SAN JOSE — The Sharks on Tuesday were still trying to digest the 41-game suspension handed to teammate Raffi Torres for his illegal hit to the head of Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg.

A day after Torres was given one of the longest suspensions in NHL history, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski and coach Pete DeBoer said they were disappointed for Torres but needed to turn their attention to their season opener Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Kings.

“It was tough,” Pavelski said. “It was one of those feelings that I think everybody in this room had. You felt it in your gut. We were definitely disappointed in the ruling, but that’s what we have to deal with now.

“When he does come back, I think he understands that we’ll be a lot better, and we love having him here. So we’ll look forward to his return. But it’s definitely a tough feeling at the moment.”

DeBoer said Torres, who had not played in a regular-season or playoff game in close to 18 months because of knee problems, was “pretty emotional” when they spoke Monday.

“Just disappointed, disappointed for Raff. It’s an unfortunate incident,” DeBoer said. “We all know the league’s policy on those type of hits, and you just feel for him because at ground level here, we’ve seen how hard he’s worked to get back.”

Silfverberg did not take part in Ducks practice Tuesday, but he did skate on his own, according to reports.

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson has not publicly commented on the suspension, and there was no word on whether the NHLPA would file an appeal on Torres’ behalf. An appeal would have to be made no later than 48 hours after the player is notified of the suspension.

The appeal would first be heard by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Then, if the players union is not satisfied by the ruling, it can be heard by a neutral arbitrator. Torres would remain under suspension during the appeal.

Bettman has reduced one previous suspension for Torres. In 2012, Torres was initially given 25 games for a head shot on Chicago’s Marian Hossa. On appeal, Bettman reduced the suspension to 21 games.

Neil Smith, the former general manager of the New York Rangers and an analyst on NHL Network, said Torres’ situation is similar to that of Matt Cooke, who has been suspended six times, most recently in the 2014 playoffs, but did clean up his act for the 2014-15 season.

Still, Smith said Torres, now on his fifth suspension, is “a marked man for the rest of his career. He’s not going to be able to do this kind of thing or get away with anything.”

The Sharks won last year’s season opener against Los Angeles but lost three of the next four meetings. It was the first time the Sharks lost the regular-season series to the Kings since the 2001-02 season, when San Jose went 1-4. “I’m expecting a real hard game,” DeBoer said. “Two teams with a lot of history, and you have to respect what L.A. has done over the last five or six years. The group we have, what I know about them, they’ve been able to rise to the occasion against real good teams and challenges like this in the past.”