The San Jose Sharks have struggled to win games this preseason and have allowed plenty of goals. Since then, they’ve gone ahead and made numerous changes.
San Jose Sharks Working in Overtime
The Sharks started their preseason with a 4-2 loss against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. On September 24th, the Sharks faced the Ducks where they gave up 4 goals in the second period. Unable to make a comeback, they lost 4-3. The Sharks made their way to Anaheim on September 26th to redeem themselves against the Ducks. Coming in after a devastating loss two days prior, they were able to hold their own and win the game in overtime.
Following their third preseason game, the Sharks removed 11 players from their training camp roster, sending them down to the San Jose Barracuda. This now brings the training camp roster to 38 players.
In addition to their roster cuts, the Sharks have placed 3 more of their players on day-to-day injury status.
San Jose Sharks Roster Cuts
The #SJSharks have trimmed the camp roster by 11 players. An updated roster is available here.https://t.co/l1KW9bTWJ4 pic.twitter.com/KYaI5737JK
— San Jose Sharks PR (@SanJoseSharksPR) September 30, 2024
The San Jose Barracuda has received forwards Filip Bystedt, Brandon Coe, Kasper Halttunen, and Tristen Robins. Each received playing time on the ice this past week against the Anaheim Ducks.
Ethan Frisch and Jake Furlong find themselves headed to the San Jose Barracuda. Both defenceman played against the Ducks on September 26th.
Goaltendeers, Gabriel Carriere and Georgi Romanov have been cut. Each saw time in between the posts this last week. Romanov was in the net during the win over the Ducks on September 26th.
Two players, Justin Bailey and Jimmy Schuldt have been placed on waivers with the intent to return to the Barracuda’s training camp.
Rookie Left Winger, Quentin Musty has returned to his Junior Club after a stellar week at the Rookie Face-Off where he scored a hat trick in addition to an assist.
However, these roster removals came after the San Jose Sharks had sent 20 players down to the San Jose Barracuda earlier in the week. Importantly, the newly acquired trade, Nolan Burke was sent down. Burke was recently traded to the Sharks alongside goaltender Yaroslav Askarov in August.
Sharks Injury Report
The Sharks have previously reported unknown return dates for players on their IRL. They are now placing 3 additional players on a day-to-day prognosis.
As of September 27th, it was reported that Mikael Granlund, William Eklund, and Matt Benning are out with upper and lower body injuries. The Sharks are confident that they will make a full return by October 10th to play against the St. Louis Blues.
At this time, we will see players fighting to take those open spots for the season opener.
Left Winger Danil Gushchin has been playing with the San Jose Barracuda for the last 3 years. Last season he had put up 20 goals with 34 assists in 56 games. Staring this preseason, Gushchin put the Sharks on the board with his first-period goal against the Ducks on September 24th. In the second game against the Ducks on September 26th, Gushchin had two assists. With Eklund out, Gushchin is motivated to find his position among the Sharks.
Matt Benning is out on a day-to-day basis, which leaves the right defensemen position open. Whereas, Cody Ceci is new to the Sharks and is looking to find his place within the line-up. During the 23-24 season with the Oilers, Ceci put up 25 points with an average of 20 minutes on the ice. Ceci had over 19 minutes on the ice against the Las Vegas Knights on Sunday the 22nd.
The Forwards
With a second left winger position up for grabs due to Mikael Granlund being out. The obvious top replacement for this position looks like Macklin Celebrini. Celebrini comes into this season as a hot topic already for being the 1st round pick, but also for his underlying potential this coming season. Celebrini played against the Knights on the 22nd where he put the Sharks on the scoreboard in the 3rd period.
The Sharks have not seen a smooth preseason thus far, resulting in unexpected injuries this close to the season opener.
With only a week away from the season opener, there will likely be more cuts and shifts within the roster. Hopefully, no more players find themselves on the ever-growing list of injuries that the Sharks have already acquired this early on.
Main Photo: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
