Sharks rookie forward quickly earns Warsofsky’s trust, apparent promotion
SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks are riding a rare three-game winning streak, but that doesn’t mean coach Ryan Warsofsky is content with his lineup.
The Sharks, it appears, will make at least a pair of changes for Saturday’s home game against the Vancouver Canucks, with newly acquired defenseman Timothy Liljegren coming in for Jack Thompson and Ethan Cardwell replacing Danil Gushchin on San Jose’s second line.
Inserting Liljegren isn’t a surprise, considering the Sharks wanted to get him into the lineup after he was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. But Cardwell’s possible promotion from the fourth line to a top-six role was slightly less expected considering he is only two games into his NHL career.
Warsofsky said he’s been impressed with Cardwell’s work away from the puck and feels the 22-year-old is responsible enough to play higher in the lineup. Cardwell also has some offensive touch, as evidenced by the team-high 23 goals he scored last season with the Barracuda.
“He’s come in, and he hasn’t looked out of place whatsoever,” Warsofsky said of Cardwell. “He’s responsible. He’s underneath (the puck). We’ve got to put the guys on the ice that we trust the most in important situations. I’ll continue to say that. And when the guys are out there in those important situations, that’s usually the reason.
“We trust Cards on the ice without the puck, and that’s where we’re at.”
Cardwell skated alongside fellow winger Fabian Zetterlund and center Alexander Wennberg on Friday, as Danil Gushchin was down to the ‘fifth line’ with center Macklin Celebrini, who is on injured reserve, and Klim Kostin, a scratch for the last two games.
Nothing is set in stone, as Warsofsky cautioned the lines could look different on Saturday. Still, it appears to be a promotion of sorts for Cardwell, who was recalled from the Barracuda earlier this week after Ty Dellandrea was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body ailment.
“It’s nice to get out there and skate with them today in practice,” Cardwell said. “I don’t know if that’ll be the line for (Saturday’s game), but if it is, I’ll be ready for that. And if it isn’t, I’ll be ready for that as well.
“I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to play with two great players like that. A lot of ice starts to open up, and they start to find you in different areas. So just got to be ready to shoot the puck and be ready to make plays and play fast.”
“(Cardwell) gives us some really fresh legs,” Warsofsky said. “In the first game he played, and then (Thursday) night, he had some good energy. He can skate, get on pucks, and hunt pucks. So I think he’d help that line a little bit.”
Cardwell doesn’t have an NHL point yet, but he has created some chances. He’s averaged just under 11 minutes of ice time, with some time on the penalty kill mixed in.
“I feel like I’m always pretty relaxed,” said Cardwell, who had about 14 friends and family members in attendance Thursday for the Sharks’ 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. “Even in (my NHL) debut, I felt pretty comfortable out there. But it’s just nice to settle in.
“Obviously, I knew a lot of the guys quite well from training camp, so that made it a lot more comfortable coming in and pretty seamless. It’s been a fun couple of days, a bit of a wild ride. I got family coming im so I’ve been hosting them and showing them around at the same time as trying to juggle hockey.”
Gushchin, who earned a spot on the Sharks’ season-opening roster after he had nine points in four exhibition games, has been held to one assist in nine regular-season games so far. He averaged 11:34 in ice time during the first two games of the homestand with three shots on goal.
With just one point so far, Gushchin might be lacking some confidence.
“Just a little inconsistent at times,” Warsofsky said. “He does some good things, and his puck play on the walls has been good, but we just need a little bit more out of him.”
The Sharks haven’t had a four-game streak since they went 4-0-0 to start the 2021-2022 regular season. That was two coaches and two general managers ago.
MORE ON LILJEGREN: Liljegren was paired with Henry Thrun for parts of Friday’s practice and also played up top on the Sharks’ first power play unit with Mikael Granlund, Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg and William Eklund.
The game will be just Liljegren’s second of the season after he was a healthy scratch nine times in 10 games with the Leafs. Liljegren’s one game this season came on Oct. 16, when he had just under 14 minutes of ice time in a 6-2 Leafs win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Does Liljegren feel he has something to prove?
“I think so, especially (with) how things have gone this year,” he said. “It’s a new chapter for me here, and I’m just going to go out and have fun and play my game.”
Liljegren said he hasn’t played on a top power unit since February of last season when he replaced Morgan Rielly in that role. At that time, Rielly was serving a five-game suspension for cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig.
The Sharks power play before Friday’s games was ranked 12th in the NHL at 21.6%.
“He can work the blue line really well on the power play, makes good choices with the puck up top,” Warsofsky said. “There’s been some rust areas. He hasn’t played a lot of hockey, just a little bit there in Toronto. So we’ll ease him in and then at some point, let him go.”
CELEBRINI UPDATE: Macklin Celebrini skated with the Sharks again Friday morning but will not play against his hometown Canucks, Warsofsky said.
Celebrini, who is out with a hip injury, had been skating for over a week before officially rejoining team activities on Thursday.
“That’s kind of what the plan is, and we’ll continue to move forward as each day goes,” Warsofsky said, “but it’s good that he’s out there.”
Warsofsky wouldn’t say whether Celebrini, whose first and only NHL game was on Oct. 10, could be available sometime next week.
“He’s had one practice. So there’s still a little ways to go,” Warsofsky said.
The Sharks host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday and finish their homestand Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. They have a four-game East Coast trip from Nov. 10 to 16.
OTHER INJURIES: Dellandrea, who is eligible to come off IR on Sunday, remains day-to-day, Warsofsky said. He skated on the Sharks’ fourth line Friday with Nico Sturm and Carl Grundstrom. … Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic has resumed skating on his own, Warsofsky said. There remains no timeline for a return to practice.