The San Jose Sharks have a crowded blueline. Dylan DeMelo, Tim Heed, and Joakim Ryan will all be in the mix for San Jose’s sixth and seventh defensive spots next month at training camp. The odds would seem long for a defensemen entering his first professional season to compete with the trio, but count out smooth-skating Radim Simek at your own peril.
The Czech defenseman, who San Jose signed in May, led all blueliners in the Czech Extraliga in goal-scoring in two of the last three seasons (10 goals in 2014-15, 11 in 2016-17).