Shakir Mukhamadullin has been out of the San Jose Sharks’ lineup since he suffered an upper-body injury during practice shortly after the beginning of the season. He returned to the lineup on Thursday night as the Sharks faced off against the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2020 Draft, the New Jersey Devils.
It’s his first game against the Devils.
The San Jose Sharks acquired Mukhamadullin in February of 2023 as part of the trade that saw Timo Meier head to the East Coast.
“I [was] in Russia, and [at] 5am in the morning, my agent just told me that the trade happened,” the then Salavat UFA defenseman recalled. “So now, if you want to come [over to North America], you’re coming to the Sharks.”
Since Mukhamadullin wasn’t well-versed in English at the time of the trade, instead of getting a call from Mike Grier, he was called by San Jose Sharks’ director of goaltending, Evgeni Nabokov. He also noted he didn’t know too much about the San Jose Sharks prior to the trade.
“[I just knew] who played here before,” he said, before sharing a quick story. “When I was, 13 [or] 14 years old, I had a Sharks hat and a Sharks hoodie, so it was funny to hear, but just so happy [for it] to come together.”
He did specify, he didn’t grow up a San Jose Sharks fan though, adding, “I liked the logo and colors.”
Speaking of colors, Mukhamadullin wasn’t seeing red, or Devil red, for this game against the team that traded him.
“Normal game for me,” Mukhamadullin told San Jose Hockey Now and other local media before the game. “Nothing changed, [I’m] just preparing like [a] regular game for me.”
There isn’t a lot familiar on the other side, considering that after he was drafted, he stayed pretty much in Russia, except coming over for development camp.
“Just know the Russian guy, [Arseni] Gritsyuk,” Mukhamadullin said, when asked about his former teammates. “I know him because we’re playing national team together, but I [do] not really know any other one. We play against each other. We play a lot together, know [him] quite well.”
Before suffering his injury in practice, Mukhamadullin recorded two assists in the Sharks’ home opener but was ultimately scratched by head coach Ryan Warsofsky for the two following games.
Injuries have unfortunately been a consistent storyline for Mukhamadullin’s time as a member of the San Jose Sharks, and so far this season has not been an exception.
“It happened from almost nothing,” Mukhamadullin said of his most recent injury. “I don’t want to think about it right now. Maybe I’ll think about it after the season. [For] now I’m [not] worrying about it. I’m just happy to be back.”
He also specified that the injury was to his lower back, and he may look into changing his summer routine next offseason.
Mukhamadullin’s mindset was simple heading into his first game back.
“Start simple, simple shifts,” he said. “Don’t worry about next period. Just worry about my next shift, my next step, my next puck touches, and just play hard and strong.”