SAN JOSE – Thomas Bordeleau’s lower-body injury could have a ripple effect throughout the San Jose Sharks’ lineup, particularly in the competition for one of the team’s final few roster spots.
Bordeleau, who was injured in a Sharks’ practice over the weekend, was, or maybe still is, competing to start the season in the NHL, perhaps as a third-line winger. Now he’s considered week-to-week, with the Sharks unsure if he can start the regular season on time.
Who jumps into Bordeleau’s spot, should he have to miss the next couple of weeks, might become one of the bigger storylines in training camp, as the Sharks’ preseason continues with Thursday’s game in Anaheim against the Ducks.
On Tuesday, some NHL hopefuls tried to make a case for themselves in what became a 4-3 loss to the Ducks before an announced crowd of 9,462 at SAP Center.
Forward Danil Gushchin had a goal and an assist and veterans Jake Walman and Alexander Wennberg also scored as the Sharks fell to 0-2-0 in the preseason.
Can Gushchin make a roster push? His offensive talents have never been in question. But can he be responsible on the defensive end?
Things figure to get a little tougher from here for all players competing for a spot on the roster as opposing teams start to dress more NHL regulars in games. Anaheim’s lineup Tuesday mainly featured players who will start the season in the AHL.
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s game.
SMITH’S PLAY: Top prospect Will Smith’s vision and playmaking ability were on display in the first two periods, as he set up winger Tyler Toffoli for quality scoring chances at even strength and on the power play.
Smith finished with over 21 minutes of ice time, had two shots on goal, and won 4 of 8 faceoffs.
Smith’s spot on the 23-man roster seems assured, and his offensive skills figure to land him on the scoresheet at some point here. But his biggest growth area as an NHL centerman will come in the defensive zone.
Being a Massachusetts native, Smith got to watch former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, one of the best two-way centers in NHL history, play regularly. Being a part of the same agency as Bergeron, the two have also gotten to know each other off the ice.
“We were supposed to get out and golf before I left (the Boston area), but it got a little busy, having to go to the (NHLPA) rookie orientation,” Smith said before Tuesday’s game. “But he said whenever I want to reach out, it’ll be good.”
Having a six-time Selke Trophy winner a phone call away figures to be a pretty valuable resource for an offensive wizard like Smith, who faced questions about his two-way game in his draft year. He also knows it’ll be a work in progress as he starts to compete against some of the best centers in the world, particularly in the Pacific Division.
“He obviously started in the league pretty young,” said Smith of Bergeron, who played 71 NHL games during the 2003-04 season as an 18-year-old.
“He’s touched on there’s going to be ups and downs — everyone has said that to me — and it’s a tough league for a reason, the best one in the world, so you’ve got to be there for the ups and the downs.”
IDENTITY PLAY: Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said after Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights that the team needed to start playing closer to its desired identity: playing with pace and having numbers around the puck all game.
“We want to be on top of the opponent,” Warsofsky said. “We had two or three guys doing it. We didn’t have four or five guys doing it. And we want to just play a little bit quicker, coming out of own end a little bit cleaner.”
The Sharks started off well with goals from Gushchin and Wennberg in the first 11:59 of the opening period. Anaheim, though, controlled things in the second period, and some of the Sharks’ defensive breakdowns that bit them Sunday cropped up again Tuesday.
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MAKING A STATEMENT: Just like during Sunday’s game when Givani Smith went after Kaedan Korczak after the Golden Knights defensemen hit Macklin Celebrini, a host of Sharks went at Ducks forward Jansen Harkins after cross-checked Smith.
That’s a non-negotiable this year for the Sharks. If opposing teams take liberties with the Sharks’ best young players, there has to be a response. No questions asked.
FIRST ACTION: Goalie Vitek Vanecek played the first half of Tuesday game and stopped 11 of 12 shots. It was a step in the right direction for Vanecek, who had his 2023-24 season end prematurely with a groin injury in February.
