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Latest On Sharks’ Offseason Plans

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The San Jose Sharks announced a pair of extensions today, locking up Alexander Barabanov and Jaycob Megna for the next two years. Those deals were necessary for two players who have found a home in San Jose but certainly not the headline-making news that fans are hoping for, now that the team is going to be under new management.

Long-time general manager Doug Wilson has stepped down, leaving the Sharks with Joe Will as interim manager until a more permanent solution is found. When that new solution is found, however, there will be some huge questions to be answered in terms of the direction of the team. After an almost unprecedented era of regular season success, that saw the Sharks qualify for the postseason in 19 of 21 seasons, they’ve missed the playoffs in each of the last three and now face some difficult decisions.

The biggest among those: what to do with an aging, expensive defense corps?

The Sharks have $26.5MM in cap hits tied up in three defensemen that will all be at least 32 at the end of this month. Erik Karlsson, the youngest of the three, carries an $11.5MM cap hit through 2026-27. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, 35, is signed at a $7MM cap hit through 2025-26. And then there is franchise legend Brent Burns, who despite turning 37 a few months ago, is still carrying an $8MM cap hit through 2024-25.

It is Burns’ future that is perhaps the most intriguing. Karlsson and Vlasic each have full no-movement clauses, blocking any potential trade unless they approve it but Burns will have to submit a new list on July 1, one which would allow the Sharks to trade him to three teams without getting his approval again. While that obviously doesn’t give them much wiggle room, Burns’ front-loaded contract, shorter term, and still strong play have at least sparked some speculation. On today’s 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet explained:

I believe they had some trade talks with a couple of teams on Karlsson this year. However, I don’t think that has gone anywhere, and I’m told it’s not that likely, because it’s just a big contract. Burns has three years left, the contract in terms of actual salary goes down, and he’s still a heck of a player. 

I just think that everybody recognizes here that there is the possibility this might be one of the ways that the Sharks try to break up their logjam, as long as they get what they want. I was told specifically by one of the teams that they are not giving Burns away. That is just not happening. There is a package they want and they are going to demand it. 

Though the contract carries an average annual value of $8MM, Burns is owed just $16.5MM over the last three years of the deal, $3.5MM of which will be due in signing bonuses next season.

Despite his age, Burns has continued to be a huge factor for the Sharks on the ice. He averaged more than 26 minutes a night this season, played in all 82 games, and racked up another 54 points. Though some may think of the veteran defenseman as an offense-only player, he actually logged nearly three minutes a night on the penalty kill this year, while recording a career-high 150 blocked shots. That level of play is obviously still valuable, but there is so much risk in having nearly a third of the salary cap tied up in those three aging defensemen.

One can see exactly why by dissecting the play of Vlasic, who has taken several steps back in recent years. Once one of the most feared shutdown defenders in the entire league, his playing time was slashed dramatically this season, to the point where he was averaging just over 15 minutes a night when he was in the lineup. A buyout is one way out for the Sharks but if they went that direction this offseason, they’d be carrying a substantial cap hit through 2029-30. Friedman and co-host Jeff Marek both agree that while a buyout did seem like a possibility, Will spoke as though Vlasic would be coming back at the team’s end-of-year media availability.

An interesting wrinkle in all of this is the situation surrounding Mario Ferraro, arguably the team’s most valuable defenseman behind Burns. The 23-year-old is a restricted free agent this offseason and could be in line for a hefty raise, if the team wanted to sign him long-term. As it stands that doesn’t really even seem possible with so much money tied up elsewhere, meaning the team could have to go short-term and try again later; Ferraro does not have arbitration rights this offseason and would theoretically have to sign his qualifying offer if the team wanted to squeeze him (or an offer sheet elsewhere).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

San Jose Sharks Extend Alexander Barabanov, Jaycob Megna

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The San Jose Sharks have decided to keep Alexander Barabanov around, reaching a two-year extension with the versatile forward. The deal keeps him under contract through 2023-24 and will carry an average annual value of $2.5MM, according to Chris Johnston of TSN. Johnston adds that it will include a ten-team no-trade clause, and signing bonuses of $1.0MM in 2022-23 and $500K in 2023-24. Barabanov was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Interim general manager Joe Will released the following statement:

Alexander had a very good first full year in the NHL, showing that he is a consistent point producer and playmaker. Paired with his grit and hard work, he has the potential to improve upon his success this past year.

Barabanov, 27, has found a perfect fit in San Jose since arriving there in a 2021 trade. The Toronto Maple Leafs seemingly gave him a fresh start after struggling to get into their lineup, and things exploded nearly immediately for the Russian winger. After scoring seven points in nine games down the stretch in 2020-21, Barabanov returned with another strong campaign for the Sharks this year, scoring 39 points in 70 games. While he isn’t expected to be a top-end offensive producer, his work ethic and two-way ability make him a valuable piece that can move around the lineup.

In fact, given he has spent the vast majority of his time in San Jose with Tomas Hertl, who the Sharks just signed to a massive eight-year extension, it made a ton of sense to keep Barabanov in the fold. The two, along with Timo Meier, who has often been on the right side, have found nice chemistry together and produced at both ends of the rink. Whether Barabanov’s success is mostly a product of Hertl is another question entirely, and one that will certainly need to be answered if he ends up finding himself somewhere else in the lineup at some point in these next two years.

