Head coach David Quinn confirmed that Shakir Mukhamadullin will make his NHL debut for the San Jose Sharks tomorrow.
Head coach David Quinn confirmed that Shakir Mukhamadullin will make his NHL debut for the San Jose Sharks tomorrow.
Head coach David Quinn confirmed that Shakir Mukhamadullin will make his NHL debut for the San Jose Sharks tomorrow.
Quinn confirmed that he will be paired with Jan Rutta on defense. Henry Thrun has been occupying that spot as of late but won't play tomorrow due to an injury.
"Just a little bit of a veteran presence guy that he can lean on," Quinn said about his reasoning for the pair. "Jan has been playing well, so maybe it will make his transition a little easier."
Rutta has been Quinn's go-to guy for finding a defense partner for young defensemen. Rutta started the year with Nikita Okhotiuk before eventually pairing with Thrun.
"It was something we anticipated that he could do with the young defensemen we had in our organization. We just weren't sure who was going to be here and who wasn't," Quinn said about Rutta's role. "The way our season has gone, and with injuries and the way our young guys have played their way into our lineup, it's just morphed into that."
Mukhamadullin will also get some run on the Sharks' second powerplay unit. At practice today, he was running the point.
"Just relax and enjoy the opportunity," Quinn said about what he wants from the young defenseman. "He's earned it. Just do all the things that he's done that got him here."
Quinn also confirmed that Kaapo Kahkonen will start in goal, and Ty Emberson will return from an upper-body injury.
The Sharks take on the Buffalo Sabres at 1 p.m. PST tomorrow.
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