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San Jose Sharks Sign Timur Ibragimov

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The San Jose Sharks continue to complete contract negotiations as they wait for the NHL season to resume at some point. Today, they have signed Timur Ibragimov to a three-year, entry-level contract. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a short statement on his newest prospect:

Timur is a fast, physical winger with a nose for then net. He uses his quickness to beat players up the ice and is hard to play against. We are confident his speed, shot, and work ethic will be assets to this organization.

Ibragimov, 19, marks the fifth signing the Sharks have made since the NHL hit pause on the regular season. The sixth-round pick from 2019 made his VHL debut (the Russian AHL equivalent) this season and recorded 13 points in 35 games for SKA. That performance may not seem all that impressive, but when you consider how young he was it obviously was strong enough for the Sharks to believe he has a future in North American professional hockey.

There is still a long way to go in the development of Ibragimov, but it’s not every day you find his mix of skating ability and physicality in an offensive-minded player. The raw tools are there, but the Sharks organization will need to put them all in the right places for him to contribute at the NHL level.

Pacific Notes: Sharks, Valimaki, Coyotes

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As a result of the big-ticket contracts that the Sharks have handed out in recent years, the Sharks have become a team that isn’t able to afford much in the way of depth.  As things stand, they already have more than $52MM locked up in their top-seven players for next year (plus 2021-22) which doesn’t leave a lot of room to round out their roster, especially if the jump in the Upper Limit of the salary cap is minimal.  Despite that, GM Doug Wilson told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that he doesn’t view that as an impediment towards making improvements:

To win in this league, I think you have to have a bit deeper of a core. I don’t think you can be carried by just one or two players. When you look at the positions those guys play, center, defense or power wingers, it allows you to bring in people around them. I think how we’ve dedicated our dollars is to the proper positions. We’ll have some opportunities to grow this team. But I don’t think I look at it as a big an issue as (an outsider) would.

Overall, San Jose has nearly $63MM in commitments to just a dozen players for next season, per CapFriendly.  That will leave the Sharks some wiggle room to replenish their depth but it’s hard to imagine they’ll be shopping at the top of the free agent pool.

More from the Pacific:

  • The Flames have been without defenseman Juuso Valimaki all season as he works his way back from knee surgery but GM Brad Treliving told reporters, including Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson, that the youngster has resumed skating. There is no timetable for his return and it’s worth noting that if he plays even a single game this season, he’ll accrue a season of service time.  That’s notable for expansion implications; if he plays this year, he’ll require protection but if he doesn’t he won’t.  But with Calgary in a tough battle for position, they’re also not in a spot where they can afford to hold him out with that in mind either.
  • The Coyotes are under investigation by the NHL for allegedly performing fitness testing on CHL draft-eligible players, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger in the latest Insider Trading. Teams are not permitted to test players in advance of the Draft Combine which typically runs in late May/early June.  Dreger notes that multiple CHL teams have reported contact by Arizona which has them on the radar of the NHL now.  The minimum fine for each violation is $250K.

Sharks’ Doug Wilson Receives Vote Of Confidence

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The San Jose Sharks have made a change at the top of their business division, naming Jonathan Becher sole president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment and alternate governor. John Tortora who had served as a co-president will be leaving the organization. While this move will likely have financial impact on the club, the interesting part of the announcement for hockey fans comes directly from owner Hasso Plattner:

While we are all very disappointed in the team’s performance thus far this season, Doug [Wilson] has a long history of leading our team to success. The last time we failed to meet our winning standards in the 2014-15 season, we were able to quickly rebound and re-establish a winning culture for the next several years. I am supportive of Doug’s plan to get our team back on track.

That vote of confidence comes as the Sharks languish near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, ahead of only the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks. The team has huge financial commitments to aging players and no first-round pick this season, putting tons of pressure on the front office to figure out a way to turn things around.

Part of that turnaround plan according to Craig Custance of The Athletic is expected to be trading Melker Karlsson, Brenden Dillon and Tim Heed before this year’s trade deadline. All three players are scheduled for unrestricted free agency, along with Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Stefan Noesen, Radim Simek and Aaron Dell. While some of those names may hold little or no trade value, the three Custance references should at least be able to bring back some sort of asset for Wilson to work with.

