SAN JOSE – Maybe few Sharks gamers wanted a while away from hockey this summer season greater than defenseman Vincent Desharnais.
Lower than a 12 months after reaching the Stanley Cup Closing with the Edmonton Oilers, Desharnais was dealt twice in a five-week span earlier than the NHL commerce deadline in March and missed the final 11 video games of the 12 months with an higher physique harm.
Though Desharnais obtained constructive suggestions from the Sharks teaching employees in exit interviews in April, he nonetheless wanted a reset after his most difficult season as knowledgeable.
“When the season ended, I was in a kind of tough place mentally,” mentioned Desharnais, who skated within the Sharks’ sport in opposition to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday at SAP Heart within the preseason opener for each groups.
“I took a lot of time off in the woods and fishing and no phones, no social media, and that was very, very helpful. And I’m back. I’m ready. I feel good physically, feel good mentally.”
Desharnais is within the second 12 months of a two-year, $4 million contract he signed with the Vancouver Canucks, who had been impressed with the 6-foot-7 rearguard throughout their second-round playoff sequence with the Oilers in Could 2024.
However Desharnais’ transient tenure in Vancouver was rocky virtually from the beginning, as after only one sport, he was a wholesome scratch by then-Canucks coach Rick Tocchet. This got here shortly after the Oilers’ run to Recreation 7 of the 2024 Cup Closing, when Desharnais dressed for 15 straight playoff video games, however solely performed in one of many workforce’s ultimate 10.
Desharnais would play simply 34 of 48 video games with the Canucks earlier than he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Desharnais then lasted simply 34 days in Pittsburgh, the place his ice time fell off a bit, earlier than he was shipped to San Jose in March for a 2028 fifth spherical decide.
Desharnais discovered a job with the Sharks, although, and his exit assembly with coach Ryan Warsofsky let him know he was valued by the group.
“When you get traded twice in a year, and going back to Edmonton, not playing in every game in the Stanley Cup Finals, playing the whole season, playing most playoffs, and at the end, you’re not in. Like, right away, you kind of question yourself,” Desharnais mentioned.
“You change teams. Things are not going your way. Get traded, get traded again. At some point, your confidence is kind of taking a hit. You’re questioning yourself a lot, and having kind of that reassurance helped a little bit.”
Warsofsky mentioned his message to Desharnais was to “play towards his identity. We don’t need to come in and run a power play and try to create a ton of offense. Just defend hard. Use his size, use his length.”
Desharnais mentioned he used a psychological coach to attempt to get again to having fun with the sport, saying that after signing with the Canucks, “I used to be placing a variety of strain on myself. And clearly there’s a mixture of a variety of issues that occurred final season, however sooner or later, (I struggled with) simply my confidence and simply being at peace, being at peace with myself, being at peace with my ideas.
“When I got home at the end of the season, I was not in a great head space. There was a lot of negativity and I was kind of trying to get out of it.”
As Desharnais mirrored on the 12 months, he requested himself what he wanted to study from the expertise. He acquired off the grid and commenced to work with a brand new psychological coach, which helped give him perspective.
“Just go play out there. You’ve got nothing to lose,” Desharnais mentioned. “I (was a) seventh rounder in 2016. I shouldn’t technically be here, so let’s just have fun. Last year, something I got away from is having fun. I got caught in the business of things and the trades and all that. I’m here because I work hard and I have fun.”
Initially Revealed: September 21, 2025 at 3:58 PM PDT
