Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Sharks Rumors

San Jose Sharks Sign Filip Zadina

at CDT | by 20 Comments

After completing the contract termination process with the Detroit Red Wings last week, 2018 sixth-overall pick Filip Zadina has quickly found his new home. He’s signed a one-year, $1.1MM contract with the San Jose Sharks, as announced by the team today.

The Czech winger registered just seven points in 30 NHL games in 2022-23, the first year of a three-year, $5.475MM extension he’d signed in Detroit late last summer. With a lack of any real offensive development occurring in the Motor City, Zadina requested a trade through his agent around the 2023 NHL Draft – which Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said he’d pursued to no avail.

Yzerman then made the decision to waive Zadina early last week, exposing him to every team in the league for free. With a two-year commitment and back-loaded contract, however, there were no takers, leading the two parties to cut ties entirely via mutual termination last Friday.

Zadina now lands in San Jose on an affordable, low-risk contract, helping him recoup some of the money he walked away from via his contract termination with Detroit. He was set to earn $1.83MM from Detroit this season, so it’s a pay cut of roughly $700K, but likely more due to taxes.

In the Bay Area, Zadina could garner attention in a top-six role out of training camp, potentially alongside countryman Tomas Hertl. San Jose did some ancillary work to boost their top six by acquiring Anthony Duclair from the Florida Panthers earlier this month, giving the Sharks and head coach David Quinn a lot of combinations for their top two lines. They’ll likely include some mixture of Hertl, Zadina, and Duclair, along with Logan Couture, Alexander Barabanov, and 2021 seventh-overall pick William Eklund.

During his less-than-illustrious NHL stint thus far, Zadina has played 190 games (all in Detroit) and has accumulated 28 goals, 40 assists, and 68 points. His most productive season was in 2021-22, recording 10 goals, 14 assists, and 24 points in 74 games played. Among Red Wings forwards, he ranked sixth in assists that season.

Zadina has also participated in 82 AHL games, scoring 26 goals and 26 assists for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Of note, his $1.1MM cap hit comes in just under this season’s buriable threshold of $1.125MM, so he can be assigned to the AHL without any cap penalty to the Sharks.

He’ll be a restricted free agent again next offseason, and he’ll be due a qualifying offer equal to this year’s $1.1MM salary.

Kevin Labanc Included In Trade Talks For Myers

at CDT | by 3 Comments

  • Right before the free agent market opened on July 1st, it was reported that the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks had recently discussed a trade that would send defenseman Tyler Myers to the Bay Area. During their podcast, ’Canucks Central’, Dan Riccio and Sat Shah confirmed the deal would have been a one-for-one swap for winger Kevin Labanc. It makes sense for both teams, as Myers has fallen out of favor in Vancouver, and the team mostly addressed its defensive core via free agency. From the Sharks’ perspective, the team is widely expected to move defenseman Erik Karlsson before the offseason concludes, and Myers would fill that hole left on their right side.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Latest On Erik Karlsson Trade Talks

at CDT | by 50 Comments

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported today on the NHL Network that the San Jose Sharks remain steadfast in their efforts to trade reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. Friedman goes on to say that the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins are the two teams that the Sharks are talking to and adds that Carolina may need to work out of a move for defenseman Brett Pesce to acquire some assets to complete a Karlsson deal.

On the Pittsburgh side of things, Josh Yohe of The Athletic wrote an article today that outlined why Erik Karlsson is the type of player that general manager Kyle Dubas needs to acquire. Yohe highlights exactly why Karlsson is the right player for the team and the situation the Penguins are currently in. While most of Yohe’s article is in defense of the Penguins acquiring the defenseman, he also adds a couple of pieces of information regarding a potential move. Yohe says that any move Pittsburgh makes for Karlsson would be complex and would involve a third team, which is no surprise given that Karlsson is owed $11.5MM annually for the next four seasons.

