Report: Sharks are listening to offers on virtually their entire roster
The San Jose Sharks will listen to offers on almost any player on their roster in the weeks leading up to the March 8th trade deadline, according to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.
Amidst another rebuilding season, the Sharks – who, at 15-35-5, enter Wednesday’s slate just two points ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks for the NHL’s worst record – are expected to be a major player on the trade front, just as they’ve been over the previous few seasons.
General manager Mike Grier is planning to take calls regarding most of his roster, except for those still on entry-level deals, as Pagnotta reports.
Everyone else, however, will likely be up for grabs.
That’s a pretty large group. One that includes captain Logan Couture and alternate Tomas Hertl, as well as Mario Ferraro, Anthony Duclair, Mikael Granlund, Mike Hoffman, Alexander Barabanov, Luke Kunin, Nico Sturm, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Kevin Labanc, Jan Rutta, Kyle Burroughs, Kaapo Kahkonen and Mackenzie Blackwood.
The odds of Couture (knee) and Hertl (lower body) being moved this season appear slim, as both are on IR with significant injuries and may not return before the regular season concludes. So far, neither has indicated a desire to leave the organization.
Adding to the unlikeliness of a mid-season blockbuster, Couture can block a trade to as many as 29 of the league’s 32 teams, while Hertl’s contract includes a full no-move clause.
While both skaters will likely remain put this season, Pagnotta notes that duo could become more appealing during the summer, when their health statuses gain additional clarity and fewer teams are dealing with salary-cap complications.
Vlasic, sitting with just five goals and seven points in 33 games on the year, could be another challenging player to trade during the season. The 36-year-old blueliner’s deal carries a $7-million cap hit through 2025-26 and includes a three-team trade list.
Unlike Couture however, it remains unclear if he’d be willing to expand that list beyond a trio of clubs.
Impending UFAs such as Duclair, Hoffman and Labanc appear poised to be playing elsewhere post-trade deadline. Barabanov will almost certainly be on the move as well, although his expiring deal comes with a 10-team no-trade list.
With much of the sport desperately searching for goaltending, Kahkonen, another pending UFA, should also garner interest as an inexpensive netminder at an affordable $2.75-million cap hit.
The 27-year-old goalie has performed well in his second season with San Jose, posting a respectable 3.46 GAA and .905 SV% despite boasting a 6-16-2 record across 26 games. He’s saved 7.7 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck, which puts him 17th-highest league-wide.
Those with multiple years of control beyond 2023-24 include Ferraro, Granlund, Kunin (RFA with arbitration rights), Sturm, Rutta, Burroughs and Blackwood – each of whom should command higher acquisition costs as non-rental items.
One potential suitor for Ferraro, Kunin, or perhaps both, could be the Toronto Maple Leafs, a club that’s expressed interest in the pair, as reported by Pagnotta. He also added they’ll probably be more inclined to part with their 2024 first-round pick for a player with term remaining.
The Sharks will likely need to retain salary to facilitate trades in most cases, which shouldn’t be a problem, considering they’re roughly $7.4 million under the $83.5-million salary cap for this season and feature a projected $37.5 million in space for 2024-25.
By doing so, the front office should help its cause of stockpiling as many draft picks as possible – a goal that remains a work in progress as they’re without their own third, fourth, fifth and sixth-round selections this year.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Derek Ortiz. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.