SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks forward Will Smith continues to rehab from his injury, but it remains unclear when he’ll be able to rejoin one of the team’s practices.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Friday that Smith has been attending meetings and working out at the team’s practice facility in recent days but held off on giving any specific timeline for the 20-year-old’s return.
“I think we’ll have a better answer for you on Monday,” Warsofsky said when asked about Smith potentially rejoining practice that day. “He’s getting better every day. That’s the most important thing.”
Smith was injured in the third period of last Saturday’s road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins as he was walloped into the boards by defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon. Smith got up from the hit and clutched his right side before he made his way off the ice and into the Sharks’ dressing room.
Forward Philipp Kurashev (upper body) was also injured in that game and is considered week-to-week. Smith’s timeline remains vague, although he is no longer wearing a sling around his shoulder.
The Sharks beat the Calgary Flames 6-3 on Tuesday, lost to the Dallas Stars 5-3 on Thursday, and will close out their three-game homestand on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken.
The Sharks are scheduled to practice on Monday before they fly to Las Vegas, where they’ll play the Golden Knights on Tuesday in their final game before the Christmas break. Their first game after the holiday is on Dec. 27 in Vancouver against the Canucks.
Despite missing the last two games, Smith remains the Sharks’ second-leading scorer with 29 points in 33 games. Macklin Celebrini entered Friday third in the NHL in scoring with 53 points in 35 games, and without Smith and Kurashev, has played the last two games with Collin Graf and Igor Chernyshov on the wings.
DICKINSON TO PLAY
Sharks rookie defenseman Sam Dickinson, a healthy scratch the last two games, will play against the Kraken, Warsofsky said.
Warsofsky would not say whether the Sharks are still considering whether to loan Dickinson to the Canadian National World Junior team, which plays its first game of the World Junior Championships on Dec. 26 in Minnesota.
Warsofsky sounded lukewarm to the idea earlier this week. Asked what that decision on Dickinson comes down to, if it hasn’t been made already, Warsofsky said, “Do we feel like he’s improving here with what we have and what we’re doing, where we are at. Obviously, we have eight healthy defensemen right now. We don’t want them sitting out. He’s going to play for us tomorrow.”
The Sharks loaned center Michael Misa to the Canadian team earlier this week. In Friday’s practice, Misa centered a line with Penn State freshman Gavin McKenna, considered one of the top players available in next year’s draft, and Michigan State freshman Porter Martone, who was drafted sixth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this year.