Scouts on How Dzingel Can Help Sharks

What do the San Jose Sharks have in waiver claim Ryan Dzingel?

“I’m not excited for him shooting me in practice,” goaltender James Reimer, who played with Dzingel in Carolina, joked today. “He’s one of those guys, they can find a way to score.”

That seems to be the consensus among NHL scouts.

“I’m not a fan of the player but he’s got some good offensive tools,” Scout #1 said. “Good offensive instincts. Can shoot it, quick release.”

“Skilled, can add to a power play,” Scout #2 said of the two-time 20-goal scorer.

Scout #1 laughed — but didn’t disagree — when I suggested that the left-handed cast-off might already have the best one-timer on the San Jose Sharks.

So why aren’t they fans of Ryan Dzingel?

“He’s light and not hard to play against,” Scout #1 said of the 6-foot-0, 190-pound sniper.

Scout #2 agreed: “He’s not overly hard to play against. He’s eliminated easily at 5-on-5.”

A third scout chimed in: “He’s just okay. He skates decently and has more experience than some of your other wingers. But if you can’t play in Arizona?”

It has been a bit of a journey for Dzingel since his last 20-goal campaign in 2018-19. That year, he played in Ottawa and Columbus, but since then, he’s bounced from Carolina, Ottawa again, and this season, cellar-dwelling Arizona. Dzingel had four goals and three assists in 26 games with the Coyotes.

Well, I guess there’s a reason why the 29-year-old just hit the waiver wire. But it doesn’t mean that the winger can’t help the goal-starved San Jose Sharks, who entered today with a 24th-ranked offense and a 21st-ranked power play.

“He doesn’t create much but may find chemistry in San Jose,” Scout #3 observed.

It sounds like Dzingel is a shooter that needs to skate with a playmaker.

Will that be center Logan Couture or Nick Bonino? We’ll see tomorrow, when Ryan Dzingel, who will wear No. 14, should join the San Jose Sharks in Anaheim for their tilt against the Ducks.

Sharks Claim Dzingel, Waive Pederson: Winger Should Play Tomorrow