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San Jose Sharks Hire David Quinn

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July 26: The Sharks have now made it official, announcing Quinn as their next head coach. Earlier in the day, Kevin Weekes of ESPN also reported that Calder Cup-winning coach Ryan Warsofsky will be interviewing with the team for an assistant position, after failing to land the head coaching job.

July 21: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the San Jose Sharks are “zeroing in” on former New York Rangers bench boss David Quinn to be their next head coach. While this is no confirmation that a deal between the two parties is done, it seems likely that Quinn will return to an NHL bench in 2022-23 with the Sharks.

Friedman reports that Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Spencer Carbery, who was reported as a candidate yesterday, and Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Mike Vellucci were finalists for the job.

Quinn has been out of an NHL job since the Rangers fired him shortly after the 2020-21 season, concluding a mediocre three-year run with the team. According to reports, Quinn was at one point the front-runner for the Boston Bruins’ vacancy this offseason before they opted to go with former Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery.

Those three seasons in the Big Apple comprise Quinn’s only NHL coaching experience aside from one season spent with the Colorado Avalanche as an assistant coach in 2012-13. Between 2013 and 2018, Quinn had a strong run as the head coach of the Division I program at Boston University.

He’s also represented USA Hockey as a coach at multiple international tournaments, including serving as their head coach for the 2022 Winter Olympics and World Championships. The USA failed to medal in either tournament.

This story will be updated as details emerge.

Sasha Chmelevski Signs In KHL

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The San Jose Sharks no longer have to worry about negotiations with Sasha Chmelevski but it’s not because they’ve reached an agreement. Instead, the restricted free agent has signed a contract with Ufa Salavat Yulaev in the KHL, according to his agent Dan Milstein.

Because they gave him a qualifying offer this summer, the Sharks will retain Chmelevski’s rights for the time being, though it is unclear what his plans are moving forward. The 23-year-old forward played in 19 NHL games this season scoring eight points in the process and was a strong performer at the minor league level.

Originally selected in the sixth round of the 2017 draft, making it to the NHL was already an impressive feat. Now, with a handful of games under his belt, he’ll pursue a bigger opportunity elsewhere.

The Sharks will hold Chmelevski’s rights until his 27th birthday, which is still almost four years away. Whether he returns in that time or gets another chance with them at the NHL level, remains to be seen.

San Jose Sharks Expected To Name Head Coach On July 26th

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As their rebuild continues, the San Jose Sharks unexpectedly had to address a gaping hole in that of their GM position after former GM Doug Wilson stepped down. The organization took its time to find the perfect candidate, eventually hiring former Sharks player Mike Grier. The team was also tasked with finding another head coach after they fired previous head coach Bob Boughner. Like the GM position, the Sharks have taken their time to find their newest hire.

It appears though that the search is over, based on a series of Tweets from the Sharks, which in effect announced that the team will name its new head coach tomorrow at 11:00 am PT/2:00 pm ET. The team did not formally announce who it is that they are hiring to fill the position, but several sources indicated late last week that the Sharks were “zeroing in on” David Quinn, formerly the head coach of the New York Rangers. Quinn, who was let go after the shortened 2020-21 season, spent three seasons as the bench boss in Manhattan, his only three as a head coach in the NHL, compiling a record of 96-87-25 for a Rangers team that was working its way out of a rebuild. If it is in fact Quinn that gets the job, he will be placed in a rather similar situation to what he had with the Rangers: bring the team through and out of the rebuild.

San Jose Sharks Extend Steven Lorentz

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Per a team announcement, the San Jose Sharks have re-signed forward Steven Lorentz to a two-year contract. Per a club policy, the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group is reporting that the deal has the following yearly financial structure:

  • 2022-23: $950K
  • 2023-24: $1.15MM

That structure means the deal will have an overall cap hit of $1.05MM.

Lorentz, 26, arrived in San Jose as part of the team’s compensation package for sending Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes. In Carolina, Lorentz got into 67 games and scored eight goals and 13 points. Lorentz didn’t see much action in the team’s playoff run, getting into only five games, but he’s established himself as a scoring threat at the AHL level (he had 23 goals and 46 points in 61 games) and a depth piece at the NHL level.

In San Jose, Lorentz will have an opportunity to continue his development path and establish himself as a quality bottom-sixer. The Hurricanes’ special teams units were largely established and closed for Lorentz for most of the year, meaning Lorentz really could only show what he could do in even-strength situations.

