Nick Leddy spoke to the media following his first skate as a member of the San Jose Sharks.
The veteran defenseman was waived by the St. Louis Blues and claimed by the Sharks. The 34-year-old dealt with an undisclosed injury last season, limiting him to 31 games. Leddy said being placed on waivers shocked him a little bit, but he understands that the NHL is a business.
“It was a bit of a shock. At the end of the day, change is always hard. Everybody has been extremely great here. They’ve made the process super easy on me, and that’s obviously greatly appreciated,” Leddy said. “The hockey world is such a small, small world that it makes it easy to have that change. It’s hard at times, but there’s a lot of excitement as well.”
Leddy is in the final year of a four-year contract that averages $4 million annually. The Blues made the postseason in 2025, making the transition to a team on the rise, such as the Sharks, can be challenging for a veteran NHL player. However, Leddy is taking it in stride.
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“There’s a lot of excitement,” the Sharks’ d-man said. “I mean, you look at this roster up and down, there’s a lot of skill, a lot of speed, good goaltending. There’s a lot of exciting times ahead.”
Leddy got his first look at Macklin Celebrini up close and was immediately walked.
“I don’t know if you saw, but he danced me and I fell, so that was not a good start by me,” Leddy joked. “It goes back to his work ethic. You look at [him] on the ice, off the ice, he’s one of the first guys out there, one of the last guys off. It’s a sign of a true leader. I’ve seen many captains do that throughout the years. He’s a guy that is going to be around a long time.”
Leddy & rest of new veteran defensemen are ready to usher in a new age of Sharks hockey
The biggest takeaway from Leddy’s first media appearance as a San Jose Sharks player is the future of the franchise.
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The Sharks also brought in John Klingberg and Dmitri Orlov as free agent signings. Leddy said that all three defensemen bring their own style of play, which can help the young squad.
“You look at all three of our games, we make that good first breakout pass. We have skill, [are good] good skaters,” Leddy said. “With the skill on this team and their work ethic, you want to get the puck in that skill’s hands as quickly as possible. We’ll be able to do that.”
Leddy also had high praise for the other San Jose Sharks top young talents, like Will Smith and Michael Misa.
“Incredible talents. They all have a ton of drive and work ethic,” Leddy said. “That’s why they’re so good, and those are some traits the best players in the world have.”
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Lastly, the veteran Sharks defenseman talked about what the team needs to do to move up the standings and take the metaphorical step forward.
“On the teams I’ve been on that have had a lot of success, consistency is one [thing],”
Leddy explained. “Being in the right place at the right time. Everyone doing their jobs. It makes everyone’s life and job a lot easier.”
Leddy was paired with Klingberg in the Sharks Teal group for the first day of training camp.
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