Vladislav Namestnikov’s stay in the Bay Area has ended after just over a day. The San Jose Sharks have traded Namestnikov to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick. TSN’s Darren Dreger notes that this trade takes the Jets out of contention to acquire veteran winger James Van Riemsdyk from the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are already retaining 50% of Namestnikov’s $2.5MM cap hit, meaning he ends up in Winnipeg at a relatively affordable price. The 30-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The Sharks aren’t retaining any salary on Namestnikov themselves to complete this deal.
The Jets have been on the hunt for a player to reinforce their forward corps, and in acquiring Namestnikov they get a capable, experienced name to work with. Injuries have absolutely ravaged their ranks up front, so this addition comes at an especially important time. He’ll be able to step into their lineup and immediately upgrade their bottom six.
Is Namestnikov going to meaningfully impact the Jets’ odds of winning a Stanley Cup this season? No, probably not. But he’s a veteran of over 600 NHL games with some playoff experience as well.
He fared decently well as a rental addition last year, scoring five points in 15 games for the Dallas Stars, and finishing his season with 16 goals and 30 points.
This year, his production is down, and he has only six goals and 15 points in 57 games, but with a more regular bottom-six role in Winnipeg, he could see his numbers tick up.
At the very least, he’ll be able to capably handle 12 to 15 minutes per night for coach Rick Bowness and could even see some penalty-killing time if necessary, as he did when he was a member of the Detroit Red Wings last season. For the price of a fourth-rounder in 2025 and as a no-strings-attached rental, adding Namestnikov should definitely help.
For the Sharks, this deal has essentially allowed them to turn a waiver claim into a mid-round draft choice. While not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the Sharks know they won’t be competing for a Stanley Cup any time soon.
Getting a solid draft pick in exchange for a player the team had no long-term plans for is a sound bit of business for GM Mike Grier, and this is as a whole a trade that should leave fans of both teams satisfied.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first on the trade, while The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun was first to report the compensation heading back to San Jose.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Yay CF has no leverage now!
Damn now all that Grier hate he got looks pretty stupid (predictably so). Turned a waiver claim into a fourth round pick. Not too shabby.
Patience is difficult but also required. The Karlsson trade was originally seen as awful for Ottawa, but in time it turned out to be much worse for San Jose.
“In Namerstnikov they get an (…) experienced name…”
I like how you guys still got time for fun despite your workload in deadline week :)