If he can earn the trust of reported new head coach David Quinn, Lorentz could find himself in a greater role than he’d likely have gotten in Carolina. If Lorentz can be a capable penalty-killer on top of the energetic, physical play he already has shown he can provide, this will be a solid two-year investment for the Sharks.

San Jose Sharks Linked To Spencer Carbery

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The San Jose Sharks are late to the head coaching search party. After firing Bob Boughner and his staff later into the offseason, most marquee coaching options are off the market, leaving the Sharks to get creative with their search. According to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, multiple sources confirmed to him that the team has interviewed Spencer Carbery for the open position.

Carbery spent 2021-22 as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was responsible for the team’s power play, which finished first in the league during the regular season. 40 years old, Carbery was named the AHL’s Coach of the Year in 2021, his last of three seasons as the head coach of the Hershey Bears. He also won the same award in the ECHL in 2014 during a five-year run as head coach of the South Carolina Stingrays. You might recognize them for being the team where Stanley Cup Champion coach Jared Bednar got his head coaching start.

Carbery would certainly help San Jose’s goal output if his time in Toronto is any indication. San Jose’s power play clocked in at 19% last season, 22nd in the NHL, while they scored just 211 goals in total, which was third-last. He could be the key to an offensive resurgence from players like Erik Karlsson and help get the most out of youngsters like William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau if they make the team.

Markus Nutivaara Expects To Be Ready For Training Camp

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Markus Nutivaara’s 2021-22 season lasted all of seven minutes. The veteran defenseman played just 12 shifts in his one and only game for the Florida Panthers on October 29, 2021. He missed the rest of the year and underwent hip surgery around Christmas but recently signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the San Jose Sharks a few days ago.

Now, Nutivaara expects to be at full strength by the time training camp starts, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. That’s a good thing for the Sharks but also his pocketbook, as his contract includes bonuses for games played. According to PuckPedia, Nutivaara will earn $50K at the 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 game thresholds, maxing out at an additional $250K.

Because of his injury-riddled last few years, it’s easy to forget just how effective Nutivaara was as a depth option for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the early part of his career. Over his first three seasons, he played in 207 games, recorded 51 points, and racked up 139 blocked shots. Averaging nearly 18 minutes a night by year three, he looked on his way to becoming a rock-solid second-pairing defenseman who could support a more offensive player in tough minutes.

Given his ability to play both sides of the ice, he may get a similar role in San Jose, though the Sharks’ group is anything but set in stone at this point. With Brent Burns traded and a new head coach still to be announced, the defensive pairings could end up seeing any number of different alignments.

No matter where he plays, health is the key factor for Nutivaara at this point. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent again in a year’s time, meaning this is a great opportunity to get his career back on track with a healthy, productive season. Otherwise, he might find himself out of the mix entirely next summer.

San Jose Sharks Sign Luke Kunin, Kaapo Kahkonen

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The San Jose Sharks have signed Luke Kunin to a two-year contract, according to PuckPedia. The deal will carry an average annual value of $2.75MM. Kunin was eligible for salary arbitration this summer but chose not to file. Sharks general manager Mike Grier also announced Monday afternoon that the team has signed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to a two-year contract. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the deal carries a cap hit of $2.75MM.

Kunin, 24, was acquired from the Nashville Predators this offseason in exchange for John Leonard (who also signed today) and a third-round pick. The young forward has changed his game in recent years to lean into his physicality, and after racking up a whopping 223 in 2021-22, he offers something new to the San Jose bottom six.

There’s also a bit of offensive skill in the 2016 first-round pick, who has double-digit goals in each of his last three seasons, all of them coming at even-strength or while short-handed. That kind of scoring upside will come in handy as the Sharks start to tear apart the old core and rebuild it under new general manager Mike Grier.

Notably, it will leave Kunin as a restricted free agent at its expiry, giving the Sharks a chance to re-assess whether he can be a long-term solution. He will once again be up for arbitration at that point.

Kahkonen excelled after San Jose acquired him at the Trade Deadline from the Minnesota Wild. The 2020 AHL Goalie of the Year had just a 2-6-1 record, but that was no fault of his own, posting a more-than-respectable .916 save percentage in 11 games played (10 starts). Kahkonen has a career .908 save percentage through 65 NHL games, 54 of which came with the Wild. He’ll join a crowded crease in San Jose next year that also includes James Reimer and Adin Hill.

