San Jose Sharks suffers serious injury, expected to miss 6 months minimum
Nikolai Knyzhov was an undrafted defenseman who was signed by San Jose in 2019. The young defenseman has been battling injuries since last season, as he only played in 56 games last season.
Unfortunately, after it was reported on August 1st, he won't be making training camp, as he injured himself in off-ice training.
Knyzhov, the rearguard defenseman from Russia has won praise from Bob Boughner for his skating ability. Not known for his offensive production, in 56 games he put up 2 goals and 8 assists, for 10 points. It looks like it'll be another 6 months of recovery time for the 24-year-old.
Knyzhov's partners have been a mixed bag, but in 2020-2021 he was paired successfully with former offensive powerhouse Erik Karlsson. However, after the injury he lost his pairing with Karlsson to Jacob Middleton, now in the Minnesota Wild system.
In much more limited sampling, Knyzhov was stellar in third-pairing roles alongside Simek and Vlasic. With either veteran joining Knyzhov, San Jose controlled over 60 percent of expected goals.
He has a future in the NHL, but the injuries won't help his future possibilities.
| POLL | ||
Where will San Jose Sharks finish in the standings? | ||
| Bottom 5 Team | 36 | 31.6 % |
| Bottom 10 Team | 51 | 44.7 % |
| Playoff Bubble Team | 18 | 15.8 % |
| Playoff Team | 9 | 7.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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