San Jose Sharks forward Collin Graf took his healthy scratch against the Carolina Hurricanes seriously.
Like Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said, to build winning habits, you’re going to piss some people off. For Graf, he certainly knows that becoming a regular in an NHL lineup isn’t a given.
“Well, obviously, I don’t want to be scratched. I don’t think anyone ever wants to be scratched. It should piss you off a little bit,” Graf said. “That’s sort of just the competitor in me. The competitor and everyone, right? You want to play. That’s your job. It’s your livelihood.”
Graf appears to be returning to the San Jose Sharks lineup for its first road game of the season agaisnt the Utah Mammoth. Ryan Reaves skated as an extra forwad during the last two Sharks practices.
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#SJSharks lines at practice: Klingberg & Liljegren are not on the ice
Skinner-Celebrini-Kurashev
Eklund-Wennberg-Toffoli
Graf-Misa-Smith
Goodrow-Dellandrea-Gaudette
Reaves
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Dickinson-Desharnias— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) October 15, 2025
“Going on the road is always fun, just because you’re with the guys [and] that’s all you have,” Graf said. “We got a nice team dinner out in Utah, and then hopefully we’ll have a lot of energy and respond to that last game with a good start in Utah.”
Warsofsky’s message
So what is Warsofsky’s message to Graf on why he found himself sitting for a game?
“The word they used was, was conviction. For me, that sort of just means, be more be more decisive,” Graf explained. “Take a puck to the net. Go through contact. Get involved in the game. Hit someone [and] just have more energy out there.”
Warsofsky echoed the same words when asked about what he told Graf.
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“It’s not like Graf has been playing horrible by any means. It’s more I’d like to see a little bit more conviction out of his game,” Warsofsky said last Tuesday. “Playing along the inside, finishing checks. I don’t expect him ever to be a guy who puts guys into the boards and breaks the glass. But we need a little bit more conviction out of him. He’s been good in the penalty kill.”
Graf will use his first game back to prove that he’s heard what the coaches want and apply it to his game.
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