With Joonas Donskoi and Jannik Hansen both set to join the Sharks’ lineup shortly, two forwards are inevitably going to be scratched. All forwards, except for Micheal Haley, played well last night and have a case of sticking around when San Jose is ready to roll out its full lineup.
Haley’s lack of speed, hockey sense and puck management should have him as an extra forward throughout the rest of the year. No, his fight did not spark the Sharks. The Canucks’ turnover at the top of the blue line did.
Now, it gets interesting. Haley’s spot will be taken by one of Donskoi or Hansen, so somebody will have to slot in on the fourth line.