Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Sharks Rumors

Daniel Winnik Announces Retirement

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Versatile forward Daniel Winnik has retired, as he announced on his personal X page this morning. A veteran of 11 NHL seasons, Winnik had a respectable journeyman career, suiting up for eight major league teams after being taken in the ninth round of the 2004 draft by the Coyotes. The 39-year-old last suited up in the NHL in 2018 before heading to Genève-Servette HC of the Swiss National League, where he’s spent the last six seasons.

“For the past 19 years, I have lived a dream, from signing my first contract with the Phoenix Coyotes to my last with Geneva Servette,” Winnik wrote in his announcement. “Some experiences I thought would only remain dreams became reality: being coached by Wayne Gretzky, playing for my hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and representing Canada at the Olympic Games.”

As expected for a late-round pick, Winnik took a few years to break into the NHL. But unexpectedly, he wasn’t a depth piece or a fringe player subject to endless recalls and reassignments. Instead, he immediately cemented himself as a full-time piece for Phoenix upon making his debut in 2007-08, making 79 appearances in his rookie season while contributing 11 goals and 26 points in 14:06 of ice time per game, a good portion of which came on the penalty kill. Winnik spent the first three years of his NHL career with the Coyotes, recording 52 points (18 goals, 34 assists) in 202 games before they traded him to the Avalanche for a fourth-round pick in the 2010 offseason.

In 2010-11, Winnik rediscovered his valuable depth-scoring contributions from his rookie season, matching his 11 goals and 26 points in 80 games for the Avs while averaging 16:33 per game, the most he’d played at that point in his career. He was also one of Colorado’s most-used forwards in shorthanded situations that season, averaging 2:44 per game while down a man. Unfortunately, he was slugging it out on an Avs team that finished with only 68 points, earning them the right to select future captain Gabriel Landeskog with the second-overall pick in that summer’s draft.

Winnik was dealt again to the Sharks midway through the 2011-12 season, beginning a run of playing for seven different teams in the final seven seasons of his NHL career, including two separate stints with the Maple Leafs. He would also end up logging action for the Capitals, Ducks, Penguins and Wild, although he only managed to play more than 150 games for one team, the Coyotes. His career-defining season was split between Toronto and Pittsburgh in 2014-15, recording a career-high 34 points (nine goals, 25 assists) in 79 games and a +23 rating, earning him a second- and fifth-place vote in Selke Trophy polling.

However, after completing a one-year, $660K contract with the Wild in 2017-18, which saw him produce six goals and 23 points in 81 games, there wasn’t much interest in his services stateside. That led him to head to Geneva, where he broke out immediately as one of the best two-way threats in the top-flight Swiss league. Over six seasons with the club, he recorded 91 goals and 234 points in 270 games, winning three major trophies – a Spengler Cup in 2020, an NL championship in 2023, and a Champions Hockey League title this season. He also represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics, contributing a goal and an assist in five appearances.

Ultimately, Winnik ended his NHL career with 82 goals, 169 assists, 251 points and a +52 rating in 798 games. We all at PHR congratulate Winnik on such a lengthy stint in the pros, especially for a ninth-round pick.

Sharks Acquire Jake Walman

at CDT | by 47 Comments

The Sharks have acquired defenseman Jake Walman from the Red Wings and the Lightning’s second-round pick in this week’s draft (53rd overall). Detroit will receive nothing in return aside from future considerations, signaling this as a cap dump for a bigger move from general manager Steve Yzerman.

The Red Wings acquired the second-round pick they’re sending to San Jose in a trade with the Predators earlier today, in which they swapped defense prospect Andrew Gibson for the signing rights to winger Jesse Kiiskinen.

Unlike most deals involving future considerations, this swap doesn’t involve a decidedly overpriced contract. Walman, who’s broken out as a serviceable top-four defender since arriving in Detroit in 2022, costs $3.4MM against the cap through 2025-26. That’s about what his market value would be if he were to reach free agency this summer, if not under it.

That makes this arguably the best trade in general manager Mike Grier’s tenure at the helm of the Sharks, purely from a value standpoint. Walman will immediately challenge Mario Ferraro for top-pairing minutes in the Bay Area, although he hasn’t been much of a special teams option in Detroit. He averaged just under 20 minutes per game the past two seasons despite spending most of his time on their first pairing alongside Moritz Seider.

