Salary Cap Deep Dive: San Jose Sharks
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
San Jose Sharks
Current Cap Hit: $76,867,417 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
None that are likely to land a full-time spot in the lineup.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Jonny Brodzinski ($700K, UFA)
G Aaron Dell ($1.9MM, UFA)
D Brenden Dillon ($3.27MM, UFA)
D Tim Heed ($960K, UFA)
F Melker Karlsson ($2MM, UFA)
F Kevin Labanc ($1MM, RFA)
D Dalton Prout ($800K, UFA)
F Lukas Radil ($700K, UFA)
D Radim Simek ($675K, UFA)
Labanc’s contract came as one of the big surprises of the offseason. A forward that puts up 56 points signs quickly for only $1MM? That will raise some eyebrows. The idea behind the deal is that it gives the Sharks a bit more short-term flexibility while also opening up the ability to get to salary arbitration where another season like this one could put him into the $4MM range rather quickly. Karlsson has been a serviceable fourth liner but barring a big improvement offensively, he’ll probably be looking at a pay cut as $2MM for someone in that role is a bit pricey, especially for a team like the Sharks. Radil did alright in the second half of the season while Brodzinski will look to bounce back from an injury-plagued year. Given their cap structure, they’ll be re-signed for a similar rate a year from now or replaced by someone who’ll take that amount.
Dillon has been a speculative trade candidate for a while as someone that’s a bit expensive to fill the role he provides. He’s a capable third pairing player but with the top end of their salary structure, they’ll be looking to fill that with someone cheaper. Heed likely left a bit of money on the table when he re-signed but he’ll have a shot at a full-time role next season. Locking that down would have him in line for a nice raise…even if it has to come from somewhere else. Simek will also be given a chance to play regular minutes, something that wasn’t the case last year. He’ll be in line for a higher cap hit no matter what as he’s one of the few players with an AAV below the Upper Limit. Meanwhile, Prout is a more of a roster filler or a placeholder and whoever has that spot a year or two from now should slot in at a similar rate.
Dell hasn’t been able to live up to his performance from his rookie year when he was a high-end backup. Now, he’s more towards the back end of that scale and is a bit expensive for that role which is why he has also been in trade speculation dating back to last season. It’s likely that he’ll be replaced by someone cheaper for 2020-21 and beyond.
Two Years Remaining
F Barclay Goodrow ($925K, UFA)
F Marcus Sorensen ($1.5MM, UFA)
After not doing a whole lot over his first two seasons, Sorensen emerged as a reliable secondary scorer last season as he notched 17 goals. That earned him a nice raise while keeping him affordable for a bottom-six role which is where he’ll likely remain. If he can keep that type of production up, he’ll be one of the better bargains that they have. Goodrow is a prototypical fourth liner whose physicality is one of his calling cards. That will limit his earning potential unless he can find a way to produce more; his career-high in goals in a single season is seven.
Three Years Remaining
F Tomas Hertl ($5.625MM, UFA)
Hertl’s deal looked a little expensive this time a year ago. While it bought out some UFA time, he still had yet to reach 50 points. However, those thoughts no longer exist after a career season that saw him finish second on the team in scoring while establishing himself as a top liner. What seemed a little questionable a year ago now appears to be quite team-friendly.
Four Or More Years Remaining
D Brent Burns ($8MM through 2024-25)
F Logan Couture ($8MM through 2026-27)
F Evander Kane ($7MM through 2024-25)
D Erik Karlsson ($11.5MM through 2026-27)
G Martin Jones ($5.75MM through 2023-24)
F Timo Meier ($6MM through 2022-23, RFA at expiry)
D Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($7MM through 2025-26)
Some teams have built their team towards having flexibility in the future. San Jose is not one of them as these seven will count for $53.25MM per season for at least four more years.
Couture has emerged as a capable top line center and with Joe Pavelski out of the picture, he’s likely going to stay in that role for the foreseeable future. He’s coming off of a career season and is in the prime of his career so he should be able to provide a strong return on this contract for a while. Kane didn’t quite produce at the same level he did after being acquired from Buffalo over the final two months of 2017-18 but he nonetheless had his best season since 2011-12. There is certainly some risk with his contract given how up and down Kane has been over his career but the reward potential is certainly there as well. Meier’s contract is interesting. It keeps him a restricted free agent at the end of it but it comes with a $10MM qualifying offer at the end of it. That means that the $53.25MM price tag will be going a lot higher four years from now. In the meantime, the winger will be looking to build off his breakout 30-goal campaign. If he does, this will certainly be well below market value.
