The San Jose Sharks cannot seem to catch a break as their current NHL season is off to a slow start. With that said, with Alexander Barabanov injured, questions about his recovery timeline abound.
Barabanov is the latest player that will reportedly be out for a while due to a broken finger, Sharks coach David Quinn said to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng. The 29-year-old Russian suffered the injury in their loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, October 24.
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How Long Will Alexander Barabanov Be Out?
“It’ll be a while,” Quinn said of Barabanov. “I don’t have a hard date, but it’ll be a while.”
Barabanov was forced out of the game late in the third period after getting knocked down by a Gustav Forsling cross-check to the back before he was landed on by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the Mercury News reported.
The loss sent the Sharks to a 0-5-1 record. It was the first time in franchise history that the San Jose Sharks lost their first six games to start the year.
Although Barabanov has yet to score a point this season, he remains a vital cog for the Sharks. Before the current NHL season, the top-six forward had 93 points in 147 games for San Jose as he averaged over 17 minutes of ice time.
Alexander Barabanov Replacement: Who Will David Quinn tap?
With Barabanov out, Quinn will have to turn to Givani Smith to fill in the void. Aside from him, William Eklund could be another option, meaning the rookie could be in for an increased role, CBS Sports reported.
Barabanov is the latest Sharks player to join the injury list. Others who are also dealing with injuries include center Logan Couture and Mikael Granlund as well as defenseman Jacob MacDonald.
The undermanned Sharks will next face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, October 26.
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