Injuries limited Walman to 63 games this season, but they didn’t stop him from recording a career-high 12 goals and 21 points. He and Seider had some of the most difficult minutes in the league, though, which correspondingly tanked his possession numbers. After controlling 50.1% of shot attempts and 54.8% of expected goals when on the ice at even strength in 2022-23, Walman controlled only 45.3% of shot attempts and 41% of expected goals this year, per Hockey Reference.

The 28-year-old Walman adds some much-needed depth to a paper-thin San Jose blue line that got even thinner yesterday with the news that they won’t be qualifying power-play specialist Calen Addison. He’s the sixth Sharks defenseman signed to a one-way deal next season, joining Ferraro, Kyle Burroughs, Nikolai Knyzhov, Jan Rutta and Marc-Édouard Vlasic. Ty Emberson and Henry Thrun are pending RFAs but are expected back in the picture next season.

The Wings do increase their projected cap space next season to $32.77MM with the move, but they lose a quality minute-munching piece of their roster in the process. After remaining in the playoff race until the final days of the regular season, it’s clear Yzerman is moving money around to add impact pieces this summer to push them over the hump. He’s also gearing up to offer rich extensions to Seider and Lucas Raymond, both of whom are slated to become RFAs next week.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Couture To Resume Skating Next Month; Sharks Only Looking For Short-Term Deals In Free Agency

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • During his pre-draft press conference today, Sharks GM Mike Grier told reporters including Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link) that center Logan Couture is working out and hopes to get back to skating next month. The 35-year-old was limited to just six games this season due to osteitis pubis; he twice tried to come back from it but had to shut those efforts down due to setbacks.  Couture has three years left on his contract which carries an $8MM cap charge.
  • Still with the Sharks, they’re expected to be more aggressive in terms of adding some veterans this summer, already picking up Barclay Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea up front. Grier noted (per Peng) that while they could look to add free agents, their internal cap on how long they want to sign a player for would be four years.  We’ve seen plenty of speculation that there may be teams willing to offer a higher AAV in exchange for a shorter-term deal; San Jose would be a potentially viable candidate to offer a contract or two like that.

Sharks Expected To Non-Tender Calen Addison

at CDT | by 1 Comment

With the deadline for qualifying offers now being less than a week away, teams will soon be making their final decisions on who to keep and who to let go.  The Sharks appear to be ahead of the game on that front as GM Mike Grier told reporters today including Eric Stephens of The Athletic (Twitter link) that they’re engaging in contract discussions with RFA wingers Filip Zadina and Luke Kunin.  However, he also revealed that the Sharks will be moving on from defenseman Calen Addison, meaning he’s likely to be non-tendered on Sunday.

San Jose acquired the 24-year-old from Minnesota in an early-season trade that saw them part with winger Adam Raska and a fifth-round pick.  With Addison on the outside looking in at a regular lineup spot with the Wild and the fact he was coming off a 29-point season, the move made a lot of sense for the Sharks to potentially bring in someone who could be a longer-term fit.

However, things didn’t go particularly well for Addison this season.  He managed just one goal and 11 assists in 60 games with his new team while he struggled considerably in the defensive end.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see San Jose try to add some veterans on the back end to help try to stabilize things somewhat after a season to forget which would help push Addison out, especially being arbitration-eligible where his 2022-23 performance could have landed him a sizable raise on the $825K he made this season.

It’s worth noting that both Zadina and Kunin are also arbitration-eligible next month.  Zadina’s checks in at $1.1MM so as long as his asking price isn’t too exorbitant, there’s a good chance he’ll be tendered.  However, Kunin, who had just 18 points in 77 games, is owed a $3MM qualifier so if talks don’t go well in the coming days, it’s possible that he could be let go if a new deal isn’t reached by Sunday.

Sharks Acquire Egor Afanasyev From Predators

at CDT | by 14 Comments

The San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators have swapped young forwards, with San Jose receiving Egor Afanasyev while Nashville has received Ozzy Wiesblatt (Twitter link). Afanasyev moves west as a pending restricted free agent, while Wiesblatt still has one year remaining on his entry-level contract.

