SAN JOSE – Alexander Barabanov and Markus Nutivaara are not recovering from their respective injuries and as of Friday there was no guarantee that either player would be available for the first two games of the regular season of the San Jose Sharks in the Czech Republic next week.
Sharks coach David Quinn said both Barabanov and Nutivaara suffer daily lower body injuries, and that he and the team won’t know until Saturday whether either player will travel to Europe.
Barabanov and Nutivaara will not play in any of the Sharks’ preseason games in Las Vegas and Anaheim on Friday. The Sharks will fly to Germany on Saturday and play an exhibition game against Eisbären Berlin in the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday.
San Jose kicks off the regular season this Friday and Saturday against the Nashville Predators at the O2 Arena in Prague.
The Sharks can bring up to 27 players to Europe, an NHL spokesperson confirms, so the team could be hesitant to bring Barabanov and Nutivaara abroad if there was any doubt about their ability to play.
Either way, going without Barabanov or Nutivaara for any length of time would put the depth of a Sharks team that already has its fair share of roster questions to the test.
Barabanov was a key offensive contributor last season when he played on top of the Sharks with Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl, and Nutivaara opened a training camp on San Jose’s top defense pair with Erik Karlsson.
“I feel for them personally and I definitely feel for us,” Quinn said. “When the players are in the situation they are in – with the situations they started here – it’s not easy to get hurt and not be able to take advantage of the opportunity.
“So I feel sorry for them personally and I certainly feel sorry for us as a team.”
Quinn said Nutivaara’s lower body injury is related to the ailment he suffered last season when he missed 81 of 82 regular season games and all the Florida Panthers playoffs in two rounds.
Nutivaara played in the preseason game at home to Los Angeles last Sunday, but was not feeling well the next day and stayed off the ice this week.
“It was a tough step for him,” Quinn said of Nutivaara. “He’s fighting and doing everything he can, and hopefully he’s feeling better (Saturday).”
Perhaps not coincidentally, the Sharks signed defender Scott Harrington to a one-year, two-way contract on Friday.
Harrington was signed to a professional tryout deal in early September, skated with Karlsson in Thursday’s practice and looked set to be paired with the two-time Norris Trophy winner in Friday’s preseason with the Vegas Golden Knights in the T-shirt. Mobile Arena.
“He defends well, he can create an outlet, he is a penalty killer and he is a quality person who gives character to the team,” said Quinn. “So he’s an important player and he’s been using his strengths since he’s been here.”
If Nutivaara is not feeling better on Saturday, there is also a good chance that Harrington will be on the flight to Europe.
“Just try to be consistent, play the puck well, support the rush when I can and play hard,” Harrington said of his approach. “That’s what I’ve tried to do and just keep trying to get better every day.”
Barabanov skated briefly on Thursday, but wasn’t on the ice for one of the Sharks’ morning skates on Friday. Barabanov, who had 39 points in 70 games last season, was injured in training last Saturday.
“He still wasn’t great today,” Quinn said of Barabanov.
For the past few days, Luke Kunin has been skating and practicing with Meier and Hertl, and all three of them were part of the team that traveled to play the Golden Knights.
If Barabanov stays away and Kunin takes his place on the top line of the Sharks, one of Quinn’s actions could be to move Thomas Bordeleau or William Eklund to the wing on the third line with Nick Bonino and Noah Gregor.
“I am really open to everything. It’s not scary for me to be put on the wing,” Bordeleau said. “You are on the ice, you play hockey. So it’s really not that complicated. If that’s what (Quinn) needs from me, I’ll do it.”
Both Bordeleau and Eklund had a taste of the NHL last season and have had good battles in Quinn’s eyes.
Quinn said Eklund learns about consistency and plays 5-on-5 hockey, especially outside of the puck.
“He definitely shows the ability to play in this league and be a good player in this league, so I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen,” said Quinn.
The Sharks got some good injury news on Friday, as winger Oskar Lindblom was a full-fledged competitor in one of the team’s morning skates.
Lindblom did not participate in any of the team’s preseason games as he suffered an upper body injury that remained in San Jose, but said he felt better than expected when he was on the ice on Friday. Lindblom, however, stayed in San Jose on Friday, because he wanted to practice one more time in North America before the flight to Berlin.
Lindblom is playing a bit of catching up as he missed a handful of days in camp but has a week left to get his fitness in order.
“I just need to practice a little harder and get my lungs back,” said Lindblom, who skated with Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc when he was healthy. “But I felt good today and then we have a week here to get going, so I think it will be fine.”
0 Comments