SAN JOSE – Macklin Celebrini’s injury is not deemed to be severe, and San Jose Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Wednesday there remains a chance the top-line center could play in the team’s season opener next week.
Celebrini, selected first overall by the Sharks at the NHL Draft in June, is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury after he left Tuesday’s preseason game against the Utah Hockey Club at SAP Center midway through the second period.
Celebrini got a shot away on a partial breakaway at the 13:45 mark that goalie Connor Ingram stopped. Celebrini’s left skate then appeared to be tapped by Utah defenseman Kevin Stenlund, causing the 18-year-old forward to lose balance and slide hard into the end boards.
Celebrini returned to the Sharks bench on his own and took one more shift on a San Jose power play before he went to the team’s dressing room for further evaluation.
Celebrini also experienced lower body discomfort last week, leaving one of the team’s practices early on Sept. 24. Warsofsky said holding Celebrini out of Wednesday’s practice and Tuesday’s third period was more precautionary than anything.
“Just a lower body thing that’s been kind of nagging here a little bit,” Warsofsky said.
Celebrini had a busy September with national media obligations in Northern Virginia and Las Vegas before competing with other Sharks prospects in the Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles.
Macklin Celebrini left tonight's game with a lower body injury after crashing into the boards in the second period pic.twitter.com/AtcncWFhBB
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) October 2, 2024
“He’s been through a lot,” Warsofsky said of Celebrini. “He’s at the rookie tournament, the travel, he’s been bouncing around media stuff this summer. I’d say it’s a little bit more wear and tear and more precautionary than anything. Just kind of day by day.”
The Sharks have two preseason games left: Friday at home against Anaheim and Saturday in Las Vegas. They open the regular season on Oct. 10 at SAP Center against the St. Louis Blues.
Asked if Celebrini’s injury would keep him out for the remainder of the preseason, Warsofsky said, “I wouldn’t say that. We’re going to see how he feels every day and make a decision every day.”
Without Celebrini, the Sharks adjusted their forward lines for Wednesday’s practice.
Alexander Wennberg took Celebrini’s spot as the Sharks’ top-line center, with Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund on the wings. Will Smith centered the second line with Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund.
In the bottom six, Ty Dellandrea centered the third line with Barclay Goodrow and Luke Kunin, and the fourth line featured center Nico Sturm with wingers Klim Kostin and Carl Grundstrom.
Those lines will obviously change if Celebrini can return to practice sometime this week. But they show the Sharks are better equipped to absorb the loss of a centerman than last season when the team’s projected top four centers — Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture, Granlund, and Sturm — were never in the lineup at the same time.
Although Couture remains out indefinitely with a groin-related injury and Hertl is now with the Vegas Golden Knights, the additions of Wennberg, Will Smith, Goodrow, and Dellandrea give the Sharks more options down the middle.
“We have more depth, for sure, than years past,” Warsofsky said, adding that general manager Mike Grier has done a good job “of bringing in some guys that can play both the wing and center, and we definitely have more depth.”
Wennberg, 30, is entering his 11th NHL season after he signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Sharks on July 1. Although he hasn’t been a major point producer in the NHL, Wennberg plays hard minutes and is solid at both ends of the ice.
“For me to go out and play with (Toffoli and Eklund) today, that doesn’t really change much,” Wennberg said. “You go out focusing on what you can do, and obviously, they’re good players. It’s fun to be out there. You don’t really overthink it.”
TRANSACTION: The Sharks returned forward Colin White, who is on an AHL contract, to the Barracuda. White, now in his ninth professional season and a veteran of 320 NHL games, is expected to be a leader with the Sharks’ top minor league affiliate.
WAIVER WIRE: The Sharks placed forwards Andrew Poturalski and Scott Sabourin on waivers Wednesday and if they clear, as expected, they will report to the Barracuda’s training camp. Both played Tuesday, with Poturalski assisting on Matt Benning’s even-strength goal and finishing with 14:52 in ice time. Sabourin had 7:20 in ice time.
INJURY UPDATES: Injured defensemen Marc-Edouard Vlasic (upper body) and Shakir Mukhamadullin (lower body) and goalie Yaroslav Askarov (lower body) both skated on their own for the third consecutive day.
