SAN JOSE – Veteran goalie Laurent Brossoit isn’t sure if or when he’ll get another start for the San Jose Sharks as they try to keep up in the race for one of the final few playoff spots in the Western Conference.

For now, Brossoit is simply glad to be getting another chance to be in the NHL after an injury and subsequent surgeries temporarily derailed his career.

“After two knee surgeries and we still had no answers,” Brossoit said, “there was a big part of me that thought my career was done.”

Brossoit backed up starting goalie Alex Nedeljkovic for the Sharks’ game against the Buffalo Sabres at SAP Center on Thursday night and will likely stay with the team as long as injured rookie goalie Yaroslav Askarov remains unavailable.

Askarov sustained a lower-body injury last Thursday prior to San Jose’s game against the Boston Bruins. Brossoit, 32, was officially recalled by the Sharks from the Barracuda the next day and backed up Nedeljkovic in a 4-2 Sharks win over the Montreal Canadiens last Saturday.

Askarov and injured winger Igor Chernyshov (upper body) took a “step in the right direction” on Thursday morning, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said, as both skated at the team’s practice facility. Still, it remains unclear when either player will be able to fully practice with the team and be available for a game. Chernyshov was injured in the early going of Saturday’s game.

The Sharks do not play on back-to-back days again until April 1 and 2, when they host the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs. So Warsofsky can ride Nedeljkovic if Askarov does not return soon.

The Sharks entered Thursday in 10th place in the Western Conference with 70 points, one point behind the Seattle Kraken for the second wild card spot.

Brossoit, now in his 12th professional season, no doubt would relish another opportunity to play after he allowed six goals on 23 shots in the Sharks’ 7-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. It was his first start since April 18, 2024, when he was with the Winnipeg Jets.

“It’s been pretty surreal,” Brossoit said of being back in the NHL, where he holds a career record of 64-47-13 with a solid .910 save percentage. “It’s been my fourth time having to re-make the NHL. It’s like I never left in some ways. Then there’s a lot of moments where I was like, ‘It’s been a while since I’ve been here,’ especially coming back to the Bell Centre was pretty special.

“It was my first day back. It just brought back a lot of memories, obviously, and it just made me appreciate being out here that much more. We have it so good, the lifestyle, the pace of play, and the intensity in the games, you just can’t beat it. It’s very motivating for me to make sure I stay here.”

In August 2024, after signing a two-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, Brossoit underwent surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee and hoped to return in roughly six weeks. But the knee had trouble returning to full strength.

Last summer, doctors examined his right hip and found that a cam lesion on the head of Brossoit’s femur was causing the knee pain. After surgery to address the issue, Brossoit’s health improved, and he played his first professional game on Dec. 5 with Rockford of the AHL.

While Brossoit started to doubt whether he would be able to play again, “there was another side to me that thought it just didn’t feel like it was that serious, and it was confusing, to have something that was thought of as so minor keep me out that long. Then, obviously, got some fresh eyes (on the knee) in the summer, and we found out that the hip was causing the knee problem.

“Got it fixed up, and now I’m starting to feel good again,” he said. “It just gives you a whole new appreciation for not just the game and the NHL, but just to be able to make money doing it.”

On Jan. 8, the Sharks acquired Brossoit, defenseman Nolan Allan, and a 2028 seventh-round selection for the contract of defenseman Ryan Ellis, AHL defenseman Jake Furlong, and a 2028 fourth-round selection.

Brossoit went 11-2-1 with a .915 save percentage in his first 14 games with the Barracuda, which entered Thursday in third place in the AHL’s Pacific Division.

“I was ecstatic,” Brossoit said of the trade. “Obviously, Chicago had to do something once I wasn’t able to get healthy in time for that season, so they went and got (Spencer Knight), so there wasn’t a whole lot of space and plans for me.”

Brossoit is a pending unrestricted free agent and said he’s open to returning to San Jose.

“All I can do is show well in practice, and if I get more opportunities in games, show well,” Brossoit said. “I’d love to be here, but of course, the nature of the beast is I’ve got to show off for anyone who would have me.

“My first choice, this place is pretty special, so I’m going to work (hard) to try to get an opportunity here.”

KLINGBERG SCRATCHED

Two days after his miscue played a role in the Edmonton Oilers’ game-winning goal against the Sharks on Tuesday, defenseman John Klingberg was a scratch for Thursday’s game.

With the Sharks and Oilers tied 3-3, forward Max Jones scored a go-ahead goal 4:49 into the third period. Klingberg was below the goal line, perhaps expecting a pass from defense partner Dmitry Orlov, when Jones picked up a rebound and tucked a shot past Nedeljkovic for his second goal of the season.

It was Klingberg’s first healthy scratch since Feb. 2 when the Sharks played the Blackhawks.

“He’s got to be better,” Warsofsky said of his message to Klingberg. “That’s really it.”

Other Sharks scratches on Thursday were forwards Philipp Kurashev and Ryan Reaves.

NOTABLE

Center Ty Dellandrea joined the Sharks for Thursday’s morning skate, wearing an orange non-contact jersey. Dellandrea has not played since Jan. 6 when he sustained a lower-body injury in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Dellandrea seemed to be skating well, but Warsofsky still classified the forward as being week-to-week.