San Jose Barracuda
BREAKING: Eklund Recalled, Meier & Ferraro Miss Practice
The San Jose Sharks have recalled William Eklund, per the AHL.
This appears to be in reaction to an undisclosed Timo Meier injury. Meier did not participate in practice today, after practicing yesterday, and even taking part in an optional skate on Tuesday. Mario Ferraro also missed practice today after participating yesterday, though it’s worth noting that he did not skate in Tuesday’s optional.
“[They’re] okay. We’ll see how it goes for tomorrow,” San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn said this afternoon. “Both of them are dealing with upper body issues.”
Quinn added: “Both instances popped up yesterday. Nothing drastic, just kind of a couple of things that [popped] up on us and held them out, and hopefully, it goes well.”
Quinn did not clarify if these injuries happened in practice or at other times. The Sharks are set to take on the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow at SAP Center.
For what it’s worth, I didn’t see anything happen to Meier or Ferraro yesterday. I also saw Ferraro in the locker room after today’s practice, in his everyday clothes, with nothing obviously amiss.
On the other hand, I did see Scott Harrington, who had been waived and sent down to the Barracuda, back with the Sharks today. He also practiced with the Sharks yesterday, despite getting waived. I’m not sure if he’s an emergency recall or if the Sharks have him up as a seventh defenseman.
Also waiting in the wings is winger Alexander Barabanov, who’s been injured since the preseason opener. For the third consecutive day, he’s participated in practice with no obvious limitations.
“He hasn’t practiced [or played] for so long, I don’t know if it’s fair to throw him into a game out of the gate,” Quinn cautioned. “So that’s again, something we’re gonna have to discuss.”
If Meier and Ferraro are out, those are some big shoes to fill for the San Jose Sharks. Meier is their top offensive forward, while Ferraro is their top shutdown defender.
“It’ll give somebody else an opportunity and everybody else has to elevate their game to replace those two guys,” Quinn offered.
Bah gawd, is that William Eklund’s music?