Deep Blue Sea: Sharks make final roster cuts

The NHL allowed for the San Jose Sharks to carry four extra players abroad for the season-opening series against the Nashville Predators in Prague, Czechia last weekend, but today is the day that matters for the rest of the league, and the Global Series teams faced a final round of roster cuts.

The hiring of head coach David Quinn — and to a much lesser extent, the hiring of general manager Mike Grier — raised questions about the handling of the prospects he inherited from the previous regime. The organization has had a strong identity for nearly two decades and Doug Wilson’s fingerprints are all over the place.

So perhaps its not unexpected that top forward prospects Thomas Bordeleau and William Eklund were assigned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on Sunday. Less surprisingly, defender Nick Cicek was also re-assigned, while forward Jeffrey Viel and goaltender Aaron Dell were placed on waivers. They cleared on Monday morning and were also re-assigned to the Barracuda.

It’s worth noting that not a single player who made the active roster as of yesterday is waivers exempt, while Eklund and Bordeleau do not require waivers for re-assignment. None of the players who were cut played a regular season game while the team was in Europe, either.

The final steps in shaping the roster involved adding three players to the injured reserve: defenders Markus Nutivaara (lower-body) and Nikolai Knyzhov (Achilles) and forward Alexander Barabanov (lower-body). These players did not travel with the team abroad.

News & Notes

• Bordeleau, Eklund demoted as Sharks face tough roster decisions [NBC Sports Bay Area]
• Sharks waive two players, including valuable goalie, assign top prospects to AHL [The Mercury News]
• What do San Jose Sharks’ top prospects need to do to return to NHL? [The Mercury News]
• San Jose Barracuda announce multiple transactions [San Jose Barracuda]
• Jagr performs ceremonial puck drop at Global Series in Prague [NHL.com]

Blood in the Water

• Sportsnet NHL Insider predictions for 2022-23 season [Sportsnet]
• One bold prediction for every NHL team heading into 2022-23 [Sportsnet]
• From coast to coast, the NHL’s return ushers in a new season of thrilling unknowns [Sportsnet]
• Daily Faceoff Archetype Rankings: The NHL’s 18 best puck distributors [Daily Faceoff]
• NHL opening night rosters for 2022-23 season [NHL.com]
• The Most Intriguing Players To Pass Through Waivers On Roster Cutdown Day [The Hockey News]
• HHOF Members Angela James and Geraldine Heaney Reunite on PHF’S Toronto Six [The Hockey News]
• Hockey Canada announces CEO, entire board of directors will step aside [CBC]
• Shane Wright Isn’t NHL Ready [Davy Jones’ Locker Room]
• NHL investigating allegations of sexual assault by Lightning’s Ian Cole [Raw Charge]

On the Schedule

• Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers, 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET on SN1, TVAS, ESPN
• Vegas Golden Knights at Los Angeles Kings, 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET on SN1, TVAS, ESPN