Friedman reported Tuesday on his 32 Thoughts Podcast that one hold-up to the potential deal was that teams wanted the Sharks to retain more of Karlsson’s cap hit. He went on to add that at the trade deadline in March San Jose was willing to retain between 18-20% of Karlsson’s cap hit to facilitate a deal. Friedman believes the Sharks will need to retain closer to 30% of the deal which would turn Karlsson into an $8MM player for the acquiring team, and should net the Sharks a better return. Something they are open to. Friedman also reported today on the NHL Network that he believes the Sharks have pursued unrestricted free-agent defenseman Matt Dumba as a possible replacement for Karlsson.

At this point, it almost feels as though the Penguins must acquire Karlsson. Not only would they block Carolina from adding Karlsson to their already stacked defensive unit, but it would help to jump-start their offence which became stale last year for long stretches. Pittsburgh feels like a team that needs a jolt as they have been unable to get out of the first round of the playoffs since 2018 and didn’t even qualify for the postseason last year. Adding a 101-point defenseman would also alleviate some of the offensive pressure off Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the rest of the Penguins’ top-6 forward group who almost single-handily carried the team last season. And while Dubas has been busy overhauling the black hole that was the Penguins’ bottom six, he still hasn’t added much in the way of offensive firepower.

Martin Kaut Signs Two-Year Deal In Czechia

at CDT | by 2 Comments

San Jose Sharks prospect Martin Kaut has signed a two-year deal with Czech Extraliga club HC Dynamo Pardubice, per a team announcement. The 2018 first-round pick will now head overseas with hopes of revitalizing his pro career.

Kaut’s posted solid offensive totals during his time in the minors, but it’s failed to translate to much of any NHL opportunity over the past five years. Originally a selection of the Colorado Avalanche, he found himself headed to San Jose via trade this season in a prospect-for-prospect swap that included defenseman Ryan Merkley headed the other way.

He’d appeared in regular-season games for Colorado (and later San Jose) in each of the past four seasons, joining their AHL affiliate (the Colorado Eagles) immediately after being drafted in 2018. He’s totaled 50 goals and 113 points across 192 games in five AHL seasons, and he had a strong finish to the season with the San Jose Barracuda with three goals and 14 points in 19 games.

Despite also recording five points in nine NHL games with the Sharks, easily his best NHL showing, Kaut believes extended playing time back overseas is the best option for his continued development. It won’t be his first time playing for Pardubice, though – he was loaned there in 2020 with the NHL season delayed due to the COVID pandemic, and he recorded nine goals and 16 points in 38 games there during his draft year, 2017-18.

A physically inclined passer who’s proficient on the man advantage, Kaut recorded just six points in 47 games with the Avs before they decided to cut ties. He’s surely destined for a top-nine role with his Czech team and has much more upward mobility there than in the NHL, although the merits of European pro hockey versus North American minor hockey remain a contested debate.

San Jose issued Kaut a qualifying offer last month, meaning that if he does wish to return to the NHL in the summer of 2025, it’ll be with the Sharks – unless they trade his rights somewhere else.

San Jose Sharks Sign Leon Gawanke

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks have signed defenseman Leon Gawanke to a one-year, two-way contract, according to a team announcement, bringing him back to North America after an expected European departure. CapFriendly reports he’ll earn $775K in the NHL, $325K in the minors, and a guaranteed salary of $375K. He’ll be due a qualifying offer of $813,750 next summer.

Gawanke had signed a four-year contract in his home country of Germany just a few months ago, but that obviously won’t be honored. The move was made after failing to get much of an opportunity with the Winnipeg Jets, but after the team qualified him and then dealt his rights to the San Jose Sharks for Artemi Kniazev, he ended up in a thinner Sharks defense pipeline with more upward mobility.

A 24-year-old right-shot defender, Gawanke has shone brightly in the minors over the past two seasons. He led all Manitoba Moose defensemen last season in goals and points, recording a career-high 20 goals and 45 points. He also led the entire AHL in power-play goals among defensemen.

