Sharks Shuffle the Roster: Desharnais to IR, Regenda Called Up for Fourth-Line Reinforcement
SAN JOSE - The San Jose Sharks made a pair of roster moves ahead of Monday night’s matchup with the Utah Mammoth, placing defenseman Vincent Desharnais on injured reserve and calling up winger Pavol Regenda from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.
Desharnais, a key piece of the Sharks’ penalty kill, has been sidelined with an upper-body injury and hasn’t seen the ice since Nov. 26, when San Jose was blanked 6-0 by the Colorado Avalanche. He’s now officially on IR, meaning he’ll also miss Wednesday’s home tilt against the Washington Capitals.
The injury has been lingering, but there’s some optimism from head coach Ryan Warsofsky, who said there's a chance Desharnais could return during the Sharks’ upcoming five-game road swing that stretches from Friday through Dec. 13. For a team already navigating a challenging season, getting one of their steadiest defensive presences back on the ice would be a welcome boost.
In the meantime, the Sharks are turning to Regenda, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound winger who brings size and a straightforward, physical style of play. After a slow start with the Barracuda, Regenda has picked up some momentum, tallying seven points in 19 AHL games. He made a strong impression during the preseason-five points in just three games-but was placed on waivers on Oct. 5 and sent down the following day.
Now, Regenda gets another shot at the NHL level, and he’s expected to slot into the fourth line alongside veterans Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Reaves. That’s a heavy, hard-hitting trio that should give the Sharks some grit and energy in the bottom six.
Regenda knows the assignment.
“I’m playing with a pretty heavy line, so I’m just trying to keep it simple,” he said. “Be physical.
Don’t do anything crazy. Just play a north-south game.
That’s what I’m going to focus on.”
The Sharks had other options in the pipeline-prospects Igor Chernyshov and Quentin Musty are both lighting it up for the Barracuda, combining for 17 goals and 37 points through 20 games-but the coaching staff made a strategic call. Rather than plug a young, offensively gifted player into a fourth-line role that might not suit their skill set, they opted for a more natural fit in Regenda.
“In a perfect world, you don’t really want to call up one of those young guys and put them on a line where they can’t maybe get to their tool set,” Warsofsky explained. “So there’s a little bit of that for sure.”
Elsewhere, forward Adam Gaudette missed the morning skate due to illness and is questionable for Monday’s game. Warsofsky also noted that the availability of a couple of other banged-up players will be determined closer to puck drop.
As the Sharks continue to navigate injuries and roster tweaks, Monday’s game offers a new opportunity for Regenda and a test of the team’s depth. With a demanding road trip looming, every shift-and every roster decision-counts.