Coming off their most lopsided defeat of the season, the Sharks are turning to a fresh look up front for Friday night’s matchup with the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Wild.
The biggest tweak sends Michael Misa from his usual second-line center spot to left wing on the top line with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. San Jose had already tried that trio together in the third period of Wednesday’s 7-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and the group generated a couple of chances before the game got away.
That left-wing spot beside Celebrini has been unsettled ever since Igor Chernyshov was injured while blocking a shot in the Sharks’ Oct. 22 game against the Ottawa Senators. Since then, the Sharks have cycled through Collin Graf, Ivar Stenberg and Tyler Toffoli there without much payoff, and now Misa gets the next crack.
“I’m comfortable there,” Misa told the Sharks Audio Network on Friday. “Just going to support (Celebrini and Smith) on their line, and I think it’s all about creating some offense for our team and finding ways to score.”
The move up for Misa opens the door for Graf to slide into a different role. He’ll center a line with Mason Marchment and Kiefer Sherwood on the wings, while Ty Dellandrea will handle the third line between Stenberg and Toffoli.
San Jose is also making a change in goal, with Yaroslav Askarov set to start for the fifth time in six games. Against the Kings, he was left exposed more than once, but he’s been the guy most often asked to carry the load lately. In four career appearances against Minnesota, Askarov is 3-1-0 with an .888 save percentage.
The lineup shakeup comes after a players-only meeting in the wake of Wednesday’s blowout, the Sharks’ fifth loss in their last six games. Over that stretch, they’ve been outscored 24-11 and entered Friday tied for fifth in the Pacific Division.
“We’re pretty aware of where we need to get to,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Friday morning. “We’re all frustrated trying to get to our game, and we’re battling to find our game.”
Even with the skid piling up, Warsofsky’s job is not under immediate threat. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, general manager Mike Grier is not considering a coaching change at this point. Warsofsky, 39, was entering the third and final year of his original contract before Grier gave him a multi-year extension in September.
There is also an update on Alexander Wennberg, who is now day-to-day with the upper-body injury he suffered in the Sharks’ Oct. 19 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had previously been labeled week-to-week, but he has been skating with the group recently and is no longer wearing a non-contact jersey.
The Sharks have an open roster spot if they choose to activate Wennberg off injured reserve for Saturday’s game against the Dallas Stars. After that, San Jose heads home for games against the New York Islanders on Monday and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.
In Other News...
Red Wings Emerge In Trade Talks That Could Get Very Expensive
The Sharks are still looking for a puck-moving defenseman, and Detroit has surfaced as a possible trade partner in talks that could reshape that search. San Jose has limited salary cap room to work with, so any move would have to be carefully built, but the appeal of adding a young blue liner with upside has clearly pushed the club into deeper discussions.
What makes the conversation tricky is the price tag. Michael Misa has been part of the framework, but Detroit is believed to be pushing for a larger package rather than a one-for-one type of deal, which has widened the list of names being kicked around. For a Sharks team trying to balance immediate needs with long-term value, the next step in these talks could say a lot about how aggressively they want to solve the defense issue. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Face A Tough Blue Line Test Without Miro Heiskanen
Dallas is heading into its matchup with San Jose with a significant question on the blue line, as Miro Heiskanen is listed as doubtful because of an upper-body injury. Heiskanen left Tuesdays game early, and his status matters for a Stars defense that leans heavily on his minutes, puck movement and all-around stability.
If he cannot go, Dallas will have to keep leaning on a different look at the top of its defense, with Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist already having handled those duties in his absence. Around the league, the injury picture is shifting elsewhere too, with John Tavares nearing a return for Toronto and the Foligno brothers in Minnesota also trending back toward game action. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Deadline Plans May Hinge On One Offensive Fit
The Blackhawks search for offense has kept the trade market busy, and one name that has surfaced in the background is Simon Edvinsson, the Detroit Red Wings restricted free agent defenseman who has been skating in Nashville. Nashville has reportedly shown interest as well, while Edvinssons agency has not commented on any trade chatter, leaving the situation in that familiar pre-deadline gray area where interest is easy to find and clarity is not.
For San Jose, the wrinkle is less about the players availability than the pace of the conversations. The Sharks have shown interest, but talks with Detroit have not moved far enough to suggest a deal is close, even as Ryan Warsofsky remains behind the bench amid the teams own struggles. With Chicago still trying to patch its scoring issues and the market taking shape around it, this is the kind of name that could matter if the discussion ever gets serious. [Read more 🡒]