Facing roster crunch, San Jose Sharks place Nick Leddy on waivers

Potentially needing to clear a roster spot for some soon-to-be healthy players, the San Jose Sharks on Sunday placed veteran defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers.

Leddy, 34, is one of seven defensemen on San Jose’s active roster. But the Sharks, who are already carrying the maximum 23 players, were soon going to be facing a roster crunch with defensemen Vincent Desharnais and Shakir Mukhamadullin both nearing a return from their respective injuries.

Desharnais has been on injured reserve since Dec. 1, and Mukhamadullin was placed on IR on Jan. 6.

Desharnais and Mukhamadullin both practiced with the Sharks on Sunday, and Desharnais could be in the Sharks’ lineup for their game against the Florida Panthers on Monday.

Due to an early-season injury and numerous healthy scratches, Leddy has played in just 19 of the Sharks’ 47 games so far this season.

Leddy, now in his 16th NHL season, was placed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues on July 2 and claimed by the Sharks the next day.  Leddy is in the final year of a four-year, $16 million contract he signed with the Blues in July 2002.

Leddy has played in 1,061 games in his NHL career and won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.

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