San Jose Sharks
Preview/Lines #71: Leddy Appreciates Being Back With Sharks, Askarov & Klingberg Injury Updates
COLUMBUS — Nick Leddy appreciates being back in the NHL.
Waived in January by the San Jose Sharks, and unclaimed, in part because of his $4 million AAV, it was no sure thing that the veteran defenseman would ever play again in the best league in the world.
But here he was on Thursday night, helping the Sharks get a point against his last team, the St. Louis Blues. San Jose lost 2-1 in OT, Leddy playing 19:44 and providing a security blanket for a more aggressive Sam Dickinson, who had one of his better games of the season.
“It’s always fun to play against friends, guys that will be lifelong friends,” Leddy said post-game, about St. Louis, where he skated from 2021 to 2025. “When you go to battle with someone in the playoffs over and over again, and you have those experiences and long seasons, you create amazing friendships.”
Leddy struggled early in the season, hence getting waived, but the 16-year vet appears to have found some of his game since his return to the line-up on Mar. 17, suiting up for four contests. Small sample size and these stats aren’t be-all, end-all, but Leddy actually has the best 5-on-5 Expected Goals For % on the Sharks defense, per Natural Stat Trick, 68.13 percent, since then.
“He’s played some really good hockey when he’s came in, and really helps calm our defense down back there. There’s more predictability,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “He’s a pro in every sense of the word, even when he was not playing. Didn’t complain, just worked, put his head down, did what the coaches asked for him to do. Kept preparing himself to get in…He’s a true pro, and we’re happy to have him.”
San Jose Sharks (32-31-7)
Ohio native Alex Nedeljkovic will start.
The San Jose Sharks will run the same lines as last game:
Chernyshov-Celebrini-Smith
Eklund-Wennberg- Sherwood
Graf-Misa-Toffoli
Goodrow-Ostapchuk-Gaudette
Orlov-Desharnais
Mukhamadullin-Ferraro
Dickinson-Leddy
Nedeljkovic
John Klingberg (lower-body) is day-to-day, as is Yaroslav Askarov (upper-body). Askarov, still with the team, will get re-evaluated back in San Jose.
Klingberg sounds like he’s available to play tonight, but isn’t quite 100 percent.
Columbus Blue Jackets (38-23-11)
Here’s how the Jackets lined up in their last game, a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
#CBJ Elvis Merzlikins gets the start today vs. San Jose
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) March 28, 2026
Columbus is 19-4-4 under interim head coach Rick Bowness.
cooler than the Hôtel de Glace 😎 pic.twitter.com/cCvnUrlUYS
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 26, 2026
New: With the Sharks at Nationwide today, two familiar faces are back in town. Kiefer Sherwood and Alex Wennberg. Both are on their fifth NHL team. Despite different journeys, both were molded by their Columbus roots.
Pregame read: https://t.co/CyDSyBVXZc #CBJ #TheFutureIsTeal
— Mark Scheig (@mark_scheig) March 28, 2026
Where To Watch
Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets is at 2 PM PT at Nationwide Arena. Watch it live on NBC Sports California. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.
Leddy looked solid last game! I think he even hit a spin move at the point, and then handed off the puck to a circling player. It was a very fluid skating play and also displayed some offensive awareness
kinda odd how Leddy’s season has gone. Maybe he just hadn’t really recovered from last season’s injury in the first part of the season. What I’ve seen the last few games is more in-line what I’d have hoped from him. An adequate player and veteran who still can still be effective with his smarts and skating.
I’ve always viewed this as primarily a development season. So I find it a bit ronic that I’m one of the few remaining who thinks the Sharks still have a chance at making the playoffs.
Sharks have two ways in, via wild card and via 3rd in the Pacific. VGS is 3rd and slumping. EDM is winning games, but they’re susceptible with goaltending, Draisaitl out and a tougher schedule.
Depending on what happens today, this is where I might join most of the rest and consider the playoffs chances essentially done for. But I’m not there yet.
There’s a chance, but the odds are quite bad at this point.
Still, we’ve seen some pretty weird runs in this league. Buffalo was bad again early season then won 10 games in a row in December.
I’ve been pretty hard on Warso and the latest tailspin, but something gave me clarity and a reset of expectations. The Ducks finished last season with 35 wins and 80 pts. We started this season hoping the Sharks would take a step like the Ducks. With 12 games to go, 3 more wins and 9 more points seem to be reasonably attainable. Just get better boys…that’s the goal…
Ducks fired their coach last off-season though
if you’re rooting for 2026 Sharks draft today, you want:
FL over Isles (didn’t happen)
VGS over WSH
CGY over VAN
LAK over UTA (3pt game preferred?)
WPG over COL
NSH over MTL
StL in a 3 pt game vs TOR
SEA over BUF
NJD over CAR
ANA over EDM
and of course, the Sharks to lose
Weird time of year!!
I think at this stage in the rebuild and where Sharks are likely to end the season, moving down or up a couple of spots is not as big a deal. Luck, scouting, and player development plays a much bigger role once you get out of the very top of the draft. For example, Flyers passed on Zach Werenski to take Provorov. Although the two are teammates now, I think it’s fair to say Werenski is the far better player. I think even if they are out of playoffs, I’d like to see some fight from this core group to… Read more »
Where is s the recap ??