Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

John Carlson

Philadelphia Flyers Unlikely To Offer Long-Term Free Agent Deals

at CDT | by 7 Comments

The Philadelphia Flyers were pushed out of the playoffs early by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but still have a good enough core to believe that they can compete next season. There’s no tear down or rebuild happening, but GM Ron Hextall also isn’t looking to land any of the big free agents on the market. Speaking today to media including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Hextall indicated that he would only be going after unrestricted free agents on short-term deals.

We’re certainly not going to reach out on a seven-year deal on a good player, I can assure you that.

Those comments would seem to take Philadelphia out of the running for both John Tavares and John Carlson (and maybe others), while also directly stating that he hasn’t spoken to the Ilya Kovalchuk camp and doesn’t expect to in the future. Instead, they may look at smaller free agent deals to support their current group. Tavares and Carlson are sure bets for seven-year deals if they hit the market, and could even earn eight-year contracts from their current teams over the next few weeks. Both will have plenty of suitors, and a bidding war that the Flyers clearly don’t want to get involved in.

As for Kovalchuk, he seems to also have healthy interest from around the league after visits to Los Angeles, San Jose, Detroit and several other clubs. The Flyers have their own scoring winger to worry about, as Wayne Simmonds is eligible for an extension on July 1st. The 29-year old has been one of the league’s best bargains for several seasons, and is in line for a huge raise on his next contract.

Erik Karlsson Not Likely To Get Moved To Vegas

at CDT | by 7 Comments

With their season wrapping up much more quietly than the Washington Capitals, the Vegas Golden Knights will now look to continue their success next season. Due to the failed trade deadline move to acquire Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson many months ago, many people believe that Vegas general manager George McPhee will try to rekindle those trade talks.

The move would make quite a bit of sense since Vegas’ defense struggled against Washington during their Stanley Cup run as the Capitals dominated the neutral zone throughout the finals. And while the Golden Knights have many quality top-four defensemen, what the team is truly lacking is a No. 1 defenseman, which showed against Washington. However, Elliotte Friedman suggests a deal for Karlsson might be unlikely this offseason in his 31 Thoughts segment.

Friedman writes the main reason the original Karlsson trade collapsed was Ottawa’s insistence on Vegas including 2017 first-round pick Cody Glass, the team’s top prospect. The 19-year-old center, who was the sixth-overall pick in last year’s draft, potted 37 goals and 102 points for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. Vegas didn’t want to include him, despite the fact that 13th overall pick Nick Suzuki, also a center, tallied 42 goals and 100 points for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack.

The team isn’t ready to deplete it’s prospect pool. They would rather move picks such as when they traded their 2018 first-rounder, a 2019 second rounder and a 2021 third-rounder to get a player like Tomas Tatar. They already know what they have in Glass and Suzuki even if it takes another year for them to step into their lineup. However, despite having six picks in the first three rounds last year (three first-rounders), the team is still building its prospect pool for the future and with just one pick in the first three rounds this year (not in the first round), the team isn’t going to build it up a whole lot this year.

Friedman suggests that a better move for the Golden Knights would be to steal away John Carlson from Washington (McPhee drafted him back in 2008). Considering the amount of cap space Vegas has, that would be the best way to bring in veteran talent.

While many people believe that bringing in Karlsson, who has been unhappy with Ottawa’s ownership, is the better course of action, trading one (or more) of their top prospects and likely taking on the bloated contract of winger Bobby Ryan for another four years at $7.25MM will quickly destroy both their cap flexibility and cut into their small, but solid prospect pool. Vegas will have at least $28MM in cap room, so why not just spend some of it on Carlson and keep their prospects?

Metropolitan Notes: Carlson, Kunitz, Islanders

at CDT | by 3 Comments

A strong showing in the playoffs could push Capitals defenseman John Carlson’s asking price to or above $8MM per season, TSN’s Bob McKenzie suggested during an appearance on TSN 1260 (audio link).  That would put his next deal in line with the reported extension offer that the Coyotes have given Oliver Ekman-Larsson (eight years and $66MM).