Karlsson’s contract is in a league of its own. Literally. It’s the richest contract ever given to a defenseman and there is some considerable risk/reward at play. Karlsson has dealt with considerable injury issues in recent years including some recurring groin trouble last season. As a result, he had just three goals last year. On the surface, that seems like quite the overpayment. On the other hand, he’s still a dangerous playmaker and with some rest over the offseason, he should be ready to go and get closer to the 70 points he has put up four times in his career already. The back years are going to be rough but Karlsson returning to form should give the Sharks some value from this deal. If it doesn’t happen though, then this could very well become the worst contract in the league in a hurry.
Burns’ contract looked expensive when it was signed back in 2016 but the Karlsson and Drew Doughty deals make it look a little more reasonable now. He certainly provided a great return in 2018-19 as he led the team in scoring with 83 points. However, he’s 34 now and there are six years left on the deal. Like Karlsson, the back few years could be painful. Vlasic is a reliable defensive defender but doesn’t bring a lot offensively to the table. That makes his price tag on the high side but given the success he has had with Burns, it’s understandable why they wanted to commit to him long-term as well.
Jones had a particularly rough season last year. After playing at a league-average level (even a little bit above at times) for the previous three seasons, his performance was below average for a backup last year. With five years left on his deal, there is no trade market for Jones so the Sharks will have to wait it out. If he doesn’t rebound though, this could also be somewhat of an anchor although it isn’t as buyout-prohibitive as some of their other contracts.
Buyouts
D Paul Martin ($1.417MM in 2019-20)
Retained Salary Transactions
None
Still To Sign
None
Best Value: Hertl
Worst Value: Karlsson
Looking Ahead
With more than $4MM to work with, GM Doug Wilson has some flexibility to work with although most of that is likely to go to Joe Thornton while Patrick Marleau wants to sign there as well. Both would be one-year deals which gives them the option to put some bonuses in to retain some ability for in-season movement.
However, with the big tickets they have on the books long-term, San Jose is going to be battling cap issues for the foreseeable future. They’ll be filling out their roster with entry-level deals and affordable veterans and players in that middle tier will eventually be plying their trade elsewhere.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pacific Notes: Coyotes’ Arena, Labanc, Flames’ Goaltending
While the Arizona Coyotes new owner Alex Meruelo has made it clear that he’s committed to keeping the Coyotes in Arizona, he also didn’t go as far as to say that he wants to keep the team in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes have struggled financially at Gila River Arena and Merulo may be interested in moving the team elsewhere, calling Glendale, “a difficult situation.”
The owner made it clear that there are several reasons why Glendale may not be an ideal location in Arizona, including the team keeps losing money, most fans don’t live in Glendale, sponsorship there has been difficult and the team does not have a long-term lease there. However, AZ Central’s Jen Fifield reports that the leaders of the city of Glendale hope to have a meeting with Meruelo “to see how we can help him achieve his goals of success.”
However, Meruelo has made it clear for quite a while that he’s looking to find a new arena in Arizona. The team is currently on a year-to-year arena lease and the owner has made it clear that Glendale “is not viable long-term.”
- Many eyes went wise earlier this summer, when highly talented restricted free agent Kevin Labanc signed just a one-year, $1MM deal when he could have gotten quite a bit more. NHL.com’s Adam Kimmelman reports that Labanc admits that he put the team first when he signed that deal. “I didn’t want to wait,” he said following a Checking For Charity game at Flyers Skate Zone on Friday. “I wanted to sign the contract, get myself ready for the upcoming year and have nothing hanging over my shoulder.” Labanc, who will be a restricted agent once again next summer, could be in line for an even bigger payday as his role on the ice with the Sharks is likely to increase with the losses of Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Gustav Nyquist during the offseason. Labanc put together a solid year last season, posting career highs in goals (17) and points (56) and saw his ATOI improve as the season went on, averaging 15:26 in April despite averaging just 13:34 before the all-star break.