Rather than try and find a new deal with the Predators, Afanasyev will now prepare for new challenge – joining a Sharks team rife with opportunity. Formerly a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Afanasyev has spent the last two seasons flirting with NHL ice time, though he’s only managed one goal across 19 games in the NHL. He’s proven much more impactful in the minors, posting 54 points, split evenly, in 57 games this season. The year marked a notable step forward for Afanasyev, taking the leap into strong AHL scoring after just 26 points last season. He’s a burly power forward, who’s taken noticeable strides towards adding agility and finesse since his draft day. Afanasyev also addresses a lack of depth at left-wing for the Sharks, something that could earn him a quick track to the lineup.

The Predators upgrade on their draft capital with this swap, taking in the 31st pick in the 2020 NHL Draft in Wiesblatt. But despite his higher standing than Afanasyev, Wiesblatt hasn’t found nearly the same success since turning pro. He totaled just 17 points in 50 AHL games this season – two points higher than his 15 points last year but still below expectations. Wiesblatt rekindled his scoring a bit during a midseason loan to Nashville’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, where Wiesblatt scored six points in 16 games. Nashville must have liked what they’ve seen, and will now have full control over Wiesblatt’s development as he looks to vindicate his first-round status.

Andrew Cogliano Announces Retirement

at CDT | by 4 Comments

2022 Stanley Cup champion Andrew Cogliano is retiring after a 17-year NHL career. The Avalanche announced the news regarding their pending free agent forward in an announcement Friday. He’ll stay in Denver in a wide-spanning player development and scouting role. Cogliano released the following statement through the team:

The game of hockey has given me and my family so much and I am grateful for every moment. I am blessed to have played for so long with some great organizations and amazing teammates. I will miss being with the guys in the dressing room and battling for each other on the ice every night but it’s time to move on. Thank you to everyone I ever played with, played for and all the great fans for all of their support. I am excited to start my new chapter in the front office.

An unlikely first-round pick of the Oilers back in 2005, Cogliano had a peculiar development path as one of the few first-round picks in recent memory to be drafted out of lower-level juniors. After racking up 102 points in 49 games with the OPJHL’s St. Michael’s Buzzers in his draft year, Cogliano walked away from Canadian juniors and embarked on a collegiate career with the University of Michigan, where he again dominated. He turned pro with Edmonton in 2007-08, playing in all 82 games during his rookie season – something that would quickly become a common theme.

That rookie season was a strong one for Cogliano, who finished ninth in Calder Trophy voting after racking up 45 points, a number that would end up standing as a career-high. Suiting up for Edmonton in the early days of their so-called ’Decade of Darkness,’ Cogliano quickly developed into a respected, versatile two-way skater who could play anywhere he was needed, skating on virtually every line and at every forward position. After four years, 146 points and 328 games of service for Edmonton, never missing a contest since making his NHL debut, he was dealt to the Ducks in the 2011 offseason in exchange for a second-round pick.

The offense never popped consistently for Cogliano in Anaheim, although he did notch his only 20-goal season in the 2013-14 campaign. Still, he remained an incredibly serviceable and adept two-way skater, routinely averaging between 14 and 16 minutes per game while contributing solid secondary scoring. Consistency remained perhaps his greatest asset – his career-opening ironman streak didn’t end until a suspension in the 2017-18 campaign, his 11th one in the NHL and his final full season with the Ducks.

Cogliano remained a strong utility forward with penalty-killing upside even as he aged, giving solid showings for the Stars, Sharks and finally Avalanche as he declined into a solely bottom-six role. Colorado acquired him for just a fifth-round pick from San Jose at the 2022 trade deadline, and he went on to contribute three goals and six points in 16 playoff games as he helped the Avs to their first Stanley Cup in nearly 20 years.

Now 37, Cogliano finishes his career with 1,294 games played, tied for 75th all-time. He tallied 190 goals, 274 assists, and 464 points with a +31 rating and 449 PIMs while averaging 14:06 per game. All of us at PHR extend our best wishes to Cogliano as he begins his front-office career.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

West Notes: Goodrow, Mantha, Pettersen

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The San Jose Sharks were reportedly on Barclay Goodrow’s no-trade list (as per Elliotte Friedman on The Jeff Marek Show) with the New York Rangers. Goodrow was claimed off waivers yesterday by the Sharks and will be returning to the place where his NHL career started back in 2014-15.

