Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson and center Joe Thornton did not practice with the team in New Jersey on Saturday. San Jose head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters in New Jersey. The Sharks play the Devils Sunday afternoon, and DeBoer said he hoped the two-time Norris Trophy winner would be able to suit up then.
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San Jose acquired Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators on the eve of training camp, sending two roster players, two prospects, two draft picks, and two conditional draft picks the other way. In five games with the Sharks, Karlsson has three assists and leads the team in average ice time (26:56). That mark was the second-highest in the league as of this writing.
Through five games, the Sharks have controlled 62.57 percent of the five-on-five shot attempts with the 28-year-old on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick, while San Jose has been one of the best puck-possession teams in the NHL. Karlsson's been outscored 5-3 at even strength, however, largely because the Sharks have shot poorly (5.26 percent shooting percentage) and gotten stopped shots poorly (.872 save percentage) with him on the ice five-on-five.
If Karlsson does not play on Sunday, San Jose could turn to one of two defensemen: Tim Heed or Radim Simek. Both players made the team out of training camp as the Sharks elected to carry eight defensemen on their roster at the start of the season, fearing the loss of either player to waivers.
Heed scored 11 points in 29 games last season, attempting shots five-on-five at a higher rate (14.73 per hour) than any San Jose defenseman other than Brent Burns. Simek, meanwhile, has yet to make his NHL debut, but scored 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 67 games with the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL last year. As a right-handed defenseman, Heed would figure to have the edge filling in for a right-shooting Karlsson.
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The Sharks are already without center Joe Thornton, who remains on injured reserve after experiencing swelling in his surgically-repaired right knee. San Jose is 2-1-1 through four games on a five-game road trip, and Sunday's game in New Jersey is the trip's final game.