- With a recent bias over the last few years in the NHL over the importance of height in goaltenders, The Athletic’s Darren Haynes (subscription required) writes that the Calgary Flames seem to be heading towards an anti-establishment policy towards them. In fact, most of Calgary’s goalie draft picks in recent years have been towards smaller goaltenders, including Tyler Parsons, who at 6-foot-1, is not considered to be ranked at the 15th percentile in height. In comparison, he would have been considered in the 89th percentile in 1984-85. The Flames seem to be opting to go against those trends as the team is also loaded with shorter goaltenders, including 2019 seventh-rounder Dustin Wolf at 5-foot-11 and Nick Schneider, who is one of their tallest prospects at 6-foot-2.
Sharks Loan Jonathan Dahlen To Timra
There had been speculation dating back to last season that Sharks prospect Jonathan Dahlen was looking to return to Sweden. That has now come to fruition as Timra of the Swedish Allsvenskan announced that the winger has signed a one-year deal with the team after San Jose officially loaned them his rights. His entry-level deal contains a European Assignment Clause although teams will often bring a player to training camp first before going that route.
Dahlen’s brief time in North America has been somewhat rocky. The former Vancouver prospect was touted as one of their better prospects heading into last season but he didn’t make a big impact in the minors (29 points in 50 games with AHL Utica) and he was eventually traded to San Jose for forward Linus Karlsson, a 2018 third-round pick. While the move is more understandable now knowing that Dahlen didn’t want to stay in the minors for next season, that’s still a notable drop in value in a short period of time.
2019-20 will mark the final year of Dahlen’s NHL contract and it will be interesting to see what happens next with him. A strong season could have the 21-year-old back on the NHL radar but at the same time, if he does well at home, he could very well simply opt to stay there. Either way, the Sharks can retain his rights by tendering him a qualifying offer next June.
Carolina Hurricanes, San Jose Sharks Complete Minor Trade
The Carolina Hurricanes have sent defenseman Trevor Carrick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Kyle Wood. Neither player has substantial NHL experience but will get a new start with a fresh organization. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement on why he went after Wood:
Kyle is a big, puck-moving defenseman. He’s a couple years younger than Trevor, and will have time to continue to develop on Charlotte’s blueline. We thank Trevor for his contributions to our organization and wish him the best in San Jose.
The Sharks have also immediately agreed to a two-year, two-way contract with Carrick, who was a restricted free agent. The 25-year old defenseman will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent after the deal expires unless he plays in another 76 NHL games during that time. Selected in the fourth round in 2012, Carrick has suited up four times over the years for the Hurricanes but is still without a point at the NHL level. Instead he has spent most of his time in the minor leagues with the Charlotte Checkers as a dominant offensive force from the back end. In 376 AHL contests, Carrick has recorded 200 points.
It will be interesting to see if he gets that NHL opportunity in San Jose. He certainly wasn’t going to get it at this point in Carolina as names like Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean are still fighting for full-time roles. The Hurricanes have such a deep and young group that there was likely no way for Carrick to climb the depth chart, leaving him toiling in the minor leagues even as one of the most effective puck-movers in the AHL. The Sharks have a much different looking defense group, headlined by several older players and filled out by veterans on short-term deals.
Wood meanwhile has to join that Hurricanes depth chart and will now be trying to crack the NHL in his fourth organization. Originally selected by the Colorado Avalanche in 2014, Wood has already been traded three times. First the Avalanche sent him to the Arizona Coyotes as part of the Mikkel Boedker package, then he was flipped to San Jose last year for Adam Helewka. The 23-year old has been a good player in the minor leagues, racking up points even as a 6’5″ defenseman, but it’ll be a tough hill to climb to make any impact for the Hurricanes.
