What’s Sharks’ Message To Cagnoni After Demotion?

Luca Cagnoni made the San Jose Sharks’ opening-night roster after a strong training camp, but finds himself headed back to the AHL.

The 21-year-old got the 26-27 season started with a bang, scoring the overtime-winning goal in the Sharks’ 4-3 opening-night win over the Florida Panthers. That goal was the first of his career. Cagnoni also had an assist in the game, but since then, the puck-moving d-man hasn’t recorded a point.

On Wednesday, the San Jose Sharks sent the young blueliner back to the AHL. The team recalled veteran defenseman Libor Hajek as part of two recalls.

Cagnoni started the season on the Sharks’ top power-play unit, but Dmitry Orlov eventually took his place. He played 14:05 against the Buffalo Sabers on Tuesday after being healthy-scratched the previous three games.

“Sometimes watching the game from above you see all their little tricks and stuff,” Cagnoni said before Tuesday’s game. “It’s such a different view than actually being on the ground. [I] just try to soak it all in.”

He was okay in the 2-0 loss, but Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky wasn’t asked about Cagnoni postgame. After Wednesday’s practice, the coach explained the move to send him back to the AHL.

“Just get back to playing with the puck and having some swagger with it and some confidence,” Warsofsky explained. “Just a little speed bump in his development. Go down, play, and get the feeling back playing with the puck is the biggest thing.”

Cagnoni’s game has never been about shutting down top opponents. The San Jose Sharks need him to move the puck and drive offense at even strength, and especially on the power play. While the overall power-play percentage is good enough for 8th in the NHL (25%), it still has flaws. No matter who runs either unit, the Sharks’ zone entries need to be better.

Cagnoni will immediately become the San Jose Barracuda’s No. 1 d-man and PP1 QB. If he doesn’t, that is bad asset management by a team that had this player open eyes during training camp. The Sharks clearly have high hopes for Cagnoni; they need to keep his confidence high.

While his usage in the NHL appeared to get more sheltered, even with the team struggling for offense, a loss of confidence can be quickly regained with this move. If Cagnoni jumps off the page during this AHL stint, it won’t be long before he suits up for the NHL team again.