While that would more than double Carlson’s previous cap hit, he has certainly made a case for that type of money.  He led all NHL defenders in points with 68 during the regular season while averaging a career-high 24:47 per night.  He followed that up with a near-identical showing in the playoffs, averaging the same points-per-game rate (0.83) and logged even more ice time at 25:38 per game.  That type of performance puts him in the discussion as a legitimate number one defender and with a weak free agent market, the Capitals will have to find a way to fit in another sizable contract if they want to bring him back for 2018-19 and beyond.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Penguins may have wanted to keep winger Chris Kunitz around last summer but expected to bring back center Matt Cullen instead and didn’t want two veterans on their fourth line, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh focused on getting Cullen locked up so Kunitz instead went to Tampa Bay.  (Cullen, meanwhile, wound up in Minnesota.)  One summer later, the scribe believes that Kunitz could be back on their radar as a fit on the fourth line.  The 38-year-old saw his ice time reduced considerably this past season but he still managed to put up 13 goals and 16 assists in his diminished role and the Pens would certainly welcome production like that on their bottom trio.
  • With the Islanders likely to be active in looking for help between the pipes, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard is someone they may go after. Washington’s Phillip Grubauer is the better fit long-term but he’ll also cost a lot more to acquire.  Howard would give New York a little more stability as they look to try to retain John Tavares and get back into a playoff spot next season.  However, he’s entering the final year of his contract so if they were to trade for him, it would only be a short-term fix unless they could agree on a contract extension.

Washington Capitals Win 2018 Stanley Cup Championship

at CDT | by 10 Comments

For the first time in 44 years, the Washington Capitals are Stanley Cup champions. The 1974 expansion team won the first title in franchise history with a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five. The long-suffering fan base that has seen more President’s Trophies than Conference Championships in the team’s history can finally breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate their team getting over the hump. The Stanley Cup belongs to the Capitals in 2018.

Leading the charge for Washington in the postseason and in the deciding game was of course Alex Ovechkin. The franchise leader in scoring fittingly led the team in playoff goal scoring and set the franchise record for goals in a playoff by notching his 15th en route to a win the first title in franchise history. Evgeny Kuznetsov led the team with 32 points in the postseason, adding an assist in Game Five and leading all forwards in ice time. Lars Eller potted the game-winning goal mid-way through the third period to cap off an excellent postseason in which he took his game to the next level and was a clutch presence for the Capitals. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the play of goaltender Braden Holtby, who won back the starter’s job early in the postseason after a tough regular season and went on to make brilliant save after brilliant save these past month, especially in the Final. Not to be forgotten are key contributors like long-time Capitals Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson and Jay Beagle, T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen, and Brooks Orpik among others. Head coach Barry Trotz should also be commended for his excellent work and on a career that, like his superstar forward, has always lacked one thing: a title. Not anymore, as Trotz and the Caps are champs.

However, this win is also about the players that came before this team who have long waited for a title to come to Washington. Peter Bondra, Mike Gartner, Dale Hunter, Olaf Kolzig and others can all enjoy what this team has accomplished and what the last four decades have led to.

The achievements of George McPhee, Gerard Gallant, and Vegas Golden Knights, an expansion team in their inaugural season, cannot possibly be overstated. Yet, this franchise has a bright future and is unlikely to have a long wait for their own title. Washington fans had waited long enough. After 44 years, the Washington Capitals are champs and D.C. is a title town once again after 26 years.

 