Still, with nearly $48MM of cap space dedicated annually to Logan Couture, Evander Kane, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Martin Jones through at least 2023-24 (all of whom will be at least 29 years old at the start of next season), the Sharks are in danger of being overrun with albatross contracts that cripple Wilson’s ability to do anything.

San Jose Sharks Looking To Acquire A First-Round Pick

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San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson probably didn’t think much about including a first-round pick to Ottawa when the team traded for defenseman Erik Karlsson back in September of 2018. After all, the Sharks have been picking in the back-third of the draft for years with the exception of 2015 when the team picked ninth overall, grabbing Timo Meier.

Unfortunately, Wilson is watching a potential disaster at hand as the Sharks find themselves with the sixth-worst record in the NHL with little hope that San Jose will vault themselves in any sort of playoff contention in the second half of the season. Instead, the Ottawa Senators could find themselves with two high-quality lottery picks in what is considered to be a deep 2020 draft.

With the Sharks struggles offensively and need for more young talent that they don’t have from years of trading off their picks or top prospects, Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that Wilson is “embarrassed” that he traded that first-round pick and is now looking to acquire another now that they don’t have one. However, that could be an issue since the team’s top pending unrestricted free agents aren’t likely to bring in a first-rounder between Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Melker Karlsson, Brenden Dillon, Stefan Noesen, Tim Heed, Radim Simek and goalie Aaron Dell.

With a “For Sale” sign on the door, Garrioch wonders if Wilson will have to make some major changes to fix the team, which would mean dipping into their core. The team could be forced to consider trading Meier, Tomas Hertl and Brent Burns, which would shake up the squad significantly. Unfortunately for the Sharks, Wilson now has an aging roster with major commitments to Evander Kane (five more years at $7MM AAV), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (six more years at $7MM AAV), Burns, (five more years at $8MM AAV), Karlsson (seven more years at $11.5MM AAV) and goaltender Martin Jones (four more years at $5.75MM AAV).

With few young players on the horizon, the Sharks may be in quite a bit of trouble and could be forced to reverse course and start a rebuild sooner rather than later unless the team can turn things around quickly.

Logan Couture To Miss Several Weeks With Broken Ankle

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Though reporters had caught wind of it last night, the San Jose Sharks didn’t make an official announcement until today regarding Logan Couture. GM Doug Wilson released a short statement confirming that the Sharks’ captain has a small fracture in his left ankle and will miss “several weeks.” The team has recalled Joachim Blichfeld from the minor leagues.

Couture suffered the injury on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues, a game which the Sharks were on the losing end of once again. It has been an absolute disaster of a season for San Jose, who now hold the worst goal differential in the Western Conference at -30. Their record of 19-22-4 is actually relatively flattering given they have scored just 121 goals while allowing 151, more than anyone other than the Detroit Red Wings. For a team that has $26.5MM in cap space eaten up by three defensemen for at least the next five seasons, that’s not exactly ideal.

More notably however might be the fact that the Sharks’ first-round pick belongs to the Ottawa Senators. That pick was originally a conditional 2019 selection, but after San Jose made the playoffs it pushed forward to this year. It can’t get pushed any further, meaning the Senators will have at least two chances at the draft lottery unless one of the teams completes a miraculous comeback in the second half of the season.

Without Couture, that will be difficult. The 30-year old forward took over the captaincy this season when Joe Pavelski left in free agency, and was without a doubt the team’s best player so far. His 36 points leads the group while contributing in all situations and providing his normal two-way presence. Couture is averaging nearly two minutes on the penalty kill a night while also logging nearly three minutes on the powerplay. His +/- rating of -1 is (amazingly) second on the team among regulars, only behind Barclay Goodrow’s +1. Basically, this is a huge loss for the team as they try to salvage their season, and should only push their expiring contracts further into the trade speculation spotlight.

San Jose Sharks Hire Ned Colletti

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In a head-scratching move, the San Jose Sharks have hired former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti as a professional scout. Colletti will focus on scouting the AHL and NHL levels, a huge change from his near 40-years of experience in the MLB. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a statement explaining the hire:

Ned has an extensive background working in professional sports and talent evaluation and he will bring a fresh perspective to our organization’s evaluation process. This was a unique opportunity to add someone of Ned’s experience to our staff.