He went on a true offensive tear near the end of the season, notching 20 points in an 18-game span over March and April before ending the regular season on a four-game point streak. Throughout his four seasons in the Winnipeg organization with the Manitoba Moose, Gawanke played 207 AHL games, accumulating 114 points, including 35 goals and 79 assists.

While he couldn’t break through a large amount of depth defenders stashed in the Jets organization, he has a real shot at making San Jose out of camp – especially if they clear a spot on defense by trading Erik Karlsson (although they may fill that spot in the trade return). He’ll be battling with players like Matt Benning and Radim Simek for bottom-four pairing roles and could surpass the latter on the depth chart after he’s dealt with injuries and declining offense in the past few seasons – although he remains one of the few adept penalty killers on the Sharks.

San Jose Sharks Sign Nathan Todd

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks have signed center Nathan Todd to a two-year, two-way contract. The deal carries a $775k cap hit in the NHL, a $225k yearly AHL salary, and $225k in yearly guarantees.

With Springfield Thunderbirds teammate Brady Lyle headed to the Washington Capitals, Todd is the second member of the Thunderbirds’ 2021-22 Calder Cup Finals squad to sign with another club today.

Todd is a 27-year-old center who has taken a bit of a winding road to this current point in his career, where he’s an established, valuable AHLer. Todd was a productive two-year OHLer before splitting his first full season away from junior hockey in the ECHL and Canadian University circuit. He then spent three seasons with the ECHL’s now-defunct Brampton Beast, going from middle-of-the-lineup player to point-per-game scorer.

Todd earned his first full-time AHL opportunity in 2020-21 with the Manitoba Moose, and he made the most of it scoring 12 goals and 32 points in 36 games in the AHL’s All-Canadian division. He even managed to be named to his division’s All-Star Team and parlayed that successful AHL campaign into his first NHL contract, with the St. Louis Blues.

The 2021-22 regular season didn’t go quite as well for Todd as the 2020-21 did, but he stepped up in the playoffs scoring 11 points in 18 games as Springfield nearly took home an AHL title. This past season Todd only managed to get into 16 games but he scored a healthy eight goals and 14 points, leading to this two-year deal with the Sharks.

San Jose recently dealt bottom-sixer Steven Lorentz to the Florida Panthers in the Anthony Duclair trade, meaning the possibility is there for Todd to have a stellar training camp and win the Sharks’ fourth-line center role. But the overwhelming likelihood is Todd begins the season with the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, and hopes to be healthy and productive enough to earn the first NHL call-up of his career.

Jets, Sharks Make Minor Deal

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Ken Weibe of Sportsnet reports that the Winnipeg Jets have traded the rights to Leon Gawanke to the San Jose Sharks for Artemi Kniazev. Kniazev is the biggest name in the deal, having been drafted 48th overall by the Sharks back in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Over the last two years, Kniazev has been a quality defender for the Sharks AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. In a combined 121 games at the AHL level, Kniazev has scored 12 goals and 44 assists. Only standing at six feet tall, Kniazev is not a physically imposing force on the blue line by any means but does move the puck very well and possesses strong acceleration, giving him the ability to drive the play. Kniazev has one year remaining on his entry-level contract which will pay him $789K at the NHL level this season.

Gawanke, on the other hand, was a much lower draft pick compared to Kniazev, going 136th overall to the Jets in the 2017 NHL Draft. Even though his rights are now owned by the Sharks organization, it is unlikely he will play in San Jose, given that he has already committed to playing for Adler Mannheim of the DEL next season. However, as the team looks to incorporate exciting young players into its development structure, the team could convince Gawanke to return. Over the past four years playing for the Manitoba Moose, Gawanke has played in a total of 207 games, scoring 35 goals and 79 assists.

 

San Jose Sharks Acquire Anthony Duclair

at CDT | by

6:32 pm: San Jose has made the trade official, sending Lorentz and their 2025 fifth-round pick to Florida for Duclair.