Snapshots: Dahlen, Teply, Boston University
Many believe that talented, but under-performing forward Jonathan Dahlen may be primed for a breakout year in 2019-20, beginning his first full season with the San Jose Sharks. Dahlen, 21, was acquired by the Sharks at the trade deadline in a swap with the Vancouver Canucks for fellow Swedish forward prospect Linus Karlsson. Dahlen had failed to do enough in the AHL to earn a call-up to the Canucks in his first season in North America, but after a four-point outburst in the final seven games of the regular season with AHL San Jose, many felt a change of scenery could be all he needed to battle for an NHL spot this upcoming season. However, Dahlen may not break camp with the Sharks this fall because he may not even be in camp. Swedish news source Hockey Sverige reports that Dahlen is expected to return to his former club, Timra IK. Dahlen is in the final year of his entry-level contract, but that deal does include a European Assignment Clause, which allows Dahlen to play in Europe if he does not make the NHL club. The fact that this information has been leaked so early before training camp likely indicates that Dahlen either believes or knows that he won’t be playing for the Sharks in 2019-20 and would prefer to return home to Sweden rather than suit up for the Barracuda. Dahlen exercised his European Assignment Clause in the first year of his ELC, playing for Timra rather than the AHL’s Utica Comets. After a season in Utica last year that left a lot to be desired, Dahlen is likely eager to get back to his roots, especially since Timra has been promoted to the SHL from the minor league Allsvenskan since the last time he played there. If Dahlen does indeed jump overseas next season, it doesn’t mean his career with San Jose is over. The Sharks would merely need to make him a qualifying offer next season to retain his rights moving forward, should he re-discover his game and try again to make it in the NHL.
- One player making the reverse move, going from Europe to North America, is Chicago Blackhawks prospect Michal Teply. Teply played professionally in his native Czech Republic last season, but is ready to return to the junior ranks. After being selected No. 4 overall in the recent CHL Import Draft, Teply has delivered on the pick used by the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice, as the team announced he has signed. The Ice, who are moving from Kootenay to Winnipeg and looking for a fresh start after a second-to-last league finish, are likely to see immediate results from Teply. A big winger who uses his size well to create space and make plays, many were surprised that Teply fell into the fourth round for the Blackhawks. In fact, there was a consensus among the top scouting services that Teply was a surefire second- or third-round pick. From fourth round to fourth overall, Winnipeg still may have found a steal in Teply, as the skilled forward has already proven he can compete with men at the pro level and could be in for breakout year against junior competition.
- Boston University has found its new starting goaltender via transfer. The program has announced that a pair of graduate transfers have joined the team in Alex Brink and Sam Tucker. While Brink was a nice piece as a depth forward at Brown University, Tucker is the big news. The 23-year-old keeper split starts in net for Yale University over the past three seasons, including leading the team in appearances in each of the past two years, and his numbers took a sharp upturn in 2018-19. He now joins an elite NCAA program in BU where superior defense and possession ability should allow him to excel even more. After losing Jake Oettinger to the pros, it was looking like the Terriers were going to enter next season with untested Vinnie Purpura in net, but Purpura can take another year to continue developing while Tucker presumably takes over the starter role. Brink and Tucker join a new group of players that is arguably the best recruiting class in the nation, helping to make up for an exodus of nearly a third of last year’s roster to the pros.
Snapshots: Off-Season, College Free Agents, Bratislava
Three weeks into free agency, it’s fair to begin analyzing how teams have improved this off-season, even though there are still several notable UFA’s who remain unsigned. The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn did just that, using his predictive model to look at which team has done the most this summer. Topping the list, unsurprisingly, are the New York Rangers, who have added Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko, and Adam Fox among others. Although some have been critical of their contract details, the Florida Panthers come in a close second after adding Sergei Bobrovsky, Anton Stralman, Brett Connolly, and Noel Acciari. The Vancouver Canucks (Tyler Myers, J.T. Miller, Micheal Ferland), Chicago Blackhawks (Robin Lehner, Calvin de Haan, Olli Maatta), and Washington Capitals (Radko Gudas, Richard Panik, Garnet Hathaway) round out the top five off-season performers, per Luszczyszyn. His bottom team, very obviously, is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who faced an almost-impossible task of improving with Panarin, Bobrovsky, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Dzingel all hitting the open market. The addition of Gustav Nyquist is a nice move, but not enough to keep them from being the team that was hurt the most this summer. Even the nearest team, the San Jose Sharks, are not that close in terms of projected wins lost, and they have added no new players of note this summer. Fortunately, for Columbus and several other teams who have failed to improve but have the cap space to do so, there are a number of good players still available in free agency and salary cap crunches and restricted free agent dilemmas across the league will likely force substantial talent onto the trade block before the new season gets underway.
