The San Jose Sharks have made a minor roster move, claiming 26-year-old forward Stefan Noesen off of waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s a move the Penguins probably don’t like. Our friends over at Pensburgh say that despite rumors, it was not done to make room for Ilya Kovalchuk. The Trib Live elaborates further, saying this was a holiday roster move designed to clear some cap space. There’s a holiday roster freeze at midnight tonight that runs through Dec. 27.
But then the Sharks swooped in. I think the Penguins kind of feel like we did a few years ago when the Vegas Golden Knights snagged Ryan Carpenter off waivers. You didn’t want to see it, but you knew it was a possibility.
Noesen is a much more seasoned NHL player than the young guys the Sharks have called up recently. He has 165 games at the NHL level, where he’s scored 25 goals, notched 21 assists and added 88 penalty minutes.
He’s also defensively sound, something the Sharks could use a lot more of from their fourth liners.
Noesen’s even strength play from 2016-2019 isn’t going to get you a lot of goals but it’s also not going to get you scored on a lot. Truthfully, that’s what the Sharks are looking for right now. (Stats courtesy of Evolving-Hockey)
Make no mistake, he was brought in to play. He’s already got a jersey number and everything. It’s likely he’ll make his debut on Saturday.
Stefan Noesen will wear jersey No. 11 for the #SJSharks
— San Jose Sharks PR (@SanJoseSharksPR) December 19, 2019
It’s a solid move for Doug Wilson and company, since Noesen comes with a cap hit of just $700,000 according to Cap Friendly. He’s no more expensive than any of the guys the Sharks have called up previously, but he’s a lot more experienced.
Sharks recall Joel Kellman, Noah Gregor and Jacob Middleton; place Radim Simek on IR
In other Sharks news, the team has recalled Joel Kellman, Noah Gregor and Jacob Middleton ahead of the holiday freeze.
In a related move, defenseman Radim Simek has been placed on injured reserve.
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) December 19, 2019
Note that Dylan Gambrell, who was sent down with Gregor and Middleton yesterday, is still with the Barracuda, so it’s likely the Sharks’ coaching staff thinks he has more to work on.
Middleton was called up because Radim Simek has been placed on injured reserve. It’s understandable since Simek left the last road trip with the Sharks to return to San Jose for a minor surgery on his leg.
As many of you know, Fear the Fin is an independent site run by Sharks fans for Sharks fans. Help keep Fear the Fin independent by contributing to our