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Shakir Mukhamadullin opens up on Sharks rift, Edmonton Oilers trade

Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By Michael Menzies

Aug 25, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 24, 2026, 22:56 EDT

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Shakir Mukhamadullin discussed his trade to the Edmonton Oilers and detailed a strained relationship with his former team, the San Jose Sharks, in a Russian interview with Sport Express.

The 24-year-old defenceman’s ascent to the NHL has been bumpy since being a first-round draft pick in 2020. After the Sharks acquired him from New Jersey in the Timo Meier deal, he was seen as perhaps their most important piece long-term on the blue line.

However, injuries and frustration with the coaching staff led to Mukhamadullin being used as a trade chip, which is what general manager Mike Grier decided in July in the swap for Darnell Nurse.

That creates a new opportunity for him in Edmonton.

“A trade can happen any day, any moment,” said Mukhamadullin in the interview last week, translated from Russian by this Twitter user. “So I was mentally prepared for it. I was told a couple of days in advance that it was a possibility. I wasn’t expecting it, but I was ready.

“Honestly, I don’t like changing teams. I played my whole career in Ufa in one place, so this isn’t something I’m used to. But now it is what it is. And again, I’m happy to go to Edmonton.

“For me, it’s a challenge. I actually enjoy it when you’re pushed into a corner, to put it bluntly. Not a second to relax. Those are the moments when you really grow and get better. So I’m happy to go there.”

Mukhamadullin played a career-high 50 NHL games this season, scoring five goals and 12 points, but it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows in northern California. At one point, he publicly voiced frustrations about not getting more opportunities with coach Ryan Warsofsky.

“The season felt a bit fragmented,” he said last week. “Even so, in the games I did play, I thought I played well.

“There was some misunderstanding with the coaching staff. I won’t spell it out clearly, but there were some disagreements. Add injuries to that. There was also one thing nobody knows about, a situation involving the injured list. I don’t really want to talk about it now either, but it wasn’t a great look. Everything piled up, and that’s how the season turned out.”

Shakir Mukhamadullin’s fragmented 2025-26 season

Mukhamadullin made strides in his game in late 2024-25, playing more NHL games than AHL ones for the first time in his career. A collision with Ducks forward Frank Vatrano, though, caused him to miss the last eight games and trade some offseason training time for rehab.

But he didn’t miss any game action out of the gate, collecting two assists in the Sharks’ season-opening loss against Vegas on Oct. 9. However, Warsofsky scratched Mukhamadullin for the next two games before the rearguard suffered a “freak injury” at practice, according to Sharks Hockey Digest. He went on the IR for an upper-body injury.

Mukhamadullin returned to the lineup on Oct. 30 and played the right side, playing the lion’s share of games. That was before a stretch in early December that saw him held out four straight times while competing with Timothy Liljegren, Nick Leddy, and John Klingberg for a routine spot.

Around Christmas, Mukhamadullin seemed to be ramping up, topping over 20 minutes of ice time in three out of four games. Then on Jan. 3, he suffered another upper-body injury, causing him to miss most of the month.

At one point, he’d played 26 of the Sharks’ first 56 games either due to injuries or healthy scratches. That culminated in being out of the lineup in the first San Jose contest after the Olympic break on Feb. 26.

“Honestly, I’m not happy with how my season is going,” Mukhamadullin told the Bay Area News Group at the time. “Not playing that many games. Also have, like, small ice time. When I play, every time, it’s 13, 14 minutes.

“But it is what it is. Just try to stay positive every day. Just a lot of thinking in my head right now about my season, but just stay positive and just prepare for every game and be ready.”

Warsofsky talked about the decision to scratch him at that day’s morning skate.

“I thought he did some really good things and was solid in some areas that we’ve asked him to improve at,” Warsofsky said on Feb. 26. “There’s obviously a little way to go as far as being a big guy and defending with some jam and making the right play and scanning the ice and those things that we’ve talked about with him. I think he’s taking it a step.

“I think the injuries weigh that down a little bit. If he’s healthy, we’re probably seeing a different player right now,” he continued. “Every player goes through different situations in their career, and not every path to develop into a full-time consistent NHL player is direct.”

After skipping an optional skate the next day, speculation arose that he would miss upcoming games for personal reasons. But in the end, he did suit up for a Saturday matinee on Feb. 28 and scored the game-winning goal against who else, but the Edmonton Oilers.

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The Oilers would again weave into the defenceman’s 2025-26 story later in March, as one of the last times he was scratched was on Mar. 17 vs Edmonton. The game prior, Mukhamadullin registered two assists against Ottawa, but San Jose lost 7-4.

At the time, the Sharks were one point out of the last wildcard spot, and the 5-3 defeat to the Oilers would be the second of an eventual six-game losing streak — the downturn that crushed San Jose’s playoff hopes down the stretch.

Mukhamadullin finished the year playing 24 of the team’s final 26 games. At exit interviews, Grier said they wanted the restricted free agent back, and the team still believed in him despite the ups and downs.

Contract negotiations didn’t go so well.

“There were offers. Two of them,” said Mukhamadullin, who underlined in the interview how he and his wife grew to enjoy the city of San Jose. “We just turned them down, didn’t come to terms, let’s say.

“As for the team, those thoughts probably started during the season, around that injured-list situation. I was already getting fed up. I even gave a pretty candid interview around that time, saying I wasn’t happy with my ice time and the overall situation. So those thoughts were already there.”

The Oilers wasted little time agreeing to a contract with their new defenceman, signing him just three days after the Nurse exchange to a two-year, $1.75 million AAV contract. He’ll still be an RFA when it expires in 2028.

What role will Mukhamadullin play on the Oilers blue line?

Comfortable playing on the right side despite shooting left, Mukhamadullin will likely be in a similar situation to last season as a sixth or seventh defenceman competing for time against Ty Emberson.

Whether he can embrace that role will be a good challenge, given his 6-foot-4 frame and skating ability at one time allowed him to climb the draft board six years ago. However, he admits that he feels his game has changed since he left his homeland for good in 2022-23.

“I think I see the game a little differently now,” he said. “Over there, everyone has a very clear role. In my case, there wasn’t as much freedom to improvise. I just did what I was told, robot mode, doing everything for the team. They put a huge emphasis on defence. I got a lot of individual work.

When asked specifically whether the loss of creativity bothers him, “Sometimes I think about it. I feel like maybe I’m losing some of that. But again it’s all about being able to play there.”

‘I’m going to fight for a spot’

The Oilers are in a much different place than the Sharks, gunning to win the Stanley Cup, not just rise out of the basement of the league. Does Mukhamadullin feel that pressure?

“I had some doubts, honestly,” he said. “But I’m not scared. I’m not going there for easy conditions. I‘m going to fight for a spot, so I have to be ready for anything.

“No contract guarantees anything,” he continued. “Guys with $7 million deals have played in the AHL. It all depends on you. I’m fully aware there are no guarantees. It’s a strong team, fighting for the Cup right now. And again, that challenge only excited me.”

Overall, his story rings familiar to another Russian the Oilers were able to rejuvenate in Vasily Podkolzin.

Similar to Mukhamadullin, Podkolzin was a top draft choice of the Vancouver Canucks, but whether it was a loss of confidence or some friction with coach Rick Tocchet, he fell out of favour in the organization. That allowed the Oilers to take advantage of a distressed asset, which is paying dividends today.

Perhaps Mukhamadullin’s teammate at the 2021 World Juniors can be a mentor, resonating with him in a way that others can’t. If so, the Oilers wouldn’t just be getting a player to plug a hole on the back end, but a first-round talent who just needed a fresh start.

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.

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