Metro Notes: Grubauer, Trotz, Alzner, Hurricanes

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Although he eventually gave the starter’s job back to Braden Holtby this postseason, Washington Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer has more than proven himself to be a top option in 2017-18. The 26-year-old won over the leading role in net late in the regular season for the Caps and finished with a .923 save percentage and 2.35 GAA; both marks were substantially better than Holtby’s for the year albeit in 35 appearances versus 54 for Holtby. Entering restricted free agency this summer, Grubauer has shown the potential to be a starter in the NHL and will use that to cash in on his next contract. As such, that contract likely won’t be with Washington. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports that there is already considerable trade interest across the league in Grubauer, as the cap-strapped Capitals cannot afford an expensive backup goalie, especially since they hope to re-sign one of the top names on the free agent market in defenseman John Carlson. According to LeBrun, the leading suitors thus far, for obvious reasons, have been the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes. Both teams have underwhelming veteran starters heading to free agency – Jaroslav Halak and Cam Ward – with the disappointing backups that lost their jobs now slated to return to starting in Thomas Greiss and Scott Darling respectively. Grubauer would likely be an upgrade to either and at the very least would create some competition in net. LeBrun doubts that those two teams will be the only major contenders for Grubauer this off-season, citing that interest may increase once Washington wraps up the Stanley Cup final. It is also fair to be skeptical of the Capitals trading him within the division if they truly believe in his ability. Don’t rule out a Martin Jones scenario wherein the San Jose Sharks acquired Jones from the Los Angeles Kings through the Boston Bruins a few years back, much to the chagrin of the division rival Kings. One way or another, it seems likely that Grubauer’s time in Washington is over. At least it appears he could end his stay with a title.

  • A more surprising name who could also end his stay in D.C. with a Stanley Cup is head coach Barry Trotz. Trotz still does not have a contract for next season and LeBrun reports that the team has not had any talks with their bench boss during the postseason so as to remain focused. As a result, Trotz is able to consider his options once the season comes to an end. Assuming the Capitals extend an offer to their coach, who has always been a title away from being considered one of the best in the game, Trotz could simply choose to stay and defend his championship with a team that won’t change much this off-season. However, he could opt for more money or a new challenge with another franchise. Again, LeBrun adds that the Islanders are rumored to be in the running. After firing Doug Weight on Tuesday, the Isles are the only team in the league that currently has a vacancy at head coach and Lou Lamoriello could be intrigued by adding a proven winner to lead the team he is trying to turn around. If the offer was overwhelming, the Capitals may be content to give the job to assistant Todd Reirden, who LeBrun notes has long been considered the heir apparent. Only time will tell what Trotz’ decision is, but LeBrun reports that he and agent Gil Scott will meet to map out their plans as soon as the season ends.
  • One player upset at missing out on the Capitals’ current cap run is former defenseman Karl Alzner. Alzner, who was drafted by Washington with the 5th overall pick in 2007 and played nine seasons with the team, departed in free agency last summer, joining the Montreal Canadiens to the tune of five years and $23MM. While the contract was enticing for the stay-at-home defender, his desire to win was also one of the main reasons he left after repeated playoff collapses by the Caps. This makes the cruel irony of this season that much worse, as Washington seems poised to win its first ever Stanley Cup title while Alzner’s first year in Montreal was nothing short of a disaster by both individual and team performance standards. Unsurprisingly, when Alzner spoke on 960 The Fan in Calgary today he said he was “super jealous”. He goes on to say that he will be excited for his good friends on the team if they lift the Cup later in the series, but it’s hard to believe that Alzner won’t feel discouraged by the championship win as well. Unfortunately, a player who wanted so badly to win missed out by one season and chose to sign with a team that is quite far away from being a legitimate contender.
  • There has been a lot made already about the new administration in Carolina and the changes coming to the Hurricanes, but it seems unlikely that the news will stop anytime soon. LeBrun confirmed that new GM Don Waddell has been taking a lot of calls on his players and that a major move could be imminent. LeBrun says that scoring winger Jeff Skinner is the most likely to move and that a trade could be made in the next week or so. The price on Skinner is currently a first-round pick and prospect, which LeBrun says has soured some teams, but without pressure to make a deal, Waddell can hold on his asking prices and let the suitors budge. The same goes for his efforts to deal a defenseman. The Hurricanes are bursting at the seems with talented defenders, but that doesn’t mean that they have to make a trade. Instead, Waddell seems more likely to wait until he gets blown away by an offer, likely for veteran leader Justin Faulk or promising RFA Noah Hanifin, before he pulls the trigger. LeBrun also speculates that Elias Lindholm, another restricted free agent, could become available later this summer if the two sides can’t work out a long-term extension.

Playoff Notes: Theodore, Lineup Changes, Orpik, Smith-Pelly, Beagle

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Vegas Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant showed why he is considered to be a players’ coach when he was asked Sunday about the performance of 22-year-old Shea Theodore, according to the Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno. The young blueliner has struggled mightily in the Stanley Cup Finals, having been on the ice for four of the team’s past six goals. In Game 3 alone, he made a questionable decision that created an odd-man rush on Evgeny Kuznetsov’s goal and then followed that up with a bad turnover that allowed Devante Smith-Pelly to score the goal that sealed the win.

