SAN JOSE – It appears being one of the NHL’s leading scorers in the preseason might have enough for Danil Gushchin to land a spot on the San Jose Sharks season-opening roster.
Gushchin practiced with the Sharks on Monday morning as the team assigned defensemen Luca Cagnoni and Jack Thompson, plus forwards Ethan Cardwell and Collin Graf to the Barracuda of the AHL.
Gushchin had one goal and eight assists in four exhibition games, including a five-assist night in the Sharks’ 6-5 comeback win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday in the final preseason game for both teams. Gushchin’s nine points were tied for the most in the NHL in the preseason with Mat Barzal of the New York Islanders.
The Sharks have not yet announced their season-opening 23-man roster. NHL teams need to finalize their salary-cap-compliant rosters of no more than 23 players to the league office by Monday at 2 p.m. (PT).
Macklin Celebrini was also on the ice for the Sharks on Monday morning, marking the first time he’s practiced with the team since he aggravated a lower-body injury in a preseason game last Tuesday at SAP Center.
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