The Sharks are welcoming back one of their depth scorers.  The team announced (Twitter link) that forward Adam Gaudette has been activated off injured reserve.  A roster spot was created when Brett Leason cleared waivers and was assigned to AHL San Jose on Friday.

Two years ago with Ottawa, Gaudette had a breakout year of sorts.  Despite still primarily playing on the fourth line, he potted 19 goals and seven assists in a contract year.  That helped earn him a two-year, $4MM pact with San Jose in 2025.

Given that he had basically been a depth piece for several years before then, it was unclear how Gaudette would fare in a new role on a new team and if the breakout was repeatable.  It turns out it was.  In 66 games with the Sharks last season, the 30-year-old potted 17 goals and eight helpers in just 11:25 of ice time per night.  Had he been available for all 82 games, he plausibly could have had a shot at a 20-goal year despite limited minutes.

It will be interesting to see if Gaudette has the same opportunities he did a year ago.  San Jose has added Mason Marchment and Ivar Stenberg to the mix, while Igor Chernyshov is presumably up for the full year now instead of spot minutes at times last season.  That could make even seeing the limited power play minutes Gaudette had last year more difficult to come by.

This is the final season of Gaudette’s contract and he’ll once again be an unrestricted free agent in July.  If he can find a way to stay even as similarly productive as the last two seasons in the bottom six once again, it seems likely that he’ll have a considerably stronger market next summer compared to 2025.  That said, he was a healthy scratch this afternoon against Edmonton so he’s going to have some work to do to get back in the lineup first.