Regardless, despite forcing the youngster to skip one shift, the veteran coach defended his player.

“Did Shea do something real bad? He plays the game like everybody else,” Gallant said Sunday in a passionate defense of Theodore. “He made a couple mistakes, they ended up in the back of our net. A lot of guys make mistakes in hockey games and they don’t end up in the back of the net. Shea’s a 22-year-old kid who I love. He’s a great player. He’s going to be a star in this league.”

Theodore is expected to continue playing next to Deryk Engelland in Game 4. Whyno said that Engelland reassured Theodore and told him to simplify his game.

  • Gallant also said the team might make some lineup changes for Game 4 on Monday. There is lots of speculation the team may bring back wingers William Carrier and Tomas Tatar, who both have played sporadically throughout the playoffs for Vegas. There is also talk the team might shuffle some of their middle lines. The team’s second line of Erik Haula, James Neal and David Perron has struggled in the Stanley Cup Finals. In three games, they have gone for a combined one goal, two assists, 10 shots on goal, 14 shots missed or blocked and a minus-9 rating. NHL Network’s Brian Lawton reports that the team could promote Alex Tuch to the second line in order to change things up.
  • Despite rumors that he suffered a concussion on a reverse hit from Neal, Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik had the wind knocked out of him, according to Whyno. The veteran defenseman said a concussion was never the issue as he couldn’t breathe initially after the hit. He is expected to be ready for Monday’s Game 4. Orpik was never checked for a concussion and the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore writes that the NHL failed once again to show the world that they are on top of handling concussions as Orpik was allowed to return immediately on the next shift.
  • Two key contributors for the Capitals in Game 3 were Smith-Pelly, who scored the insurance goal, and Jay Beagle who assisted on two goals as well as had a 61 percent face-off success rate was another key factor for the Capitals. Both will be unrestricted free agents and with the Capitals spending much of their time focused on John Carlson’s upcoming free agency and their lack of salary cap space, one has to wonder whether both Smith-Pelly and Beagle’s strong play might force the team to allow them to leave this offseason.

Snapshots: Carlson, Ellis, Kovalchuk, Nash

at CDT | by 5 Comments

If John Tavares re-signs with the New York Islanders, Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson would become the undisputed top free agent on the market this summer. However, Carlson’s priority is also to re-sign with his current team and the Capitals’ current Stanley Cup run may only sell him on staying even more. Plus, the estimated cap increase could make it easier for Washington to retain their blue line leader. Yet, Carlson is unlikely to ignore what the open market might offer in a world with no Tavares and a higher cap ceiling. The 28-year-old defenseman could command much more from another team than he’ll likely be able to get from the Caps. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun believes that one of the top suitors will be none other than Carlson’s current opposition, the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite their unforeseeable success this season, the Knights’ defensive corps is far from an elite unit and is in need of a leader. Although they have been connected to Erik Karlsson in the past, LeBrun opines that the easier route for Vegas may be to simply sign Carlson. The need, the cap space, and the connection to GM George McPhee may be enough to entice Carlson to make the cross-country trek. If the Knights are able to win the Stanley Cup, it would add insult to injury to steal both a title and a top player from the Capitals.