Colletti does have experience with hockey as a journalist, covering the Philadelphia Flyers before starting his career in baseball. Back in 2013, Los Angeles Kings reporter Jon Rosen interviewed the baseball executive about his history with hockey and friendship with former Kings GM Dean Lombardi. Moving to an entirely new sport after several decades will not be easy, but Wilson and the Sharks will hope his experience running one of the biggest organizations in professional sports will help him acclimate quickly.

In the professional scouting role there isn’t likely a ton of pressure on Colletti, though this does beg the question of where his future lies. Will he transition entirely over to hockey for the rest of his career, or is there a return to baseball on the horizon? The 65-year old was taken out of the GM position with the Dodgers in 2014, but remained on as an advisor and worked in broadcasting.

The team has also added Jon Hull and Tomi Kallio to the scouting department.

Poll: Which GM Will Be Fired Next?

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Despite missing the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the Vancouver Canucks decided to extend GM Jim Benning today. The reasons for that are complicated—and obviously do not hinge entirely on his postseason record—just as they were when the Minnesota Wild made the decision to fire Paul Fenton just 14 months into his tenure with the team. The inner workings of an NHL front office are almost never made public (unless there is an intrepid reporter like Michael Russo of The Athletic who gets the incredible story), and it is hard to see why some decisions are made.

Still, even the most casual fan can see the seat of specific executives and coaches heating up. When the Edmonton Oilers decided to move on from Peter Chiarelli during another disappointing season, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. On the other hand, it was easy to see why the Carolina Hurricanes recently locked up Don Waddell after he interviewed for another job.

Looking around the league, who is next? Which GM will be let go, either this year or next summer?

It might be easy to look at the teams that have struggled recently, but many of them have replaced their top hockey operations executive over the last few seasons. The Oilers brought in Ken Holland to change the culture in Edmonton, while Steve Yzerman returned to the Detroit Red Wings to bring a new voice to a stagnant team. Florida has gone through quite a bit of turmoil in the front office since their ownership changed but Dale Tallon now seems to be entrenched as a veteran leader.

There are others though that may not be so lucky. The Ottawa Senators are heading in a new direction after shedding their previous core, but if the young talent doesn’t develop as hoped Pierre Dorion could be held responsible. John Chayka was the youngest GM in history when he took over the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, but they still haven’t made the playoffs under his watch and now have new ownership of their own. Jason Botterill was expected to have success in Buffalo after finding so much of it in Pittsburgh, but the Sabres haven’t been able to build a full roster around Jack Eichel despite some outstanding individual players.

Nothing is certain when it comes to front offices however. Cast your vote below and explain just why you think they’ll be the first to go!

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*We’ve used Kelly McCrimmon as the Vegas GM, though he won’t officially take that title from George McPhee until September

San Jose Sharks Sign Dylan Gambrell, Antti Suomela

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The San Jose Sharks have reached an agreement with restricted free agent Dylan Gambrell, signing him to a two-year contract. The deal is for $700K and GM Doug Wilson issued a short statement:

Dylan had success at the AHL level with the Barracuda this past season, helping to lead the league’s youngest team to another Calder Cup Playoff berth,. He has continued to show us growth in all areas of his game, and, with his goal in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final, has proven he can handle the pressure of the NHL. We look forward to his continued development, and the impact he will have on the Sharks.

The team has also signed forward Antti Suomela to a one-year contract worth $700K. Both players will still be restricted free agents when the deals expire.

Gambrell, 22, was selected in the second round of the 2016 draft after an outstanding rookie season at the University of Denver, and proceeded to have two more solid years before signing with the Sharks in 2018. Because of his age at the time that contract was limited to just two seasons, and Gambrell burned the first year at the end of 2017-18. He did get into three games with the Sharks that year but spent most of his first real professional season in the minor leagues with the San Jose Barracuda. In 51 games with the AHL club his scoring touch rarely failed, as the young forward recorded 20 goals and 45 points.

Amazingly, Gambrell managed to record an NHL playoff goal before ever getting his first regular season tally. He scored in one of his two postseason appearances this year after failing to register even a single point in 11 previous regular season contests. That will likely change next season if given the chance, as Gambrell looks like he’ll have no trouble producing at the professional level once he gets his feet under him. Whether that comes in the NHL right away is unclear, especially given that he is still waiver-exempt and can be sent down with much more ease than some of the more veteran names battling for spots.

