Sharks Locker Room: ‘We got to play ourselves & not embarrass ourselves’

DENVER — The young San Jose Sharks players are undergoing a Trade Deadline trial by fire.

Already, the high of Tuesday’s 6-2 victory at the Buffalo Sabres was a little marred by goalie Vitek Vanecek being held out for trade purposes.

But that doesn’t compare to Thursday at the Colorado Avalanche: In short order, Nico Sturm was traded, Luke Kunin then Jake Walman were held out for trade reasons, and then Walman was officially dealt to the Edmonton Oilers.

It’s not a surprise that the Sharks looked dazed throughout a 7-3 rout to the high-flying Avs.

“A lot going on, and I think we saw the human side of our game tonight with our players,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “End of a road trip against this type of team, you sensed maybe a little bit of a mentally we weren’t all there, and you could see that tonight right off the puck drop.”

But despite the losses of veterans Sturm and Walman, and potential loss of alternate captain Kunin, the San Jose room still has leaders, and they spoke up with simple-but-clear messaging after tonight’s shellacking.

“The guys who are here, we have to perform,” alternate captain Tyler Toffoli said. “We can’t just wait around and sit on your ass for 18 games and get our asses kicked every night.”

Alternate captain Barclay Goodrow said of the flurry of trade activity: “This happens in this business all the time. So it won’t be the first time. It won’t be the last time.”

It’s cliché, but they’re both right.

The San Jose Sharks have no choice but to dust themselves off.

To their credit, they were doing that on a surprising post-4 Nations road trip that was highlighted by two improbable wins, for different reasons, at the Toronto Maple Leafs and Sabres, and some of the best hockey that San Jose has played all season.

But they’ll have to pick themselves up again, after a roster-shattering Deadline.

(San Jose Hockey Now note: The Jake Walman trade was not official at the time of these post-game interviews)

Tyler Toffoli

Toffoli, on how tough today was on the San Jose Sharks:

I mean, it’s expected. It’s the position that we’re in as a team. It’s one of those things that, it obviously sucks, but it’s part of the business. The guys who are here, we have to perform. We can’t just wait around and sit on your ass for 18 games and get our asses kicked every night.

Do we feel bad that guys are getting traded? For sure. They’re friends, and they’ve been part of the group for a while now, and like I said, big part of the locker room. But at the same time, we got to focus on ourselves, we got to play ourselves and not embarrass ourselves.

Barclay Goodrow

Goodrow, on any particular message about Trade Deadline day to the young Sharks players:

Not really. This happens in this business all the time. So it won’t be the first time. It won’t be the last time.

Ryan Warsofsky

Warsofsky, on a tough day for the San Jose Sharks, on and off the ice:

Yeah, tough day. Obviously, lose Sturmy. A lot going on, and I think we saw the human side of our game tonight with our players.

If you’ve been watching our team, that was not our group. That’s what’s frustrating, because you saw the human side of this game come in.

As a coach, you could sense and feel things. End of a road trip against this type of team, you sensed maybe a little bit of a mentally we weren’t all there, and you could see that tonight right off the puck drop, really.

Warsofsky, on giving Alex Wennberg an “A” tonight:

He’s really stepped up. He stepped up, played some really good hockey for us. He’ll be in our leadership group going forward, as a guy that’s played some some really good hockey and helped these young players, plays a lot of minutes, stepped up for Granlund in his absence. He deserved it.

Mario Ferraro

Ferraro, on when San Jose Sharks players knew that Luke Kunin and Jake Walman would be unavailable to play tonight:

Sturmy, we found out in the morning. The other guys, kind of found out on the way to the game. So some surprises, but everybody was made aware to be ready to play.

Ferraro, on blocking out the Trade Deadline noise: "Surprisingly, I have…better than the last couple years. I'm just playing…It's out of my control. My loyalty is here for as long as I'm a Shark. That's my job & that's my duty. Happy to be doing that."

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 7, 2025