  • LeBrun also had the inside scoop on another defenseman, the Nashville Predators’ Ryan Ellis. Although Ellis is not a free agent until 2019, LeBrun learned from Nashville GM David Poile that signing Ellis to an extension will be the Predators’ top priority this summer. Citing the loss of Ryan Suter years ago, LeBrun says that Poile is no longer willing to wait on re-signing his key players. However, the negotiations with Ellis may prove to be more difficult than anticipated. Ellis has been one of the best values in hockey over the last five years at a cap hit of just $2.5MM. No one will blame the offensive defenseman for seeking top dollar in his next deal and he is more likely to find that on the open market.
  • One player who may not be as concerned about money is Ilya Kovalchuk. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Kovalchuk’s main priority in returning to the NHL is to win the Stanley Cup. Kovalchuk is allegedly focused on finding a multi-year deal with a good fit. One possible suitor could be the New York Islanders, as Kovalchuk expressed to Dreger that he appreciated how then-GM Lou Lamoriello handled his sudden departure from New Jersey and shared that the two have maintained a positive relationship. Now that Lamoriello is in New York with more than enough cap space to sign Tavares and quite a few more, Kovalchuk could be a target. The KHL’s reigning leading scorer may sign with any team on July 1st.
  • One player who could be locked up before July 1st is Rick Nash. Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney has expressed a desire to bring back several of his impending free agents, but has noted the reality that there is not enough space for all of them. The Bruins appear to have prioritized a new deal with their blockbuster trade deadline acquisition, as The Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson reports that Sweeney and Nash will continue negotiations next week. On the topic, Sweeney said “Rick indicated when he came to Boston that he was excited about the opportunity. He wants to win. He wants an opportunity to win. He felt badly, and certainly he’s not responsible for this, because he got injured.” What Nash feels badly about is likely both the drop-off in his play during the playoffs and the premature end to the Bruins season at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round. Nash suffered a concussion late in the regular season and never seemed to get back to 100%, but prior to his injury looked unstoppable on the Bruins’ second line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk. At the right price, it’s understandable why Sweeney and company would like to give Nash another chance to re-create that chemistry and help bring a Cup to Boston.

Vegas GM McPhee Has Had A Hand In Building Both Stanley Cup Teams

at CDT | by 1 Comment

While much of the attention to this year’s Stanley Cup will go towards the players, especially Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin and Vegas Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury, much of the spotlight should be shining on the Golden Knights’ general manager, George McPhee. The GM, who also worked as the general manager from 1997 to 2014 of the Washington Capitals, has had a hand in more than 75 percent of the players that will be on the ice on Monday.

McPhee is already responsible for putting together the Golden Knights roster from Fleury to William Karlsson to Jon Marchessault, to the often criticized deadline moves of acquiring Tomas Tatar and Ryan Reaves, both who have scored critical goals in the postseason. According to NBC Sports Tarik El-Bashir, not only has he had a hand in every player the Golden Knights have on their roster from Day 1, McPhee also is responsible for 13 of the team’s 25 players on their roster who have played in this year’s playoffs.

As the Capitals general manager, McPhee was responsible for drafting Alex Ovechkin (first overall in 2004), Nicklas Backstrom (fourth overall in 2006), Jay Beagle (signed as a free agent in 2008), John Carlson (24th overall in 2008), Braden Holtby (93rd overall in 2008), Dmitry Orlov (55th overall in 2009), Evgeny Kuznetsov (26th overall in 2010), Philipp Grubauer (112th in 2010), Travis Boyd (177th overall in 2011), Tom Wilson (16th overall in 2012), Chandler Stephenson (77th overall, 2012), Christian Djoos (195th in 2012), and Andre Burakovsky (23rd overall, 2013).

McPhee also has a close relationship with Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan. They played junior hockey together, were teammates at Bowling Green and worked together in Washington for 14 years, making this a very strange Stanley Cup Finals.

“It’s kind of a weird experience. We’ve been texting back-and-forth how strange it feels,” said McLellan on facing Vegas GM George McPhee.

Sharks Nearing Long-Term Extension With Evander Kane

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The San Jose Sharks were clearly happy enough with the play of trade deadline acquisition Evander Kane that they are willing to do whatever it takes to bring him back, which appears to be giving him extensive term and salary and surrendering their first-round draft pick in 2019. Sportsnet’s Irfaan Gaffar reports that the two sides are closing in on a long-term extension, the terms of which appear to be in the seven-year, $49MM range. Per the terms of their trade with the Buffalo Sabres, if Kane does re-sign in San Jose than the second-round pick exchanged in the deal will be elevated to a first-rounder.

It is certainly understandable why the Sharks would want to bring back Kane. The 26-year-old power forward is coming off arguably the best season of his career and certainly his best campaign since being traded to Buffalo from the Winnipeg Jets in 2015. Kane finished the year with 29 goals and 54 points and nine of those goals along with five assists came during the 17-game span that he spent in San Jose to close out the regular season. Kane was the Sharks’ best player during the stretch run and continued to play well in his first ever playoff appearance, notching four goals and an assist in nine games while battling injury. If Kane keeps up that level of play in San Jose, he could be a perennial 30-goal scorer and the type of finisher that the team has sorely lacked outside of Logan Couture. 

