Ilya Lyubushkin With a Dangerous, Dirty Hit on Mikael Granlund In Last Night's Game
Stars' Ilya Lyubushkin laid quite a dirty-looking hit on Sharks' Mikael Granlund last night, and now a suspension may be looming as we await further updates.
San Jose Sharks forward Mikael Granlund left Wednesday's 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Stars with an upper-body injury. Granlund was crushed by Dallas defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin with just more than two minutes to play and didn't return.
This begs the question of whether a suspension will be handed out due to this hit.
He had a short-handed goal and an assist prior to his exit.
His performance further highlights that he has been integral to the Sharks' attack this season, pacing the club for points with 22 on nine goals and 13 assists in 21 games.
Head coach Ryan Warsofsky was not all that forthcoming with any type of update regarding the status of Granlund following the game, so the veteran could be questionable to play on Thursday against the St. Louis Blues.
The Sharks can ill afford any type of long-term absence of Granlund, who has brought much-needed stability onto the ice, with leadership included as well.
Only 32 years of age, Granlund has shown some life during the otherwise desolate 2024-25 season for the Sharks.
Should Granlund be forced to sit out, Alex Wennberg will likely be bumped up to a top-six role.
That could be an uptick in fantasy hockey value for Wennberg, although the early going has been underwhelming for the center.
The 30-year-old has just nine points, three goals, and six assists, across 21 contests and has not scored in his last 15 appearances.
While the promotion does provide Wennberg an opportunity to reset his season and become an impactful player, inconsistency has been a major issue with him this season for both the Sharks and fantasy managers.
San Jose is hoping for good news regarding the injured Granlund, who's been huge in keeping their offense competitive.
