- Editor's note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California's Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
Radim Šimek is happy to get a fresh start…and with the San Jose Sharks.
That might be a surprise after the defenseman put the Sharks organization on blast in May. The 30-year-old was miffed because he appeared in just two of San Jose’s last 27 games during the 2021-22 season. In one of those two appearances, Šimek actually played forward for the first time since he was 12.
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“I was told younger guys must play [in my place]. Coaches told me the decision comes from management. The management told me it’s just the coaching staff’s call,” Šimek told Hokej.cz before the World Championships. “Someone outright lied to me, they didn’t tell me the truth.”
Šimek, entering the third season of a four-year, $9 million dollar contract, is now ready to turn the page.
“It’s past for me already,” Šimek told San Jose Hockey Now on the first day of training camp. “It’s new management here. New coaching staff. I’m looking forward.”