Nevertheless, some will balk at the cost associated with re-signing Kane, especially after this report. Giving up a first-round pick has already scared away some fans and analysts alike when the idea of the Sharks bringing back Kane first came up. However, this rumored term and salary is also likely to turn more than a few heads. Though undeniably talented, Kane has been able to put together a complete star-caliber season just twice in his career and brings both off-ice issues and on-ice consistency and effort concerns. Granted, he appeared to fit well and play hard in San Jose, but that is not guaranteed to continue and especially not over seven years or so. The Sharks have enough cap space this season to target some of the biggest names on the market and enough talent to attract those players as well, but some will speculate that an extension for Kane of this amount would take them out of the running for a John Tavares or John Carlson, which could also upset fans and eliminate a major opportunity for San Jose.

However, the Sharks acquired Kane primarily for this year’s playoff run and he performed beyond expectations for a very fair price – Danny O’Regan, a second-rounder, and a fourth-rounder. Even if that pick becomes a first-round selection next year, it still isn’t an extreme over-payment by the Sharks given what they got out of Kane. San Jose now has exclusive right to negotiate with Kane, something they don’t have with the likes of Tavares and Carlson and something that they’ll lose come July 1st. If the team feels that an extension based on his strong trial run is the right move and the best way to use the bulk of their cap space, then doing what it takes to keep Kane, a top five free agent, from hitting the market makes sense. There is absolutely risk associated with a decision of this reported magnitude, but it could pay off for GM Doug Wilson and the Sharks.

San Jose Sharks Could Look Very Similar Next Season

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Many have felt for some time now that the San Jose Sharks could be a team to watch in the upcoming off-season. It’s not often that a team can have the depth and talent of a contender with almost all of their key players locked up and also have an immense amount of cap space, but that is the exact situation that the Sharks are facing this summer. Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Brent Burns, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are all elite players under contract, while reliable pieces like Mikkel Boedker, Justin Braun, and Brenden Dillon have term remaining as well. Yet, the Sharks will still enter the off-season with nearly $15MM in cap space and few holes to fill. For that reason, some have speculated that John Tavares or John Carlson could be headed for San Jose or that the team could load up on other second-tier top free agents.

However, the Sharks are actually somewhat limited in what they can do this summer. A side effect of having so many players locked up is that San Jose actually has little flexibility in terms of straightforward roster management on the free agent market. The Sharks have just nine free agents total, unrestricted and restricted, far and away the fewest in the league as most teams generally have about twenty. Entering the off-season, they will already have 38 of their 50 maximum contracts already in place for next season. Assuming that key restricted free agents like Tomas Hertl, Chris Tierney, and Dylan DeMelo return, that number is already up to 41. It is almost fortunate that top prospects Josh Norris, Scott Reedy, and Mario Ferraro all chose to return to their college teams or that number would be even higher.

Regardless, the Sharks will be left with less than ten slots to add new players unless they start to trade away or buyout existing contracts. If long-time leader and fan favorite Joe Thornton re-signs, there is one less. If deadline addition Evander Kane, who has fit in very well in San Jose, decides to stay put, there’s another one. If the Sharks land a player worth immediate ice time at #21 in the first round of the NHL Draft, that’s yet another spot filled up. No team wants to enter the season with so few contract slots that their hands are tied when the opportunity to make a trade to improve the roster comes around. San Jose also doesn’t want to sign too many multi-year deals with players like Couture, Pavelski, Timo Meier, and Joakim Ryan in need of extensions next season as well.

As such, the Sharks actually seem likely to make only one or two free agent additions this summer – as they did last summer – unless major trades open up some more space in the organization. Could one of those additions be a Tavares or a Carlson? Sure, but if those players choose to go elsewhere, San Jose instead seems far likely to stick with what they have and go into next season with flexibility. Don’t expect the drastically different Sharks roster that some have predicted – it may only lead to a letdown of expectations this summer.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top