One of those veteran names—by age alone mind you—is Suomela, who came over from Finland last season after several successful years in his country’s top professional league. The 25-year old played in 27 games for the Sharks and recorded eight points, but spent the majority of the year in the minor leagues as well. While there’s no guarantee he will crack the NHL squad out of camp, Suomela has substantial upside of his own after recording 60 points in 59 games to lead the entire Liiga in scoring for 2017-18. If he could ever bring even a portion of that production to the Sharks, they would have found another core piece without expending any asset other than money.

Kevin Labanc Re-Signs With San Jose Sharks

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The San Jose Sharks have signed another important part of their group of young forwards, inking Kevin Labanc to a one-year contract. GM Doug Wilson issued an accompanying statement:

Kevin took a big step forward in his production last season and has grown into an important part of our team here in San Jose. He’s always had a dangerous shot but really stepped into a playmaking role for us last season and improved his 200-foot game as well. We think he still has even more potential to tap into and we’re excited to see what he can do with an elevated role with this talented group.

The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that it is a $1MM salary on Labanc’s new deal, a shocking value for a player who nearly recorded 60 points this past season. It is a hometown discount for sure for Labanc, 23, who will still be a restricted free agent next summer and is betting on himself with this deal. The sixth-round pick made quick work of the AHL after making the leap to professional hockey, and just finished his first full season in the NHL. Scoring 17 goals and 56 points, the former OHL superstar is ready to take another step and become one of the offensive leaders in San Jose now that Joe Pavelski has left town and Joe Thornton is another year older. If he does improve his numbers again in 2019-20, he’ll be in line for an even bigger deal next summer.

That’s the gamble the Sharks had to take though, given their cap crunch this year. The team spent a good amount of their cap space on extensions with Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier, leaving them without room to really buy out several years of unrestricted free agent status with Labanc. A short-term deal like this could result in him asking for even more in a year’s time, but also places much of the risk on Labanc to perform up to his standards and stay healthy. For a team looking like Stanley Cup contenders once again, that kind of bet can be beneficial to both sides.

The question now will be just how high can Labanc climb? When the Sharks picked him 171st overall in 2014 he was coming off a 35-point season with the Barrie Colts and looked like a potential organizational filler. He quickly showed he had bigger plans with a 107-point season following his draft, only to up that even further by scoring 153 points in a combined 80 regular season and playoff games for the Colts in 2015-16. An impressive playmaking presence on the powerplay, Labanc could see his numbers improve even further if a bump in ice time comes this season. Those 56 points last season came while averaging just 14 minutes a night, something that should change with Pavelski no longer in the mix on the right wing.

San Jose Sharks Sign Several Players

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The San Jose Sharks have signed their recent second-round pick, Artemi Kniazev, to a three-year entry-level contract. Kniazev played last season with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL after coming over from Russia. GM Doug Wilson released a statement on his newest prospect:

Artemi had a great camp with us this summer, where he continued to show his poise with the puck, intelligence, and high-end skating and edge work. We are excited for him to go back to his QMJHL team and have a big season with them. Chicoutimi is a contender for the championship under head coach Yanick Jean, and we expect Artemi to be a big part of the team’s success.

The team has also signed Zachary Gallant to a three-year entry-level contract, after his negotiating rights with the Detroit Red Wings expired earlier this summer. Gallant was picked 83rd overall by the Red Wings in 2017 and has played the last two seasons in the OHL with the Peterborough Petes. Even though he’s now 20, Wilson indicated that Gallant will be going back to captain the Petes this season as an over-age player.

Nikolai Knyzhov has also inked a three-year entry-level deal with the Sharks, joining their organization after a junior career in Russia. Knyzhov went undrafted but suited up for Russia at the 2018 World Junior Championship. The 6’2″ defenseman is already 21 and expected to be coming over to North America next season.

Last but not least, the team announced a one-year contract for free agent forward Jonny Brodzinski, who had qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency after failing to reach 80 NHL games with the Los Angeles Kings. Brodzinski, 26, was a fifth-round pick of the Kings back in 2013 and has 11 points in 56 career NHL contests. Armed with a powerful shot he has been a dynamic goal scorer in the minor leagues, and will likely serve that purpose for the San Jose organization as well.

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