Kiefer Sherwood would like to stay.
But the pending UFA is aware of rumors that the San Jose Sharks could flip him, if he doesn’t re-sign with San Jose before the Mar. 6 Trade Deadline
“I’m just focused on bringing it tonight,” Sherwood said. “I love it here so far. Obviously, I would love to be here. But trying to stay in the present as best I can.”
GM Mike Grier paid a heavy price for Sherwood on Jan. 19, sending two second-round picks to the Vancouver Canucks for the gritty scoring winger. Sherwood, however, had an upper-body injury at the time of the trade, and didn’t make his debut in teal until Feb. 4, right before the Olympic break.
Consequently, Sherwood has played just four games with the San Jose Sharks, with no points. He does have 14 shots and 23 hits, which leads San Jose in this time span, so he is playing his high-energy style.
No question, the Sharks still believe in the player.
In game, the scoring is coming, and Sherwood brings other on-the-ice elements.
“He gives you everything he has every single shift. He gets in there, he puts his nose over a puck, he tries to win pucks. He’s physical. He plays the net front, he defends. He’ll block a shot. He’ll do whatever it takes to win,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Those are the guys that are ultra-competitive, that drag people in the fight, because people see it. It’s right to the human eye, you can see how competitive they are.”
Warsofsky likened Sherwood to Macklin Celebrini, in that respect.
Outside the game, Sherwood is also an example worth following.
“In practice, he’s the first guy in line. He’s ready to go. He puts the extra effort, it’s not just on the ice, it’s off the ice,” Warsofsky said. “It’s in meetings. He’s paying attention. He’s picking up things quickly. So he’s got a natural ability to do those things.”
And Sherwood believes in the future of the franchise.
“The future is very bright here,” he said, “and I would like nothing more than to be part of it, build with the guys here, and continue to add to the identity of the group.”
But question is, can Sherwood and San Jose come to a contract agreement that makes sense for both sides? Early reports from insider Chris Johnston have suggested that Sherwood is aiming for about $30 million overall on his new contract.
“I try to just focus on what I can control,” Sherwood said. “Obviously, there’s always going to be noise. Pressure is a privilege or whatnot. I think it’s important too, as a player, just to have blinders on and try to tune out that stuff and just focus on playing.”
San Jose Sharks (29-25-4)
Yaroslav Askarov will start. Adam Gaudette will draw back in.
Graf-Celebrini-Smith
Kurashev-Wennberg-Sherwood
Eklund-Misa-Toffoli
Goodrow-Ostapchuk-Gaudette
Orlov-Klingberg
Ferraro-Mukhamadullin
Dickinson-Desharnais
Askarov
Here’s how the power play groups looked:
PP1: Orlov-Celebrini-Smith-Toffoli-Wennberg
PP2: Klingberg-Kurashev-Eklund-Sherwood-Misa
Montreal Canadiens (33-17-9)
Jakub Dobes will start.
Per NHL.com, here’s how the Canadiens should line up:
Caufield-Suzuki-Dach
Slafkovsky-Kapanen-Demidov
Newhook-Evans-Bolduc
Anderson-Danault-Gallagher
Hutson-Dobson
Matheson-Guhle
Struble-Carrier
Dobes
Also, Lane Hutson talked about BU teammate Celebrini with SJHN today!
Where To Watch
Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens is at 7 PM PT at SAP Center. Watch it live on NBC Sports California. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.
