The San Jose Sharks are in the midst of a troubling spell of injuries at the moment, and following their worst two performances of the season, the Sharks are making more roster alterations in hopes of snapping out of their two-game funk.
Earlier today, general manager Doug Wilson announced that the Sharks recalled forward Micheal Haley and defenseman Mirco Mueller from the San Jose Barracuda, while re-assigning forwards Nikolay Goldobin and Bryan Lerg, along with defenseman Dylan DeMelo to the Barracuda.
All eyes will be focus on the return of Mueller who made the Sharks team out of training camp last season, but clearly wasn’t ready for full-time NHL action. In three games with the Barracuda, Mueller has registered one assist with a plus-one rating. Obviously, San Jose would’ve liked to keep Mueller in the AHL a little longer than three games, but DeMelo didn’t do anything to cement his spot in the lineup, plus, Mueller is a left-handed shot who can fill in for the injured Paul Martin.
More from Sharks News
- Norris Trophy odds show Erik Karlsson a step above the rest
- Red hot Couture provides a much needed boost
- Sharks return to SAP in sight
- Ryan Donato shines in his revenge game
- Tomas Hertl is off to a hot start
In 39 games a season ago, Mueller recorded one goal and three assists while being a minus-eight in just under 17 minutes of ice time per game. He will likely slide in on San Jose’s third pairing alongside Matt Tennyson, with Brenden Dillon potentially moving up alongside Brent Burns or Justin Braun.
Haley, 29, leads the Barracuda in the early going with four goals and six points through the first three games. Haley has been a journeyman throughout the AHL, but has appeared in 56 career NHL games. In all likelihood, Haley will slot in on San Jose’s fourth line and won’t be expected to produce like he has for the Barracuda.
For Goldobin, this continues his own development by sending him back to the AHL. He appeared in three games with the Sharks and scored his first career goal against the New York Islanders. His defensive deficiencies are still evident in his game, but it’s good to get him a taste of NHL action as a motivational tool for him to get back to the Sharks. Make no mistake, Goldobin will be back at some point this season with the big club.
DeMelo could never really gain any traction as he was the seventh defenseman with the Sharks. DeMelo averaged just 12:40 of ice time in his two games with a minus-one rating. He’ll be able to get more ice time with the Barracuda and really work on finding his game again with regular minutes.
San Jose is looking for a spark as they deal with a ton of injuries ahead of a big showdown against the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow night.
Next: Sharks Sloppy In Shutout Loss To Rangers