The San Jose Sharks are guaranteed to finish the last in the general classification of the NHL this season, which means that once they will have the best opportunity to win the draft lottery next month.
Sharks (20-48-11) enter Sunday’s game against the Calgary Flames with 51 points and can no longer catch the 31st Chicago place after the Blackhawks obtained a point with a defeat for the shooting against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
San José Heals Chicago for six points and has three games left, including Sundays, but the Blackhawks own the first tiebreaker with 20 victories in regulation time. Sharks have won only 14 games in regulation time.
“We know that it is a fight in the leg this season for the victories, but we have made some progress,” said Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky, Sunday morning. “We will talk after the season, we go back the onion here and look forward, but my approach is tonight.”
At the end of the least number of points, sharks will have a 25.5% chance of winning the draft lottery. They are also guaranteed a selection of high lock.
The sharks ended last season with a record of 19-54-9, won the draft lottery and selected Macklin Celebini with the No. 1 General Selection. Celebini entered Sunday with a team leading 62 points, the second one among all NHL’s newbies.
It is widely believed that the best player available in this year’s draft is the defense of Erie Otters, Matthew Schaefer, who is not playing since he supported a broken clavicle in December while playing for the Canada team at the IIHF World Junior Junior Junior Junior.
The last team to end in the last place in consecutive seasons was the Buffalo Sabres in 2013 and 2014.
Rutta’s future: The defense of the Sharks, Jan Rutta, a free -free free agent, said he is open to sign with the team this low season.
Rutta, acquired by sharks in August 2023 in the multiple players agreement that sent Erik Karlsson to Pittsburgh, turns 35 in July and is in the last year of his three -year agreement and $ 8.25 million he signed with the Penguins in July 2022.
It is not clear if Rutta, a right -shot defender, will return. For the next season, the sharks have nine defenders with the experience of the NHL under contract or equipment control, including defenders of the right shot Timothy Liljegren, Vincent Desharnais and Jack Thompson.
“I like San José. I like playing for sharks,” Rutta said Sunday. “I am a free agent, so we will see what the future brings. I would really like to be a shark, but for now, I am very happy to be able to play.”
After almost an absence of three months, Routtas returned from an injury at the bottom of the body on Friday in the 4-2 defeat of the sharks against the Edmonton Oilers. In his first game since January 23, Rutta was 19:29 in ice time and two blocked shots were attributed.
Rutta said the game “was not a Picasso”, but it was soft to return after an arduous rehabilitation.
“It was frustrating sometimes, but very happy to play, return to action,” Rutta said. “Many thanks to sharks and doctors. He took time, but very happy.”
Rutta said he has had conversations with hockey officials in Chechia about once playing for his country of origin in the World Championship. Rutta helped Cecia capture the gold medal last season when the tournament was a hero in Prague and Ostrava.
Alignment notes: The striker Thomas Bordeleau, recalled from Barracuda on Saturday, will be dedicated to Sunday’s alignment. The Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said that the Cam Lund end has a disease and will not play, and that the Kostin climb is insecure due to an injury at the bottom of the body.
Bordeleau’s game will be the first at the NHL since April 18, 2024, when sharks lost to the flames at the end of the regular season. He had 38 points in 59 games with the barracuda this season. He
Bordeleau applies to become a restricted free agent pending this summer, and sharks will have to decide at the end of June if to issue a qualification offer and retain their rights.
“He has played here before, he understands how to play this league, what he needs to do to impact the game in certain areas,” Warsofsky said about Bordeleau.
Warsofsky said it is not clear if Kostin should play in one of the last two sharks games, either on Monday in Vancouver or Wednesday at home against the oilers.
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