San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes Complete Minor Trade
The San Jose Sharks have acquired Lane Pederson from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round selection. Quickly, the Sharks signed the young forward to a two-year contract. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the contract will be a two-way deal in 2021-22 with an NHL salary of $750K and a one-way deal in 2022-23 worth another $750K.
Pederson, 23, made his NHL debut this season with Arizona, playing in 15 games and registering three points. The undrafted forward has been a top performer over the past few seasons with the Tucson Roadrunners, scoring at a near point-per-game pace. In San Jose, he may receive an NHL opportunity given the team signed him for two years. Perhaps they see a breakout star that can step directly into a fourth-line role, or maybe he’s just meant to strengthen the San Jose Barracuda roster.
At the end of the deal, Pederson (who turns 24 in just a few days) will be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency if he fails to play 65 more NHL games.
Coyotes Re-Sign Lane Pederson
While the Coyotes don’t have a full-time GM following the resignation of John Chayka, interim GM Steve Sullivan still has the green light to do some moves at least as the team announced that they’ve re-signed forward Lane Pederson to a one-year, two-way contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 23-year-old originally signed with Arizona as an undrafted free agent back in 2016 and has become a reliable forward for their AHL team in Tucson. After putting up 47 points in his sophomore season in 2018-19, he was on pace to beat that this season but injuries and the pandemic limited him to just 37 contests. Pederson was quite productive in that action though as he picked up 16 goals and 18 helpers. He has not yet played at the NHL level.
After being waiver exempt through his entry-level deal, Pederson will be eligible for waivers next season and will need to pass through unclaimed if the team wants him to return to the Roadrunners. He’s not on Arizona’s playoff roster so his next opportunity to make an impression will come in training camp which, as things stand, is slated to be in November.