- Another way that teams may be able to improve this summer is by adding some soon-to-be-available college free agents next month. While it’s not the most talented class and lacks any star standouts like years past, the August NCAA group could provide some minor league depth a potential NHL upside to a number of teams. Expect Quinnipiac offensive blue liner Chase Priskie to be the most sought-after target. The following are the players set to become free agents on August 15th, along with the team that drafted them:
F Brent Gates, University of Minnesota (ANA)
D Steven Ruggiero, Lake Superior State University (ANA)
F Christopher Brown, Boston University (BUF) – signed to AHL deal with WBS
D Ivan Chukarov, University of Massachusetts (BUF)
F Max Willman, Boston University (BUF)
F Beau Starrett, Cornell University (CHI)
G Chase Perry, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (DET)
D Vincent Desharnais, Providence College (EDM) – signed to AHL deal with Bakersfield
F J.D. Dudek, Boston College (EDM)
G Hayden Hawkey, Providence College (EDM)
F Joe Wegwerth, University of Notre Dame (FLA)
D Nick Boka, University of Michigan (MIN) – signed to AHL deal with Iowa
D Jack Sadek, University of Minnesota (MIN) – signed to AHL deal with Iowa
D Nikolas Koberstein, University of Alaska-Fairbanks (MTL)
F Thomas Novak, University of Minnesota (NSH) – signed to AHL deal with Milwaukee
D Miles Gendron, University of Connecticut (OTT) – signed to AHL deal with Belleville
F Brendan Warren, University of Michigan (PHI) – signed to ECHL deal with Indy
F Jacob Jackson, Michigan Tech University (SJS)
G Jake Kupsky, Union College (SJS)
F Marcus Vela, University of New Hampshire (SJS)
D Chase Priskie, Quinnipiac University (WSH)
F Steven Spinner, University of Nebraska-Omaha (WSH)
- HC Slovan Bratislava is enjoying an active off-season, signing eight players, but it’s still unclear where they’ll be playing next season. Bratislava announced in May that it would be leaving the KHL and re-joining the Slovakina Extraliga. However, Slovakian news source Sport.SK says that it’s not that simple. The club owes a total debt of $3MM to 60 players who were not fully compensated when Bratislava last played for their national league. Until that debt is square, the league could block their re-entry. As of now, Bratislava has offered to pay 30% of the debt up front and then negotiate payment schedules with the former players to cover the rest of the outstanding debt. The league has until August 7th to make a decision about the team’s future, either granting them a license to participate or not, but in the meantime they have officially signed eight players with the expectation of playing this season and Sport.SK reports that at least seven more are waiting to sign on. One such player waiting to see how things play out is former NHL defenseman Andrej Meszaros, who captained the team over the past three years in the KHL. One would expect the most well-known pro team in Slovakia to gain entrance back into the top native league, but unpaid player salaries is a sensitive issue in Europe and there could be more hoops to jump through before anything becomes official.
Sharks Expect To Re-Sign Joe Thornton
The Sharks are still piecing together the final pieces of their roster for 2019-20. One player that head coach Peter DeBoer expects to be part of that mix is UFA center Joe Thornton. He told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link) that he has no doubt that the 40-year-old will be back in the fold next season.
Thornton’s days of being a point-per-game player have come and gone but he was still an effective point-getter for San Jose last season. He played in 73 games, recording 16 goals and 35 assists which was good enough to rank eighth in team scoring. He adjusted pretty well to being on the third line at times, a role he’d likely reprise if he eventually does wind up re-signing with the team.
The big question will be the price tag. The team has a little over $4.6MM in cap room at the moment, per CapFriendly with a couple of forwards needed to fill out their roster. Thornton signed for $5MM for 2018-19 but is coming off of a better season now than he did before. One way they might be able to do to wiggle him in is do something with performance bonuses – that’s what we projected for him while ranking him 18th on our Top 50 UFA list – but there is some risk to that. If he was to meet those bonuses with San Jose finishing close to the Upper Limit, they’d be facing a bonus overage for 2020-21 where they already have $62MM committed to just 11 players which doesn’t give them much flexibility in the first place.
GM Doug Wilson has shown some creativity already this offseason with the Erik Karlsson extension, Timo Meier’s four-year RFA deal that carries an interesting bonus structure and is two-way in the final season, and Kevin Labanc’s surprising one-year, $1MM pact. He’ll need to be creative once again to bring Thornton back into the fold for his 22nd NHL campaign.
