A lot is being made about the San Jose Sharks scratching top prospect Michael Misa against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
The main reason could be the approaching games played total for the Sharks’ No. 2 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. With six games under his belt, Misa can only play three more NHL games before the Sharks must decide his future.
Once Misa and other top prospect Sam Dickinson play their 10th NHL game, both must remain on the Sharks roster. Dickinson will play his ninth game of the season on Thursday, meaning one decision is around the corner.
San Jose Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky is saying the reason behind scratching Misa isn’t because of the number of games he’s played.
Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
“When you watch from way up top, you see how the game can slow down for you. He can watch guys. He does a good job watching [Macklin Celebrini],” Warsofsky said. “I think we have some really good centers that he can watch as well. He’s taking some steps in the right direction, it’s just a lot of hockey this week, so got to manage it.”
The Sharks play tonight and have a back to back over the weekend with weird start times. Warsofsky says they are managing him. There’s a lot of hockey in a very short amount of time https://t.co/b7H8ct1zfg— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) October 30, 2025
Warsofsky mentions that the team has a lot of hockey upcoming. Dating back to the Los Angeles Kings game on Tuesday, the Sharks are playing four games in six days. For an 18-year-old who is coming off his first big NHL road trip to the East Coast, that can be a lot to handle.
Misa has three points in his last four games. He finished the previous San Jose Sharks game with a team-high eight shots on goal. Misa didn’t play against the Devils on Oct. 25 either, but that was on the second half of a back-to-back.
Warsofsky said the matchup against the Devils wasn’t the reason behind scratching him either.
Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
The argument that the San Jose Sharks are scratching Misa to buy time before being forced to make a decision. But, there can also be truth to not overwhelming the 18-year-old rookie.
The fate of Dickinson’s future will be known in the very near future. Warsofsky says no decision has been made on either player at this moment.
Read more news and stories about the San Jose Sharks on Sharks Hockey Digest! Bookmark the page and follow Sharks Hockey Digest on Twitter @SharksHKYDigest!
Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.