Sharks Expected To Target Defensive Upgrades This Summer

Last offseason, Sharks GM Mike Grier spent a lot of time reshaping his back end.  He brought in Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg in free agency while adding Nick Leddy off waivers in an effort to raise the floor of his group.  While Leddy struggled, both Orlov and Klingberg were contributors and arguably accomplished that objective.

But now, expectations will be higher heading into next season.  San Jose didn’t miss the postseason by much and next season, the objective will likely flip from trying to be more competitive to trying to make the playoffs.  To that end, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported on a recent DFO Rundown appearance (video link) that the Sharks will once again be looking to shake up their back end this summer in the hopes of further bolstering the group.

It came out midseason that the Sharks had taken a run at acquiring New Jersey blueliner Dougie Hamilton last summer but the veteran wasn’t willing to waive his trade protection to facilitate a move.  Although the trade chatter surrounding Hamilton eventually died down, new GM Sunny Mehta may still look to cut some money from their back end and if that happens, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Grier try again on that front.

Pagnotta suggested Toronto’s Morgan Rielly as a speculative addition but there is trade protection to contend with there, as well.  But those two should serve as an idea of the type of veteran they’d like to add while they undoubtedly would want to add a defender that’s more in line with the age of their core group as well.

There will be room to reshape the back end.  Last summer’s pickups Klingberg and Leddy are pending UFAs while Mario Ferraro and Vincent Desharnais are also set to hit the open market.  Even if one or two were to return, that still leaves ample room for some newcomers.  On top of that, the Sharks project to have more than $41MM in salary cap flexibility this summer, per PuckPedia.  That means they can shop at the pricier end of the market without needing to worry about hurting their cap situation.

With the Sharks at the point where they’re looking to emerge from their multi-year rebuild and get back into the playoff battle, they’re not going to be in a spot where they’re picky about upgrades.  Roster help is roster help and every improvement can make a difference.  But with a back end that’s set to be headlined by Orlov and youngster Sam Dickinson next season as things stand, there is a definite need for upgrades and depth in San Jose so it could be another busy offseason when it comes to the back end.