Sharks place defenseman on waivers, create another valuable roster opening

The San Jose Sharks on Friday placed defenseman Vincent Iorio on waivers, clearing a roster spot for one or more of their players to potentially be activated off injured reserve.

The Sharks were carrying 22 players on their active roster as of early Friday and had three others – forwards Kiefer Sherwood and Philipp Kurashev and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin – on IR.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said last week that Mukhamadullin was getting closer to a return, and that he was optimistic that Kurashev and Sherwood could be activated before the end of the team’s road trip on Feb. 4. All three players were dealing with upper body injuries.

Iorio, 23, was scratched for a sixth straight game Thursday in the Sharks’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

The Sharks took a 3-0 lead in the first period but gave up three goals in the third – including two in the final 3:05 of regulation time – before allowing a goal to Zach Hyman at the 1:06 mark of overtime.

Iorio, who was claimed by the Sharks on Oct. 16 after he had been put on waivers by the Washington Capitals. He had three assists in 21 games with the Sharks and averaged 16:30 in ice time, mainly as a third pair defenseman. His string of healthy scratches partly coincides with the return of defenseman Vincent Desharnais, who has now dressed for five straight games after he missed over seven weeks with an elbow injury.

Teams have until Saturday morning to claim the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Iorio. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll likely be assigned to the Barracuda of the AHL.

The Sharks are 1-0-1 on their five-game road trip that continues Saturday in Calgary against the Flames. They then play the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday and the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday before the start of the Olympic break.