Nikolai Kovalenko could be a hidden gem for the Sharks

The Colorado Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks made a relatively big trade and swapped goalies, with Mackenzie Blackwood going to the Avs, while Alexandar Georgiev was dumped to the Sharks after his struggles this season.

However, also going to the Sharks in the deal as incentive to allow the Avalanche to upgrade in net was winger Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2018 sixth-round pick out of the KHL who had finally made the jump to North American professional hockey late in the 2023-24 season. He hadn’t quite found success with the Avs this season with just 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points in 28 games, but perhaps he could find another gear in a bigger role with the Sharks.

Steven Ellis joined Daily Faceoff Live to talk about Kovalenko, and what he could possibly bring to the Sharks going forward.

Steven Ellis: You’re hoping that he turns into something like a Fabian Zetterlund, a guy that you can throw in there, maybe be a top-six player because he does a lot of things well. He’s not gonna be a play-driver. He did have some good numbers over in the KHL last year, but the big thing for him is just how well he moves. He’s relentless. At both ends of the ice, he’s doing so much.

I think the big thing with him and Colorado this year, he doesn’t have like incredible numbers by any means, but he was playing all over the lineup. He never seemed to play in the same line two games in a row because the Avalanche, obviously with all their injury issues, were just trying to put him wherever they could.

I feel like the way he moves out there, the way he plays in his own zone, and he does have a decent enough shot, if you put that all together, I do think he’s got some top six potential for a team that could use all the scoring help it can get.

You can watch the full episode here…