Friedman hadn’t spoken to Goodrow directly but noted that the 31-year-old wasn’t happy with the situation as the Rangers hadn’t told Goodrow he would be placed on waivers until the last second. Goodrow had a 15-team no-trade clause and could have worked with the Rangers to find a suitable trade, but ultimately the Rangers elected to take the easier path with Goodrow and let him go for no return through waivers.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Catherine Savoie of RDS is reporting that the Vegas Golden Knights have told pending unrestricted free agent Anthony Mantha that they will not be re-signing him before July 1st. The trade deadline acquisition was acquired from the Washington Capitals for a second-round pick in this year’s draft and a 2026 fourth-rounder. The 29-year-old tallied 23 goals and 21 assists in 74 games with Washington and Vegas and is unlikely to match the four-year, $22.8MM contract he signed with the Detroit Red Wings back in 2020. Vegas has just $6.2MM in available cap space going into the summer and still needs to sign a couple of players.
  • The Dallas Stars have signed depth forward Emilio Pettersen to a one-year, two-way contract extension (as per PuckPedia) that will cover the 2024-25 season. The new deal will see the 24-year-old collect $775K at the NHL level, while he will pocket $120K in the AHL. Dallas acquired Pettersen back in March from the Calgary Flames in exchange for forward Riley Damiani. He then joined the Stars AHL affiliate and posted four goals and four assists in 12 games. The former sixth-round pick has yet to make his NHL debut and will likely provide AHL depth for the team this season.

Sharks Claim Barclay Goodrow From Rangers

at CDT | by 25 Comments

The Sharks have claimed forward Barclay Goodrow off waivers from the Rangers, reports Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic. The New York Post’s Mollie Walker reported after the Rangers waived him yesterday that San Jose was likely to snag him off the wire.

Goodrow, 31, officially returns to where his NHL career began as an undrafted free agent signing in 2014. He developed into a solid checking center/winger over the course of the next six years in the Bay Area, eventually landing with the Lightning via trade in 2020 and playing an important third-line role in their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

The Toronto native parlayed that into a six-year, $21.85MM deal with New York in 2021, one that hasn’t aged particularly well. Costing $3.642MM against the cap, he had just four goals and 12 points in 80 games in the regular season in 2023-24.

While Goodrow repaired his value in the postseason, tallying six goals in 16 games in the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference Final, his cap hit had become affordable for a team in the peak of its contention window looking to make significant additions this summer. He’s never been able to match the two-way impact he had with the Lightning in New York, but he did at least contribute a respectable 30-plus points in each of his first two seasons in the Big Apple.

A major reason for his offensive decline this season was his deployment under head coach Peter Laviolette, who decreased his offensive zone start share at even strength from about 42% through two seasons to a paltry 23.5% in 2023-24, rarely getting him opportunities to contribute on the scoresheet. The Rangers forward with the second-most sparse offensive deployment, Jimmy Vesey, had 30.9% of his in-zone starts at even strength come in the offensive end.

The Sharks, who mustered just 181 goals last season compared to the Rangers’ 282, will rely on Goodrow offensively much more than that. Even if putting up points isn’t his main purpose as a versatile forward deployed in checking situations, it’s feasible that he’ll average north of 15 minutes per game and hover around the career-high 13 goals and 33 points he had with the Rangers in 2021-22.

Today’s claim also has considerable financial benefits for both teams. Most importantly, it leaves the Rangers off the hook for the remainder of Goodrow’s deal, which carried the aforementioned $3.6MM cap hit through 2027. For general manager Chris Drury, it’s a much cleaner and more preferable departure than buying him out, resulting in lasting cap ramifications for the next six years, or giving up assets to trade him away while retaining salary. It’s the closest thing to straight-up releasing a player the NHL has to offer without terminating a contract.

Meanwhile, the Sharks sat over $13MM below next season’s $65MM cap floor before claiming Goodrow. They now have under $10MM worth of cap hits to add to their books next season, a much more attainable figure for a team expected to be only mildly aggressive in free agency as they continue to rebuild.

In 268 games during his previous stint with the Sharks, Goodrow scored 26 goals and 71 points. It’s worth noting that Goodrow had a 15-team no-trade list in his contract but not a no-move clause – meaning he could have blocked a deal to San Jose if they’d been on his list. Instead, because he’s changing hands via waivers, he has no ability to nix the move.

