Doug Wilson

The San Jose Sharks have signed international free agent Tony Sund to a one-year entry-level contract. The young defenseman was undrafted and played in Finland’s top league last season. GM Doug Wilson had this to say about his newest prospect:

Tony is a big, smooth-skating defenseman who uses a strong stick to take away passing lanes and to close plays quickly. He has tremendous vision that made him one of the top passers and playmakers from the back-end we saw this season. He has stepped his game up each of the past few years and really took a leap forward offensively this season. We really like the upside here with Tony, and think that his time spent with the Finnish National team over the past month will only help him grow his game.

Sund, 23, broke out this season in Finland, recording 35 points in 60 games while continuing to provide solid defense. The 6’3″ left-hander joins an organization that has made a splash in the undrafted market over the years, adding NHL talent like Radim Simek, Barclay Goodrow and Lukas Radil. Add that to the strong late-round drafting by Wilson’s team, and the Sharks have been able to maintain a high level of success for a long time.

That deep system may be a tough one to crack for Sund, but the defenseman comes in with a chance to compete right away. Erik Karlsson and Tim Heed are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this summer, while Joakim Ryan is arbitration eligible as a restricted free agent. If the Sharks aren’t able to retain some of them, they’ll need replacements like Sund in the near future.

He will be a restricted free agent after the 2019-20 season.

The San Jose Sharks have inked a top college prospect, signing Mario Ferraro to a three-year entry-level contract. Ferraro recently finished his sophomore season at UMass. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released this statement about his newest recruit:

Mario had another stellar season at UMass and has consistently proven his capacity to compete and lead at an elite level. His offensive skills, ability to make plays from the blueline and the energy he brings to the rink are impressive and we look forward to seeing him continue his growth at the professional level.

Ferraro, 20, was selected 49th overall in 2017 after an outstanding rookie season in the USHL and has continued that solid progression at the NCAA level. The left-handed defenseman combined with Cale Makar to make one of the most dynamic pairings—freshmen or not—in the country last year before head coach Greg Carvel split them up this season to give his team a deeper attack.

While he may not be Makar in terms of his upside, Ferraro is no slouch at either end of the rink. In fact, the Colorado Avalanche star prospect’s presence may have actually stifled Ferraro’s production at times, given the fact that UMass would rely heavily on the latter in the defensive end while letting the former run wild with the puck on offense. Ferraro can move the puck effectively and may bring more offense at the next level, but the Sharks will be pleased with the defensive zone polish he’s received at college. Even though he doesn’t bring intimidating size, Ferraro can play physical when he needs to an shuts down plays routinely at his blue line.

That kind of defensive responsibility may be the perfect fit for the Sharks, who already have Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson (if re-signed) to move the puck and attack the opposing team. It will be interesting to see if Ferraro can compete for a spot on the NHL squad out of training camp, or if they feel he’ll need more seasoning in the minor leagues.

After making a big splash at the trade deadline last season with the acquisition of winger Evander Kane, Sharks GM Doug Wilson indicated to Paul Gackle of the Mercury News that they’re once again open to going after an impact rental player.  Before Kane’s addition last season, San Jose was typically content with adding role players and shoring up their depth around the deadline but they’re open to a more aggressive approach this time around.

It’s certainly understandable that Wilson is open to trying another big swing.  The Sharks are built to win now and have several prominent unrestricted free agents on the roster already in defenseman Erik Karlsson plus centers Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton.  With Karlsson unlikely to sign a contract extension until after the trade deadline (when he becomes eligible for an eighth year), an impact addition plus a strong playoff run could certainly bolster their chances of keeping him in the fold beyond this season.

However, there are a couple of potential complicating factors here.  For starters, San Jose projects to only be able to add a player making just shy of $4MM on deadline day, per CapFriendly.  Most impact rentals have a higher price tag than that.  Accordingly, the Sharks would either need to send someone off the roster to help offset salary or have the other team retain part of the contract, resulting in a higher asking price.

That leads to the other challenge that Wilson will face.  As a result of the Kane acquisition (and subsequent extension), San Jose doesn’t have their first-round pick this season.  They also have to give up the higher of their 2019 second-round picks to Ottawa as part of the Karlsson trade, a move that also cost them their 2020 first rounder.  On top of that, their top two 2021 top picks are presently encumbered from the Karlsson trade as it’s a conditional selection contingent on him re-signing and how far the Sharks go in the playoffs this year.  (There’s also the conditional first-rounder they’d owe if they deal Karlsson to another Eastern Conference team although that’s extremely unlikely to occur.)  That certainly limits their trade chips.

With their pursuit of John Tavares last summer and their eventual acquisition of Karlsson, San Jose served notice that their window to win is now so adding another impact rental player makes plenty of sense.  However, given their shortage of top picks and somewhat limited salary cap space, their options may wind up being more limited than they’d like.