Big round of roster cuts includes some surprises
Sorensen, Carpenter among the 20 players assigned to Barracuda
SAN JOSE — The Sharks reduced their training camp roster by 20 players Monday with winger Marcus Sorensen and center Ryan Carpenter among the 12 forwards assigned to the Barracuda of the American Hockey League.
Eight defenseman and two goalies — Mantas Armalis and Jamie Murray — were also assigned to the Barracuda. Goalie Troy Grosenick was placed on waivers, leaving Aaron Dell as the presumptive backup to No. 1 Martin Jones to start the season. Defenseman Dan Kelly was also placed on waivers.
Sorensen and Carpenter both showed some flashes in training camp and exhibition games but didn’t stand out enough to survive the latest cut.
Carpenter, the Barracuda’s leading scorer last season and thought to be a candidate to be the Sharks’ fourth-line center, had two points in three games. Sorensen, who signed with the Sharks as free agent out of Sweden in the spring, made a handful of plays with his speed but was held without a point.
The 31 players left in camp include forwards Kevin Labanc, who leads the Sharks with four points in three exhibition games, Nikolay Goldobin, Barclay Goodrow and Micheal Haley. Barring any further injuries or illnesses, it’s possible that two of those players will make the Sharks out of training camp and be with the team for its regular-season opener Oct. 12 against Los Angeles.
Labanc, the Sharks’ sixth-round pick in 2014, earned a longer stay in camp after he had a goal and an assist in Sunday’s 32 win over Vancouver.
Among the corps of defensemen, Tim Heed, Dylan DeMelo and Mirco Mueller all survived the cut. Those three appear to be vying for one roster spot if San Jose elects to keep seven defensemen.
There were no major surprises among the defensemen assigned to the Barracuda, with the list including Julius Bergman, Michael Brodzinski, Jason Fram, Patrick McNally, Jacob Middleton and Joakim Ryan.
Former Sharks defenseman n Dan Boyle, who played 1,093 NHL games over 17 seasons, is expected to announce his retirement at a Wednesday news conference at SAP Center.
Boyle, 40, played 431 regular-season games over six seasons with the Sharks and ends his NHL career with 605 points, ranking him 35th all-time among defensemen. He averaged over 23 minutes of ice time per game, and had 693 penalty minutes.
After three-plus seasons with the Florida Panthers and over five years with the Tampa Bay Lighting, Boyle was acquired by San Jose in July 2008. He led all Sharks defensemen in point production for six years and his 269 regular season points remains a record for all San Jose blueliners.
Boyle played 62 playoff games with the Sharks as the team reached the postseason six straight years and the conference finals in 2010 and 2011. Boyle’s teams made the NHL playoffs 12 times, highlighted by a 2004 Stanley Cup title with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Boyle played in the All-Star game in 2009 and 2011 and was a second-team NHL All-Star in 2009 when he was sixth in the league among defensemen with 57 points. Boyle helped Team Canada win a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
After being traded by the Sharks to the New York Islanders in June 2014, Boyle signed a two-year contract with the New York Rangers and finished his career on Broadway with 44 points over 139 games.