5:42 pm: The San Jose Sharks have traded for Florida Panthers winger Anthony Duclair, according to The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman. Goldman adds that forward Steven Lorentz is expected to be part of the trade heading back to the Panthers, though there could be more moving pieces involved.

Duclair brings a more dynamic asset to the Sharks after he landed on his feet in Florida as a top-line player. Last season, he recorded just two goals and nine points in 20 games with the Panthers, missing much of the season recovering an Achilles tear. Duclair’s skill set and ability to generate scoring chances make him a valuable asset for the Sharks, however, as they sorely need some high-end skill in their lineup (even though they’re rebuilding). He’ll never provide much value defensively, but it’s not much of a concern for a Sharks team that doesn’t anticipate being competitive next season.

In return, the Panthers acquire a fine bottom-of-the-lineup forward in Lorentz and nearly $2MM in cap space, helping them fortify their fourth line while opening up some more cap space to replace Duclair’s top-nine on the open market in the coming days. He could very well center their fourth line next season after recording 10 goals and 19 points in 80 games with the Sharks last season.

San Jose Sharks Sign Fabian Zetterlund

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The San Jose Sharks have signed RFA forward Fabian Zetterlund to a two-year deal worth $1.45MM per season, the team announced.  The contract comes just one day after the team non-tendered him to avoid giving him the ability to file for salary arbitration.

The 23-year-old came to San Jose just before the trade deadline as part of the Timo Meier trade.  He was productive in a depth scoring role with the Devils, notching 20 points in 45 games despite averaging less than 13 minutes a night prior to the swap.  Unfortunately for Zetterlund and the Sharks, he wasn’t able to produce at the same level, collecting just three assists in 22 games.

Still, despite the sluggish start to his time in San Jose, it wouldn’t have made much sense for the Sharks to part with a young forward with at least a brief track record of some NHL success at this stage of their rebuild.  He’s likely to remain in a bottom-six role to start next season which might not yield too many scoring opportunities early on but he should have a chance to lock down a full-time spot for the first time in his career and if he can do that, he could be part of their plans for a while.

While San Jose technically signed Zetterlund as a UFA, he remains under team control through the 2026-27 campaign.  The contract is slightly backloaded with a $1.4MM salary next season and a $1.5MM salary in 2024-25; the latter represents his qualifying offer in 2025 where he’ll once again be eligible for arbitration.

San Jose Sharks Sign Three Players

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The San Jose Sharks have signed enforcer Givani Smith to a two-year contract worth $1.6MM, or $800K per season, the team announced. They’ve also signed forward Ryan Carpenter to a cheap one-year, two-way contract as well.

The team would later announce a two-year, two-way contract for minor-league enforcer Scott Sabourin. He recorded a career-high 33 points and 177 penalty minutes in 51 games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators last season.

Unqualified by the Florida Panthers, the Sharks should know exactly what they’re getting in Smith. One of the most underrated enforcers in the game, Smith has always shown an ability to lay some heavy hits and drop the mitts as well. As San Jose starts employing younger talent on the ice, Smith will provide some extra safety for those players.

Beginning last season with the team that drafted him, Smith was traded to the Panthers from the Detroit Red Wings in a three-team swap also including the Anaheim Ducks. His ice time was significantly decreased in Florida, but Smith still added a powerful presence to the team’s bottom six. In 34 games for the Panthers, Smith scored one goal and three assists, racking up 63 hits and 72 penalty minutes.

Carpenter is a well-traveled bottom-sixer who has largely played in the NHL over the past few seasons save for last year, when he played mostly in the AHL. Carpenter scored 21 goals and 44 points in 51 AHL games and provides defensively sound bottom-six play when in the NHL.

He has some playoff experience and actually began his career with the Sharks, meaning with this deal he returns to San Jose after a half-decade playing elsewhere.

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

scroll to top