SAN JOSE – Defenseman Jacob Trouba is ill and will be a game-time decision Saturday when the San Jose Sharks face the Los Angeles Kings at 7 p.m. at SAP Center.

Trouba has dealt with the unspecified illness at least since Friday when he did not practice. He also did not take part in the morning skate at Sharks Ice on Saturday.

If Trouba is unavailable Saturday, Sam Dickinson will draw into the Sharks’ lineup against the Kings. Dickinson was a healthy scratch in the Sharks’ season-opener, a 4-3 overtime victory against the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

If 20-year-old Dickinson does play Saturday, he will likely be paired with Nolan Allan, 23. The two skated together Friday and Saturday. That would mean the Sharks would have three defensemen in Saturday’s lineup who are 23 or younger. Luca Cagnoni, who had the overtime winner Tuesday, is 21 and has been paired with 35-year-old Dmitry Orlov.

Cagnoni, Dickinson and Allan have a combined 126 games of NHL experience.

“Even though (Dickinson’s) a young player, he’s got experience of playing in the (NHL) last year, and understanding the areas that we need to pick up a little bit on,” Sharks coach Ryan Warssofsky said, “so we feel really comfortable in that area.”

Trouba, signed to a four-year, $33 million contract by the Sharks as a free agent in July, had 22:35 of ice time, including a team-leading 6:04 on the penalty kill, in Thursday’s win.

Trouba, 32, had two shots on net, was listed with three giveaways, and fought Panthers winger Brady Tkachuk in the first period after Tkachuk and center Aleksander Barkov knocked down Macklin Celebrini near the neutral zone.

NURSE ON BARKOV

Barkov, who exited Thursday’s game in the second period with a lower-body ailment, was placed on long-term injured reserve by the Panthers on Saturday, meaning he’ll miss at least the next 10 games or 24 days.

ESPN reported there is optimism within the Panthers organization that Barkov’s injury is not season-ending.

Barkov walked down the tunnel after this play: pic.twitter.com/J9iA1Oo1JD

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 2, 2026

On the play, Barkov, the Panthers’ captain, was battling for the puck in the corner to the left of the Sharks’ net with defenseman Darnell Nurse and Zack Ostapchuk. Barkov lost his balance after a push from Nurse’s left arm and fell awkwardly to the ice, with his lower left leg bending the wrong way.

“You never want to see a guy go down like that,” Nurse told Bay Area News Group on Friday. “It must have been a freak thing because there wasn’t much contact.”

Askarov missed all of last season after tearing his right ACL and MCL during training camp.

ASKAROV STARTS

Yaroslav Askarov will start Saturday’s game after he made 23 saves in a solid performance against the Panthers.

The Sharks have confidence in Alex Nedeljkovic, given his 18-14-4 record and .896 save percentage last season. But the organization also wants to see Askarov start developing into a No. 1 goalie.

“He’s earned it,” Warsofsky said of Askarov. “He’s earned the start. He had a really good camp, so that was kind of the plan.”

Asked if he and the Sharks want a goalie to take over the net to start the season, Warsofsky said, “I think every team would hope that, right? So (Askarov) will go tonight, and we’ll focus on today.”

GAUDETTE PROGRESSES

Injured forward Adam Gaudette (upper body) practiced without a non-contact jersey on Saturday and appears poised to join the Sharks on their upcoming two-game road trip, which begins Monday in Dallas.

Warsofsky said the Sharks will have to see how Gaudette comes out of Saturday’s skate before deciding whether he’s healthy enough to come off injured reserve. If he can come off IR, the Sharks would have to make a corresponding move, which could mean placing winger Brett Leason on waivers.

Gaudette was injured early in training camp.