a goal scorer. This success translated to the IHL and then, eventually, he joined the Sharks’ roster. He debuted in 1995-96 and played in 11 games. In that time, he scored eight goals and had 11 points. He did all that on a staggering 40% shooting percentage. Despite his nack for goal scoring, he played in just 13 more NHL games and didn’t find the back of the net. After leaving the NHL, he continued to be an effective offensive weapon in various European leagues.
#92 – Rudolfs Balcers
After being dealt to the Ottawa Senators in the Karlsson trade, the Sharks reacquired Balcers off waivers in January 2021. He appeared in 102 games and found some offensive success. He averaged over 14 minutes per game in both 2020-21 and 2021-22. The latter was the best year of his career, as he netted 11 goals and finished with 23 points, both career highs. He also punished opponents with 115 hits and played a solid two-way game. Unfortunately, the Sharks released Balcers after this year and signed with the Florida Panthers a day later.
#94 – Alexander Barabanov
The final player on our list, San Jose acquired Barabanov in April 2021 from the Toronto Maple Leafs. From 2021-2024, he played in 193 games and had 106 points in teal. His best season was 2022-23 when he had 15 goals and 47 points. He found success on the powerplay with 13 of his points coming with the man advantage. Unfortunately, Barabanov’s production dipped the following year, as he had just 13 points while playing in only 46 games. Grier elected not to extend Barabanov’s contract, meaning he is a free agent.
Honourable Mention
This is another sparsely-worn area of the number sequence. Most of the players in consideration for this list were recent and, of course, some had to be cut. Namely, Alexander Korolyuk (94) only spent one year in his number, despite a great Sharks career and earlier mention of his name in this series. Other names left off of this include Nikita Okhotyuk (83) and Barclay Goodrow (89).
This series was inspired by the Penguins and St. Louis Blues. You can check out their lists as well. That does it for the ‘Greatest Sharks by Jersey Number’ series! As we get ready for hockey to come back, let’s see who adds themselves to this list this year.
Main photo by: Stan Szeto – Imagn Images
