The San Jose Sharks may have a few absences Monday. Timo Meier is dealing with an upper-body injury, and Kevin Labanc was away for the birth of a child. Martin Kaut and Nick Cicek have been recalled from the minor leagues to give them some extra bodies.
This is Kaut’s first recall with the Sharks since being acquired last month from the Colorado Avalanche. In seven games with the San Jose Barracuda, the 23-year-old forward has put up six points – continuing his history of strong play in the minor leagues. Selected 16th overall in 2018, Kaut has never been able to translate that production to the NHL, scoring just three goals in 47 career games with the Avalanche.
In San Jose, he might have a much bigger opportunity, especially if the Sharks decide to sell several assets at the deadline. The story isn’t completely written on Kaut yet, but time is running out for him to live up to the sky-high potential from his draft year. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer and turns 24 before next season is set to begin, so if he wants to be a regular with the Sharks, this may be his best opportunity to prove it.
Cicek has bounced back and forth all season, playing in 15 games so far for the Sharks and recording four assists. The undrafted defenseman has shown well during his short professional career, adding physicality to the lineup in limited minutes. Still just 22, it has been an impressive rise for the former Portland Winterhawk, though the offense he produced at the AHL level in 2021-22 has completely disappeared. Through 21 games with the Barracuda this season, Cicek has just a single assist.
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