Sharks' Markus Nutivaara expects to be ready for training camp

Markus Nutivaara’s 2021-22 season lasted all of seven minutes. The veteran defenseman played just 12 shifts in his one and only game for the Florida Panthers on October 29, 2021. He missed the rest of the year and underwent hip surgery around Christmas but recently signed a one-year, $1.5M contract with the San Jose Sharks a few days ago.

Now, Nutivaara expects to be at full strength by the time training camp starts, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. That’s a good thing for the Sharks but also his pocketbook, as his contract includes bonuses for games played. According to PuckPedia, Nutivaara will earn $50K at the 20-, 30-, 40-, 50- and 60-game thresholds, maxing out at an additional $250K.

Because of his injury-riddled last few years, it’s easy to forget just how effective Nutivaara was as a depth option for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the early part of his career. Over his first three seasons, he played in 207 games, recorded 51 points and racked up 139 blocked shots. Averaging nearly 18 minutes a night by year three, he looked on his way to becoming a rock-solid second-pairing defenseman who could support a more offensive player in tough minutes.

Given his ability to play both sides of the ice, he may get a similar role in San Jose, but the Sharks’ group is anything but set in stone at this point. With Brent Burns traded and a new head coach still to be announced, the defensive pairings could end up seeing any number of different alignments.

No matter where he plays, health is the key factor for Nutivaara at this point. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent again in a year’s time, meaning this is a great opportunity to get his career back on track with a healthy, productive season. Otherwise, he might find himself out of the mix entirely next summer.