ST. LOUIS -- The Sharks reassigned Mirco Mueller to the AHL Barracuda on Saturday, a good indication that injured defenseman Brenden Dillon could be ready to return to the lineup.
Dillon has missed the last five games with an upper body injury suffered in the first period of a game on Feb. 9 at Chicago, when he checked the Blackhawks’ Jiri Sekac.
Prior to the Sharks leaving for their five-game road trip, coach Pete DeBoer said that he expected Dillon to return to the lineup at some point before the trip was over. The Sharks, 2-1-0 through the first three games, play in St. Louis on Monday and Colorado on Wednesday.
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Dillon, 25, has six points (1g, 5a), 51 penalty minutes and a plus-seven rating in 52 games, skating primarily as a third pairing defenseman on the left side.
The Sharks are 3-1-1 without Dillon, but 4-7-2 down one of their regular defenseman in the lineup, with a goals-against average of 3.54.
Despite losing Tommy Wingels to an upper body injury on Thursday in Florida, the Sharks have yet to recall anyone else from the Barracuda. Mike Brown played in Wingels’ spot on Friday in Carolina as the only other extra forward currently with the team.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks had off on Saturday, but resume practice in St. Louis on Sunday.