44 Marc-Edouard Vlasic D

Sharks' Marc-Edouard Vlasic: Partaking in World Championship

After the Sharks were ousted by Vegas on Sunday, the veteran blueliner will join a Canadian squad that already boasts marquee names like Connor McDavid, Mathew Barzal, Jaden Schwartz and Ryan O'Reilly. No stranger to international competition, Vlasic has earned gold medals in the Olympics and World Cup but has yet to bring home a title in this tournament (he won silver in 2009 and 2017).

Sharks' Marc-Edouard Vlasic: Pointless against Vegas

Vlasic ended the year on a 13-game goal drought, during which he garnered a mere two assists. Although he struggled at the end, the blueliner set a career high for goals (11) this season and recorded his third 30-plus point campaign. The 31-year-old is locked in through the 2025-26 campaign and will see his cap hit jump to $7 million next year.

Sharks' Marc-Edouard Vlasic: Contributes apple in rout

The Sharks have benefited from a playoff-high 17 power-play opportunities through three games, and with Team Teal taking a commanding 3-0 series lead, Vlasic checks out as a valuable commodity in fantasy games even though this was his first point of the conference quarterfinals.

Sharks' Marc-Edouard Vlasic: Won't miss any time after scare

As a testament to his toughness, Vasic will not miss any time after a puck caught him near his throat during Saturday's game against the Canucks. This is huge for the Sharks, as Pickles seems to eat up the minutes like Cap'n Crunch and does an excellent job keeping the puck away from his allied goalies based on 149 blocked shots through 71 games this season. Plus, it gets even better when you consider that the blueliner has a career-high 10 goals and a serviceable 30 points. He'll undoubtedly be an X-factor for Team Teal as it makes a run at its first Stanley Cup victory in franchise history.

Sharks' Marc-Edouard Vlasic: Leaves game after puck hits throat

We're hoping for the best for Vlasic after this scary incident caused him to leave in the second period of the eventual 5-3 road win. Pickles is paramount to the team's success, as his career-high 10 goals supplement 20 helpers through 70 games, plus he's blocked 149 shots over that span. It's safe to assume that the Sharks evaluated him immediately, but the team may opt to keep details of his condition away from the public for a bit as the Sharks won't play again until Tuesday.