The Sharks got one of their depth finishers back on the active roster Monday, announcing that forward Adam Gaudette has been activated off injured reserve. The move came after Brett Leason cleared waivers and was sent to AHL San Jose on Friday, opening the spot.
Gaudette’s arrival back in the lineup comes after a season in which he once again proved his scoring touch could travel with him. Two years ago in Ottawa, he put together a breakout of sorts in a contract year, scoring 19 goals and adding seven assists while still spending most of his time on the fourth line. That performance helped him land a two-year, $4MM deal with San Jose in 2025.
The question then was whether that offense was real or just a one-year spike from a player who had spent several seasons as a depth option. Last season, Gaudette answered that pretty emphatically.
In 66 games with the Sharks, the 30-year-old scored 17 goals and recorded eight assists while averaging just 11:25 of ice time per night. Over a full 82-game slate, he had a real chance to push toward the 20-goal mark even in limited minutes.
Whether he gets the same runway this time is another matter. San Jose has since added Mason Marchment and Ivar Stenberg, and Igor Chernyshov is now presumably in line for a full season rather than the spot duty he saw at times last year. That could make even Gaudette’s limited power-play looks tougher to come by.
There’s also the contract clock ticking. This is the final season of Gaudette’s deal, and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent again in July.
If he can keep producing anywhere close to the level he’s shown over the past two seasons in the bottom six, he should put himself in position for a much stronger market next summer than he had in 2025. For now, though, he’ll first have to earn his way back into the Sharks’ lineup after serving as a healthy scratch this afternoon against Edmonton.
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