Marc-Edouard Vlasic has seen his fair share of success with the San Jose Sharks, but he’s also seen the team fall from grace.
Despite the Sharks’ current position in the standings, the veteran defenseman feels they’ve played better hockey than last season.
They’ve already have more wins than the 23-24 campaign with 20 and although Ryan Warsofsky doesn’t want to talk about the success, Vlasic recognizes them.
“It’s to compete, play together. There’s a system that he wants to stick to,” Vlasic said. “It’s playing with the lead, playing without the lead, building experience to hopefully be a better team again next year and then grow as a team every year.”
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Vlasic has missed most of the Sharks season with an upper-body injury. He’s been around the team all season and seen many of the young players grow into new roles.
“Throughout the year, I thought they’ve grown quite a bit,” Vlasic said about the Sharks yound defensemen. “[Henry Thrun] has grown every year. [Jack Thompson] has come in, [and] played a lot this year. [Shakir Mukhamadullin] has improved quite a bit. Playing against top players, move the puck and contributed offensively.”
The longest tenured San Jose Sharks player has one year left on his eight-year $56 million deal. He’s been the subject to buy-out rumors during recent offseasons, but he’s been a steady veteran presence for a young team.
Like the rest of the Sharks, Vlasic will finish the season competing for a spot in Ryan Warsofsky’s lineup next season.
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