Sharks Acquire Ty Dellandrea From Stars

at CDT | by 7 Comments

The Sharks have picked up pending RFA forward Ty Dellandrea from the Stars in exchange for the Jets’ 2025 fourth-round pick, both teams announced Wednesday.

It’s a fresh start for the 23-year-old Dellandrea, who Dallas selected 13th overall in 2018. The Toronto native spent this season in and out of the lineup after facing increased competition from some veteran free-agent signings, losing ice time to players like Craig Smith and Sam Steel. He was limited to 42 games this season after dressing in all 82 regular-season contests for the Stars one year ago.

Even when in the lineup, Dellandrea struggled to have much of an effect. Averaging 12:40 per game (down from 14:12 in 2022-23), he was limited to two goals and nine points with a -10 rating. He also didn’t play a regular role in the postseason, scoring once while only playing in six of Dallas’ 19 playoff games.

Across 151 NHL games in parts of four seasons, Dellandrea has 14 goals, 28 assists and 42 points. He was a good offensive contributor during his brief time in the minors with AHL Texas but hasn’t appeared there since 2021-22. He should be in line for an everyday spot with the Sharks next year, though, and has top-nine upside on an offense without much else to offer. San Jose owes him a $900K qualifying offer to retain his signing rights if they don’t come to terms on a deal by June 30.

This isn’t a cap-related move for the Stars, as Dellandrea wouldn’t have cost much to re-sign. However, it does free up some roster space and makes retaining the 25-year-old Steel, who had 24 points in 77 games this year, much easier to do. It also opens up more flexibility for AHL rookie standouts Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven to claim spots in the opening night lineup.

San Jose previously acquired Winnipeg’s 2025 fourth-rounder in exchange for Vladislav Namestnikov in March 2023.

Sharks Showing Trade Interest In Cam Atkinson

at CDT | by 8 Comments

As the Sharks look to add some depth to a league-worst roster, they’re interested in taking on Cam Atkinson from the Flyers for some depth scoring help, TSN’s Darren Dreger writes. A trade could be blocked if Atkinson has San Jose on his 10-team no-trade list, though. That’s likely the case, as sources tell Dreger the veteran winger “isn’t keen on a move to the Sharks.”

Atkinson’s name is popping up frequently in both trade and buyout rumors this summer after a highly disappointing 2023-24 campaign. The Flyers acquired the 5’8″ winger from the Blue Jackets in 2021, but injuries derailed his tenure in Philadelphia after one season. A herniated disc and left tricep surgery sidelined him for all of last season, and he wasn’t the consistent top-six force he’s been in the past upon returning.

He stayed mostly healthy last season – a good sign for the 35-year-old’s long-term quality of life, but his production fell off a cliff. Dressing in 70 games, Atkinson scored 13 goals and 28 points, the first time in his career he’d had under half a point per game. He averaged 15:57 per contest, his lowest usage in 10 years.

While his offense was a disappointment after registering 23 goals and 50 points in a Flyers uniform two years ago, he had good defensive results this season, much like the rest of his surprisingly competitive Flyers squad. Philadelphia controlled 53.7% of expected goals with Atkinson on the ice at even strength, and he was on the ice for roughly 13 fewer expected goals against than in the 2021-22 season in which he played a similar amount of games.

Atkinson is still an NHL-caliber talent, but not one worth his $5.875MM cap hit. As the Flyers look to take another step toward playoff contention next season, he’s a bit of an albatross.

In the seemingly unlikely event he doesn’t block a trade, it would likely take an asset or two to get Atkinson’s deal off the books entirely and over to California. A buyout would still save north of $3.5MM in cap space for the Flyers this season but would result in a $1.75MM cap penalty for 2025-26, per CapFriendly.

For Sharks general manager Mike Grier, taking on bad contracts outright is one of the few ways he can weaponize his rebuilding club’s cap space. He’s used up all three of his salary retention spots in trading away Brent Burns, Tomáš Hertl and Erik Karlsson, so brokering deals as a third party won’t be an option until Burns’ deal comes off the books in 2025.

In San Jose, Atkinson would be a slight upgrade on the declining veteran role played by pending UFA Mike Hoffman this year. Atkinson has a much more solid track record defensively than Hoffman, though, and could help them improve their league-worst goals-against figure. There are also open spots in their top six that could result in Atkinson seeing time with prospective 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini next season.

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

scroll to top