{"id":479161,"date":"2026-09-29T07:56:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T07:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/479161\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T07:56:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T07:56:28","slug":"san-jose-sharks-set-roster-put-adam-gaudette-on-ir-as-opener-looms-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/479161\/","title":{"rendered":"San Jose Sharks set roster, put Adam Gaudette on IR as opener looms"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN JOSE \u2013 The Sharks have placed forward Adam Gaudette on injured reserve but otherwise appear to have a healthy NHL roster<\/a> as they prepare for Thursday\u2019s season opener against the Florida Panthers.<\/p>\n

The Sharks, who had to submit their salary-cap-compliant 23-man roster<\/a> to the league office by Monday afternoon, will start the season with several players on IR, although Gaudette was the only one projected to be in the NHL. As of Saturday, Gaudette, who was injured early in training camp<\/a>, was day-to-day with an upper-body injury.<\/p>\n

With Gaudette injured, the Sharks kept Brett Leason<\/a> on their roster. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound winger, who played in 226 NHL games from 2021-2026, signed a one-year deal with the Sharks in July and had a solid training camp after spending most of last season in the AHL.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat really surprised me is the maturity of his game,\u201d Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Leason on Saturday. \u201cObviously he\u2019s big, he\u2019s long, gets a stick on a lot of pucks, knows his identity; that\u2019s a big thing. He\u2019s been really consistent, so he\u2019s earned the right to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sharks\u2019 roster, which has 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies in Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic, includes three players who spent a majority of last season with the Barracuda of the AHL.<\/p>\n

As expected, forward Igor Chernyshov, who had 19 points in 28 games with the Sharks last season, made the team and will likely start this week in the middle six forward group, potentially alongside center Michael Misa and fellow winger Tyler Toffoli.<\/p>\n

Defensemen Luca Cagnoni<\/a> and Nolan Allan, who combined to play 102 games with the Barracuda last season, might also play prominent roles with the Sharks.<\/p>\n

Cagnoni played point on the Sharks\u2019 top power-play unit during training camp, and Allan paired with veteran Jacob Trouba during the team\u2019s 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday in the preseason finale.<\/p>\n

In that game, Allan had 18:18 of ice time, including a team-leading 5:08 on the penalty kill, and he and Darnell Nurse blocked a team-high five shots each.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought he was good,\u201d Trouba said. \u201cHe moves the puck well, doesn\u2019t really ever get himself into trouble, which I think is a bigger skill than people give credit for. Makes simple plays, was solid all game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHad a really good camp from the start until today. He\u2019s played good hockey, and he\u2019s a fun guy to play with.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sharks\u2019 forward group, as expected, also includes centers Macklin Celebrini, Alexander Wennberg, Michael Misa, Ty Dellandrea, and Zack Ostapchuk, and wingers Chernyshov, Will Smith, Mason Marchment, Tyler Toffoli, Collin Graf, Kiefer Sherwood, Barclay Goodrow, and rookie Ivar Stenberg.<\/p>\n

The Sharks\u2019 revamped defense corps also features Michael Kesselring, Darnell Nurse, Sam Dickinson, Dmitry Orlov and Trouba. Only Orlov and Dickinson were with the Sharks all of last season.<\/p>\n

As of Monday, the Sharks had just over $2.7 million in cap space, per PuckPedia.<\/p>\n

After the game against the Panthers, the Sharks, who are hoping to snap a seven-year playoff drought this season, host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. That\u2019s followed by a two-game road trip next week with stops in Dallas and St. Louis.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d rather have expectations and want to win and be fighting for it every night instead of looking forward to the next couple of years,\u201d Celebrini said at the start of training camp. \u201cI think that\u2019s where the focus has shifted for our group: taking the steps necessary to make the playoffs and have that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other players on IR include forwards Alex Barre-Boulet and Logan Couture, who will not play again, but is entering the final year of his eight-year, $64 million contract<\/a> that he signed on July 1, 2018.<\/p>\n

Patrick Giles, Cam Lund and Quentin Musty, defenseman Mattias Havelid, and goalie Kyle Keyser are on the injured non-roster list, and will likely be sent to the Barracuda or placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment when they are healthy. Musty and Keyser are out long-term with upper-body injuries, general manager Mike Grier said on Sept. 17, and Lund will miss at least a few more weeks.<\/p>\n

Both Musty and Lund were injured during the Rookie Faceoff event in San Jose earlier this month, and Keyser was injured before camp began, leading the Sharks to sign goalie Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, two-way contract three weeks ago.<\/p>\n

Samsonov cleared waivers on Monday<\/a> and was assigned to the Barracuda, who open the regular season on Oct. 3 at home against San Diego.<\/p>\n

NIETO RETIRES<\/p>\n

Former Sharks winger Matt Nieto announced his retirement on Monday on his Instagram account.<\/a><\/p>\n

Nieto, a Long Beach native, played 705 NHL games over 12 seasons, including 364 in two stints with San Jose from 2013 to 2016, and 2021 to 2023. He also played 287 games with the Colorado Avalanche and 54 with Pittsburgh, finishing his last season as a pro with the Penguins in 2045-25.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last few years, I\u2019ve battled injuries that made playing hockey at the highest level difficult,\u201d Nieto, 33, wrote. \u201cI took last season off and did everything I could to find my way back. I\u2019m not stepping away because I stopped loving hockey. I\u2019m stepping away because I loved it enough to give it everything I had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nieto, known for his speed and reliability, also played in 62 playoff games, including 16 with San Jose during its run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cHockey will always be a part of who I am,\u201d Nieto, a Sharks second-round pick in 2011, wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s been a part of my life ever since I was a 3-year-old kid playing roller hockey in California. I\u2019ll always be thankful for everything this game has given me. I\u2019m not saying goodbye to hockey \u2014 just to being a player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Congrats to the Long Beach Native on a great career! https:\/\/t.co\/E9oVVNp4AV<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/wzbMyNHSrq<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

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