Latest injury testing Sharks’ organizational depth on defense
SAN JOSE — Defenseman Jake Middleton is considered week-to-week with an upper body injury, Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said Saturday afternoon, further testing the organization’s depth at the position less than a week into the start of the regular season.
Middleton absorbed a big hit from Vegas Golden Knights winger Ryan Reaves at the 17:36 mark of the first period of Friday’s game at SAP Center and did not return, as the Sharks finished the game with five defenseman in what became a 5-1 loss.
Middleton joins Radim Simek and Dalton Prout as Sharks defenseman on injured reserve. Simek is nearing a return and has been practicing with the Sharks lately after he had reconstructive knee surgery in March. Prout (upper body) was injured in the Sharks’ season-opener vs. Vegas on Wednesday and will not join the team on their three-game road trip.
Trevor Carrick, acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in August for Kyle Wood, was recalled from the Barracuda on Saturday and will play his first game with the Sharks. Carrick, 25, played four NHL games in five years in the Hurricanes organization, was an AHL All-Star in 2016 and won a Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers last season. Defenseman Tim Heed will be a scratch for the third straight game.
“He’s smart, he sees the ice, he ran the power play in the American League, so he can make plays,” DeBoer said of Carrick. “For him, it’s been about speed and being a full-time NHL guy. Hopefully he gets up here and can establish himself.”
The Sharks are also dressing forward Jonny Brodzinski for the first time this season, as he replaces Dylan Gambrell.
“We’re looking to establish a four-line game, where we can get four lines jumping over the boards and putting pressure on the other team,” DeBoer said. “In my time in San Jose, that’s when we’ve been our best. When you look at Vegas, that’s what they did to us. Their fourth line was as good as their second line.
“Those guys have to find a way when they’re in the lineup to get over the boards and tilt the ice in our favor. Anything more than that is a bonus.”
The Sharks, outscored 9-2 in two games against the Golden Knights, are looking to avoid their first 0-3 start since the 1993-94 season, when they began 0-4-0 under then-first year coach Kevin Constantine. The Ducks started the season with a 2-1 win over Arizona on Thursday.