Injured Sharks defenseman questionable to start regular season

San Jose Sharks' Radim Simek may not be ready to play Oct. 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights

SAN JOSE — Defensemen Radim Simek’s availability for the Sharks’ season opener Oct. 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights is questionable, coach Pete DeBoer said Friday.

Simek suffered torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee in a game against the Winnipeg Jets in March and missed the rest of the regular season and playoffs. He has been skating on a regular basis on his own this month and is nearing a return to practice, DeBoer said, but it is still unknown whether he will be able to play in less than two weeks time.

The Sharks, who began training camp on Sept. 13, have four preseason games remaining, starting with Saturday’s game at SAP Center against the Vegas Golden Knights.

“There was a conversation this morning about he’s not far away from getting back into participation with our group,” DeBoer said. “I would say it’s more day-to-day and week-to-week.”

Simek’s possible absence could open the door for another left-shot defensemen to make the roster out of camp. Mario Ferraro, Jacob Middleton and Tony Sund figure to be among the most likely candidates to join Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brenden Dillon on the left side.

Last season, Simek made the Sharks roster out of camp but was a healthy scratch for the first 27 games. With the Sharks struggling in late November and early December, Simek was inserted into the lineup for the first time.  He immediately found some chemistry with Brent Burns, and the Sharks won seven of their next eight games.

Simek had one goal and eight assists in 41 games for the Sharks, averaging 15 minutes and 13 seconds of ice time. The Sharks were 29-9-3 with Simek in the lineup last season as they finished second in the Pacific Division with a 46-27-9 record.