Veteran defenseman is back with the Sharks, but his NHL career is in limbo

SAN JOSE – Nick Leddy is back in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks, but it remains unclear as to when – or where – the veteran defenseman will play his next game.

Now back practicing with the Sharks since he was recalled from the Barracuda on Wednesday, Leddy’s playing career is somewhat in limbo, with a return to the AHL, a move to another team, or remaining on San Jose’s NHL roster all possibilities in the coming days and weeks.

“Control what I can control,” Leddy, a 16-year NHL veteran and Stanley Cup champion, said Saturday of his approach to the uncertainty. “There are some things that are completely out of my hands. You never know what will happen.”

Claimed by San Jose in July after he was placed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues, Leddy has had a tumultuous season so far in the Sharks organization.

Leddy started off as a top-four defenseman with the Sharks, averaging close to 21 minutes of ice time per game, before he sustained an upper-body injury in an Oct. 23 game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Leddy returned in mid-November, but struggled to keep a spot in the lineup, dressing in only 12 of 31 games before he was placed on waivers by the Sharks on Jan. 18.

“Injuries are kind of death,” Leddy said. “Very unfortunate, but it is a part of the game. It all goes back to controlling what I can control: my mindset, being in a good head space, and learning from every experience.”

Leddy, 34, was assigned to the Barracuda on Jan. 19, but he never played a game for the AHL affiliate, a decision that Leddy said was between himself and Sharks general manager Mike Grier.

Asked if he’s now open to playing for the Barracuda, should he be sent down again, Leddy said he’s “been thinking about that. Haven’t really come up with a plan just yet, but we’ll be coming up with one soon. I don’t know. I think that’s up to me and (Grier) to talk about.

“I just want to play hockey, too. So, we’ll see what happens.”

Complicating matters for Leddy was that the Sharks, at times, were carrying nine defensemen on the active roster and wanted to give younger blueliners opportunities to play.

“I’ve been around long enough where you can kind of see the writing on the wall, and talks with (Grier) and my agent (Pat Brisson) were happening,” Leddy said. “So (being waived) wasn’t truly out of the blue. Obviously, it stings a little bit, but it’s the business.”

The Sharks, at the moment, do not have a pressing need to create an opening on the 23-man roster. Center Filip Bystedt, promoted from the Barracuda at the same time as Leddy, can be reassigned to the AHL once the Sharks want to activate Ryan Reaves from injured reserve. But forward Ty Dellandrea, San Jose’s only other player on IR, is still considered weeks away from a return from a lower-body ailment.

As long as they have enough salary cap space, NHL teams can expand their rosters beyond 23 players after the March 6 trade deadline. Leddy can be kept on the Sharks roster, as his deal carries a $4 million cap hit, and the team, per PuckPedia, will have over $10.6 million in cap space available by deadline day.

The Sharks also have four other defensemen, besides Leddy, who are pending unrestricted free agents and could be traded. If one or more of the Sharks’ pending UFAs, like Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, Vincent Desharnais, or John Klingberg, are traded, that could open the door for Leddy to return to the lineup.

“You never know,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “The trade deadline’s coming up, things change very quickly. An injury there, injury here, next thing you know, you’re back in the top four, six, whatever it might be. So he’s got to control what he can control and just be ready for practice.”

The Sharks and Jeff Skinner on Feb. 16 mutually agreed to terminate the remainder of his one-year, $3 million contract, allowing the veteran winger to sign with any other team. Skinner remains a free agent.

Leddy’s cap hit is likely too much for other teams to absorb in a trade, but a new deal with a smaller cap hit would be easier to swallow. Asked if terminating his contract is something he has or would consider, Leddy said that decision “is up to (Grier), and my agent.

“So it’s hard to comment on that now, with so many moving parts and a lot of things going on. The focus is here. The focus is on trying to win games here and getting to the playoffs.”

Leddy, with 420 points in 1,061 career NHL games, firmly believes he can still play at the highest level.

“I would love to play in the NHL, that’s the ultimate goal,” Leddy said. “Again, that’s not always up to me.”