The 25-year-old Finn will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 when his new contract expires.

Kaapo Kahkonen, Steven Lorentz File For Salary Arbitration

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The National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) announced that 24 players have filed for player-elected salary arbitration, the deadline for which came this afternoon. This list is not necessarily the final and complete list of players headed for arbitration, with clubs now eligible to elect salary arbitration until tomorrow, July 18th at 5:00 pm ET.

Mason Appleton (WPG)

Ethan Bear (CAR)

Jesper Bratt (NJD)

Lawson Crouse (ARI)

Morgan Geekie (SEA)

Mathieu Joseph (OTT)

Kaapo Kahkonen (SJS)

Kasperi Kapanen (PIT)

Keegan Kolesar (VGK)

Oliver Kylington (CGY)

Maxime Lajoie (CAR)

Steven Lorentz (SJS)

Isac Lundestrom (ANA)

Zack MacEwen (PHI)

Niko Mikkola (STL)

Andrew Mangiapane (CGY)

Matthew Phillips (CGY)

Jesse Puljujarvi (EDM)

Tyce Thompson (NJD)

Yakov Trenin (NSH)

Vitek Vanecek (NJD)

Jake Walman (DET)

Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)

Pavel Zacha (BOS)

Notably out of this list, Mikkola had previously filed for arbitration, but the two sides were able to settle on a one-year, $1.9MM contract that will leave the defenseman an UFA after next season.

A key distinction to add is that any player who has filed for arbitration is no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet, effectively taking the players on this list off the market. Three notable names that did not file for arbitration are Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine. Though contract talks have been quiet on Dubois and Tkachuck, word of amicable discussions between Laine’s camp and Columbus has been made known. Once tomorrow’s club-elected salary arbitration deadline passes, teams and players will have time to prepare their cases before hearings begin, running from July 27th through August 11th.

San Jose Sharks Sign Aaron Dell, C.J. Suess

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Along with announcing the reported contract for Andrew Agozzino, the San Jose Sharks have inked two more depth players today. Aaron Dell and C.J. Suess are both coming aboard on one-year contracts.

Dell will be the headliner here, given his history with the organization. The 33-year-old netminder spent four years in the NHL with the Sharks between 2016-2020, appearing in 107 games over that span. He never has been able to recapture the form he showed as a rookie (a 27-year-old rookie) that first year, when he posted a .931 save percentage in 20 games.

Over the last few seasons, Dell has bounced around and struggled not only at the NHL level but the AHL level as well, making this signing a bit of a head-scratcher. The Sharks already have five goaltenders under contract for this season plus Kaapo Kahkonen to sign, meaning there isn’t much room for Dell anywhere. Perhaps this points to the team moving one (or more) of their more veteran options out of town.

James Reimer and Adin Hill, the two goaltenders on one-way deals, are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next summer and don’t appear to have long futures with the Sharks. With Dell’s addition, giving the organization another option for the minor league club, perhaps someone else is on his way out.

San Jose Sharks Sign Three Players

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San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group that the team has signed three more free agents, inking Nico Sturm, Markus Nutivaara, and Matt Benning.

Sturm, 27, has agreed to a three-year deal worth a total of $6MM, giving him a substantial raise over the $750K he made in 2021-22. The Stanley Cup champion can be a valuable bottom-six forward, though his offensive limitations make this kind of contract something of a surprise. In 132 games in the NHL, Sturm has scored 20 goals and 39 points. What he does bring is a big, physical presence that can win faceoffs and contribute at the defensive end of the rink, something that should bring stability to the Sharks as they transition into a rebuild.

Nutivaara, 28, signed for just one year, coming off a 2021-22 season that was almost entirely lost to injury. The left-handed defenseman played just one game for the Florida Panthers and because of that, is eligible for performance bonuses in the upcoming season. PuckPedia reports that his deal will carry a salary of $1.5MM, while also including bonuses for games played up to a maximum of $250K. Once a very promising option for the Columbus Blue Jackets, his recent history has been ruined by injury, with ust 68 games played over the last three seasons.

Benning’s deal is for four years keeping him in San Jose through the 2025-26 season. That’s an impressive get for a player who rarely more than third-pairing minutes, and has moved in and out of the lineup for basically his whole career. Still, the 28-year-old defenseman offers a physical presence and does have more than 350 games of NHL experience under his belt.

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