Pacific Notes: Eriksson, Ritchie, Smith, Dillon
With so many forwards now on their roster, the Vancouver Canucks coaching staff should have their hands full when training camp begins. The team now has 14 forwards under contract with two restricted free agents still to sign in Brock Boeser and Nikolay Goldobin. That’s a lot of players for just 12 spots in the lineup.
One player who should find himself highly scrutinized is Loui Eriksson, who has made it clear he wouldn’t mind a change of scenery as he has stated he isn’t a big fan of Travis Green and his coaching staff. Unfortunately, a trade might be challenging as Eriksson still has three years remaining at $6MM AAV. When Vancouver Sun’s Patrick Johnson asked general manager Jim Benning about the possibility of sending Eriksson to the Utica Comets of the AHL, Benning was slow to answer.
“I don’t have a direct answer for that right now,” he admitted.
Eriksson’s agent said he doesn’t expect his client to be waived or re-assigned to Utica. Not sure if Benning feels the same way.
- With a large number of young wingers and recent two-way acquisitions this summer, the writing could be on the wall for winger Nick Ritchie, who still has two years remaining at a very reasonable $1.49MM. The 23-year-old hasn’t developed into the scoring power forward the team hoped for when they drafted him 10th overall in 2014 and he might be a perfect trade candidate, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required). Ritchie will have to fight for one of the left wing openings or he could find himself on a new team shortly.
- Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that while many people are questioning the Oilers decision-making in signing veteran goaltender Mike Smith after a disappointing campaign last year in Calgary, the numbers may tell a different story. While the 37-year-old goaltender finished with less than stellar numbers: 42 games, 2.72 GAA and a .898 save percentage, he did finish strong at the end of the season. In his seven of his last 10 regular-season games, Smith finished with a .923 save percentage or higher. He also did the same in three of the five playoff games he appeared in. He could bounce back in a big way.
- The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) looks at the Sharks salary cap situtation in 2020. The team should have $10.3MM in available salary cap space, but that doesn’t include an expected long-term deal for Kevin Labanc. However, the scribe notes that no matter what, the team will probably have to let defenseman Brenden Dillon go despite his value to the team’s blueline. However, if Radim Simek continues to get top-four minutes, Dillon would be only a third-pairing defenseman and wouldn’t be worth the $3.27MM he currently makes anyway, especially if he’s looking for a raise.
Sharks Re-Sign Three Players
Friday: The Sharks have officially announced all three contracts. They no longer have any restricted free agents left to sign.
Thursday: It has been a busy day for the Sharks and GM Doug Wilson. After re-signing Dylan Gambrell and Antti Suomela earlier in the day, the team has also agreed to terms with defenseman Nick DeSimone on a two-year contract, CapFriendly reports. The deal is worth the league minimum of $700K in each season. San Jose also has inked defender Kyle Wood and center Maxim Letunov to one-year, two-way pacts worth $700K, per CapFriendly.
The 24-year-old DeSimone signed as an undrafted free agent with San Jose back in 2017 and is coming off a very strong showing in the minors. Last season, he posted career bests across the board, collecting 12 goals and 32 assists in 65 games. His 46 points were good enough for a tie for seventh place among all AHL blueliners.
With the Sharks carrying three blueliners who make a combined $26.5MM, it’s safe to suggest that they will be looking for cheaper players to round out the roster over the next couple of seasons. By taking the minimum salary (which was less than his qualifying offer), DeSimone has certainly increased his chances of getting a look with the big club before much longer and should be in the mix for a roster spot in training camp with Joakim Ryan moving on in free agency.
Wood will also be hoping to get into the mix for a spot on San Jose’s back end after a good season with the Barracuda. His first season with the Sharks organization saw him rebound offensively, collecting six goals with 29 assists, a nice jump over the 19 points he posted the year before.
As for Letunov, he had a decent showing in his first professional season. He actually matched his output from his senior year at the University of Connecticut (12 goals and 16 assists) although it took him 57 games to reach that mark. He’s likely to return to the minors for next season with the hopes of working his way up to being a recall at some point during the season.
San Jose Sharks Sign Dylan Gambrell, Antti Suomela
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.