SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks have been competitive in their two games this week without center Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci. But, as could have predicted, the Sharks offense has struggled to produce at even strength.

Since trading Granlund and Ceci to the Dallas Stars last Saturday for two 2025 draft picks, including a first-rounder, the Sharks have had just one 5-on-5 goal, scored by Collin Graf in the second period of a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.

It’s a small sample size, but the Sharks were already one of the more offensively challenged teams in the NHL during 5-on-5 play when they made the deal. Trading Granlund, who had a team-leading 45 points in 52 games with the Sharks this season, has made even-strength scoring more of an issue, at least in the short term.

“We miss him. He’s a great player,” Sharks winger Fabian Zetterlund said of Granlund after Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. “But it’s the guys in here that are going to do it. We can’t do anything about it right now, but we have played two really good games here.”

With Granlund, Ceci, and the Stars coming to SAP Center on Saturday to play the Sharks, here are three ways San Jose has adapted since the deal.

WALMAN’S ROLE: Jake Walman was already a heavily relied-upon defenseman for the Sharks before the deal, averaging 22:45 in ice time per night in 41 games. Since the trade, Walman has averaged 26:18, including a career-high 27:01 against the Canucks on Tuesday. Ice time-wise, He led all skaters at even strength (18:37), power play (3:16), and penalty kill (5:08).

Those are Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns-type numbers from back in their heydays. But Walman said Friday he isn’t any worse for the wear, adding, “I feel pretty good. I feel full of energy. I woke up this morning full of energy. I like it. Obviously, in those situations, if I’m needed, I want to be out there.”

Walman has been establishing himself as a top-pair defenseman with the Sharks all season and is 22nd in the NHL among all defensemen with 29 points – a figure that would be higher had he not had to miss 13 games.

“I thought (Thursday’s) game might have been his best game of the year,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Walman. “He wasn’t reckless; he was skating. He was defending hard. Like anyone, he made a couple of mistakes, but I liked his game last night. He understands (this is) another opportunity for him to really solidify his future, understanding how good he can be in this league.

“He’s got all the potential in the world.”

DEPTH CHARGE: Without a heavy-minute player like Granlund, Warsofsky has seemingly spread out a little more ice time to his bottom six forwards.

Tuesday night, third-line forwards Collin Graf, and Barclay Goodrow had about as much ice time at even strength as the second-line wingers did, with Graf leading all forwards with 23 shifts.

Thursday night, Warsofsky complimented fourth-line forwards Ty Dellandrea, Walker Duehr, and Carl Grundstrom, who, despite limited ice time, had a combined 11 hits and four shots on net.

“All three guys were skating, getting on the forecheck,” Warsofsky said. “I thought in the third period, they were one of our best lines.”

SHOT SUPPRESSION: The Sharks enter Saturday allowing a league-high 32.1 shots per game, but Alexandar Georgiev and Vitek Vanecek were not as busy in their starts this week. Georgiev faced 20 shots by the Canadiens, and Vanecek faced 24 from the Canucks.

Both goalies were helped by the Sharks’ combined 47 blocked shots. Walman was credited with 10 of those blocks.

“I think we’re defending with more pride,” Warsofsky said.

“Even though we only gave up eight chances five on five against (per our) statistics, I still think there’s room to grow there. That means boxing out in front of our net, getting guys up against walls. We get beat back to our puck quite often. Has it been a step in the right direction these last couple of games? One hundred percent. But to get where we want to go in the future, we have to defend with a lot of pride, night in and night out.”

Originally Published: February 7, 2025 at 3:03 PM PST

This month, D-FW Sabores explored the food, dishes and the history behind them of Mexico City, the country’s capital. There, centuries-old traditions combine with modern approaches, making Mexico City a mecca for world gastronomy and a master of street food.

Mexico City’s origins date back to 1325, when the Aztecs settled on an island in Texcoco Lake. In 1521, the Spanish conquistadors defeated the indigenous people. That began the Mestizaje era during which the two cultures collided, combining flavors and techniques to create the Mexican cuisine we know today.

Mexico City occupies only 0.1% of the country’s territory but holds more than 7% of its population, most of them migrants from other states or countries. It’s, in part, why you can find such a wide variety of flavors in Mexico City cuisine.

There are countless high-end restaurants in the city, some awarded with two Michelin stars — Pujol and Quintonil. But the dishes that truly represent the city’s food identity can be found as frequently on a street corner as in a fine dining room.

The al pastor taco is the king of Mexico City street food. This taco is made with pork marinated in a combination of spices, including achiote, a plant native to southern Mexico and widely used in the cuisine of that region. In Dallas-Fort Worth, several places serve al pastor tacos, bringing Mexico City flare to the experience with music and slivers of pineapple.

Tortas are another ubiquitous dish in the Mexican capital. Because of their versatility and variety, they are one of the foods consumed by young and old, at school, at the office, on the street, in restaurants, or anywhere. We can also find them in North Texas, too, in places like El Rincón del D.F.

D-FW Sabores also explored the eternal debate in Mexico City: should quesadillas have cheese or not? At Tortas Insurgentes in D-FW, they’ve chosen not to pick sides and prepare them as requested by the customer.

Mexico City is the third region of Mexico that D-FW Sabores covered as part of a quest to find authentic Mexican food in North Texas.

For a look at the restaurants serving these dishes and more, check out this story.

Next, The News is heading south.

This story is part of D-FW Sabores, a series dedicated to finding authentic Mexican cuisine across North Texas, dish by dish, region by region.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Dallas Mavericks teamed up with the Marcus Graham Project (MGP) to open the door for a group of diverse young professionals looking to step into the sports marketing industry.

Through the MGP iCR8 Boot Camp, 25 program applicants were selected to participate in the week-long training and mentorship program.

Established in 2009, the Marcus Graham Project’s iCR8 Boot Camps invest in future marketing and media leaders who will contribute to an expanded and diversified talent pool of highly skilled professionals.

During the first two meetings, students learned the ins and outs of the Dallas Mavericks approach to marketing, media, and communications and gained insight from team sponsors, like Target, on their techniques to leverage the brand’s connection to the Mavs.

With ample background on team operations and a deeper look into the Mavs’ efforts to expand the brand internationally, the four teams were challenged to create a comprehensive strategy for the Dallas Mavericks to penetrate markets in China, Germany, Mexico and Spain.

Over the course of the next two days, the teams collaborated to finalize presentations, which were shared with industry experts from the Dallas Mavericks and The Marketing ARM, a widely known sports, entertainment, and social media agency, for individualized feedback.

Among the four groups, the team assigned to the Chinese market was designated as the top presentation for their innovative ideas to grow the Mavs fan base, while also leveraging opportunities to increase revenue through multiple avenues.

Team leader and MVP winner Cory Hicks said, “This experience has been a roller coaster of different emotions as we overcame different obstacles to feel that sense of achievement and see all the work we put in come to fruition.

“My team was very helpful to bounce ideas off and collaborate…It’s definitely been a beautiful experience, and it’s been a huge reward to see that all the work has paid off.”

Hicks and his winning team will all be invited to interview for prospective internship openings in the Mavs Marketing department and experience a Mavs gameday in early March.

But, most importantly, all participants gained valuable insight into the sports marketing industry, and hope to join 96% of MGP alumni who received job offers within six months of completing an iCR8 Boot Camp.