San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman will return to the lineup against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday after being a healthy scratch for a "coach's decision."
San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman will return to the lineup against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday after being a healthy scratch for a "coach's decision."
San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman will return to the lineup against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday after being a healthy scratch for a "coach's decision."
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky clarified the benching of his No. 1 defenseman, saying it wasn't for his play on the ice.
"Jake did not play because of [a] hockey play. There was nothing to do with that," Warsofsky said. "It was something that we will keep in-house."
Walman leads the Sharks defenseman in points with nine, including seven in his last four games. The head coach said there have been conversations within the locker room about players' coming out of the lineup if they aren't helping the team win, regardless of their experience in the league.
"There's definitely [been] conversations that we've had with guys that, it doesn't matter if you're a first-year guy or 12-year pro, if you struggle and you're costing us hockey games, you're gonna come out of the lineup, but Jake's was not that scenario," Warsofsky said.
Walman could not be asked what happened, as the opportunity to speak to players had already been completed before Warsofsky's comments.
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