San Jose Sharks forward Klim Kostin hasn't had the best start to the season, but after achieving a Gordie Howe hat trick against the Seattle Kraken, the winger says he has found new life.

San Jose Sharks forward Klim Kostin hasn't had the best start to the season, but after achieving a Gordie Howe hat trick against the Seattle Kraken, the winger says he has found new life.

After a successful finish to the 23-24 season for Kostin, his 24-25 season has been anything but. He's been scratched for multiple games at a time, including a stretch where he didn't play from Oct. 28 to Nov. 16. When he does play, he often fails to reach ten minutes of ice time.

The last two games have been a different story for the former first-round pick. Against the Seattle Kraken, Kostin completed his second career Gordie Howe hat trick (1G, 1A, 1 fight). After he scored his first goal of the season, emotion took over, and his celebration showed how much it meant to him.

During his postgame scrum, Kostin was honest about how his season was going and how much a successful night meant. 

"I didn't expect [to play with [Mikael Granlund and Will Smith] when I go to the rink. When I saw the lineup, I was like, hey man, you gotta take that opportunity to prove yourself that you can play hockey," Kostin said. "That game was just a little sip of fresh air. You can feel that you're still alive. When you go through some tough moments in your career, like 10-15 games [of] not scoring, not helping your team, like no effort. You're a low-minute player; you're just hard on yourself. Games like that just remind you that, hey man, you're still alive. Keep it going."

Kostin has told reporters in the past that he's been asked to fight more in the NHL to help save his career, but he feels there is a time and place for it. Last night, he stepped up to protect Mikael Granlund.

"I'm not a big fan of fights for no reason...that guy [Will Borgen was] asking Granny for a fight," Kostin said. "Players like Granny never fight; they play hockey. So, just decided to step up."

The big winger then talked about how much his teammates meant to him as a support system throughout his rough stretch. 

"I just realized one thing, not that long time ago, that when you're going through some tough moments in your career, that's where you need your teammates the most," Kostin explained. "Obviously, on the ice, but off the ice, too. We're getting better in that part. It's great to be here."

Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky praised Kostin and hoped the strong play would continue. 

He can play [hockey]. He is a big guy. He's got good skill. Can hold onto pucks down low. He sees the ice well. Sometimes, he needs to stay within himself, he gets a little bit out of his toolset. Lately, he hasn't done that, and his game has flourished for that," Warsofsky said. "When Klim's engaged, he's a big, forceful player out there. I coached against him in the finals when I was in the American League, he was in Springfield, and our whole team couldn't stand him. That's the type of player he is. I don't think it has anything to do with fighting. It's using his skill set, his body, and his size to be physical and get on teams, and he's done a good job of that."

Kostin got some run on the Sharks' second powerplay unit and will attempt to continue to have his play trend up against the Kraken again tonight. 

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