Minutes later, the Sharks announced that they have also signed Jaycob Megna to a two-year extension. The 29-year-old defenseman was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer after finding a nice role with the Sharks this year. In 44 games, the 6’6″ Megna averaged over 19 minutes a night, easily the biggest opportunity of his professional career. Originally selected 210th overall in 2012, he had played just 43 NHL games before this season, all with the Anaheim Ducks, and none of them had come since 2019.

The team did not immediately release details on Megna’s contract, though Will also released a short statement on the deal:

Jaycob is a reliable player that defends well. He is a high-character person that was recently recognized by Team USA and will be playing for his country at the World Championship.

Snapshots: Scheifele, Sharks, Kuzmenko

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Despite some ominous comments earlier in the week, it turns out that Winnipeg Jets star Mark Scheifele did not request a trade in his exit interview with GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Schiefele had expressed concern over the direction of the team after the Jets missed the playoffs this season, which raised some eyebrows in the media and across the league. Scheifele is signed through the next two seasons, so if he was unhappy enough with the situation, he would have had to request a trade, which likely would have occurred during his exit interview this week. Instead, the situation remains status quo in Winnipeg, at least for now. If the Jets, who have a lot of money tied up in long-term contracts, cannot find a way to improve the roster within their salary cap restrictions early this offseason, Scheifele’s position could change. The 29-year-old center has the ability and the contract to draw immense interest if he does hit the trade block this summer.

  • Friedman notes that another team who could be in the star trading business this offseason are the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks reportedly held preliminary trade discussions with multiple teams this season regarding Erik Karlsson, and those talks could continue over the summer. The Sharks need to first name a new general manager, for which a search is ongoing, but the expectation is that whoever the team hires will be directed to retool rather than rebuild. In order to get more competitive sooner rather than later, the Sharks need to add more high-end depth to their lineup and need more cap space to do so. Moving all or even part of Karlsson’s five remaining years at $11.5MM would help immensely and the trade return wouldn’t hurt either. However, is it realistic to expect the Sharks to find a team both willing and able to add Karlsson? Friedman suggests that Brent Burns, who has three years remaining at $8MM, might be easier to move and would still accomplish the task of redistributing a mass amount of cap space from the right side of the blue line to be used elsewhere in the lineup. The Sharks are also expected to evaluate their options with Marc-Edouard Vlasic this offseason, whose remaining four years at $7MM could prove impossible to move but could be bought out instead.
  • While the Jets and the Sharks will be looking for outside-the-box ways to improve this summer, neither team appears to be in the race for KHL free agent Andrei Kuzmenko. Friedman lists the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks, and Vegas Golden Knights as the finalists for the Russian winger’s services. Kuzmenko, 26, initially drew interest from at least 20 NHL teams, but now that his KHL contract has expired as of May 1 and he has begun actual negotiations, the list has been trimmed considerably. Kuzmenko is coming off of a career year in the KHL, recording 20 goals and 53 points in 45 games for SKA St. Petersburg, plus another 14 points in 16 playoff games. While he would be brand new to the NHL and his international experience is somewhat limited as well, Kuzmenko could be an affordable impact forward right away next season.

Minor Transactions: 05/08/22

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Half of the NHL is in the playoffs and focused on little else. The other half of the league has turned their attention to the offseason, but are limited in what they can actually do before the NHL Draft and free agency. However, for nearly every other league in the world, it is a busy time. The KHL, Liiga, and Swiss National League have all wrapped up their seasons and started offseason activities, and the SHL is at most two games from joining them. Closer to home, as CHL seasons come to an end in the playoffs, AHL rosters are being supplemented by assignments and amateur tryouts. NCAA programs are also finalizing their rosters for next season, some in response to pro signings. So while transactions may seem like a non-issue in the NHL right now, there is plenty going on elsewhere:

  • Cole Spicer, a member of the USNTDP and the silver medal-winning U.S. entry into the U-18 World Juniors, has finally landed on a new destination for his collegiate career. Spicer had recently decommitted from the University of North Dakota and Matt Wellens of the The Rink Live reports that he will instead play for a NCHC rival. Spicer has committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth and will join the Bulldogs next season. Spicer will now play alongside USNTDP teammate and presumptive 2022 first-round pick Isaac Howard at UMD, whereas no one from the program’s graduating class is headed to North Dakota now. Though Spicer is a step behind compared to an extraordinarily talented USNTDTP group this year, expected to go in the fourth round or later rather than the first two rounds, he was still a key contributor to the team and a prospect to watch moving forward.
  • Niko Huuhtanen, a seventh-round selection of the Tampa Bay Lightning last year, is getting his first taste of the pro level to end the year. The Bolts’ AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, have announced that Huuhtanen has signed an ATO with the team for the remainder of the season. The Finnish product is having quite the first season in North America; after recording 37 goals and 77 points in 65 games with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, Huuhtanen is now getting a shot in the AHL less than a year after he nearly went undrafted, taken with the very last pick of the 2021 Draft. The power forward could be yet another late-round find by Tampa. The Crunch have also added undrafted defenseman Tyson Feist on an ATO. The 21-year-old captain of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets just wrapped up his junior career by scoring more points (39) in 65 games this season than he did in his first four WHL seasons combined. The Lightning want to see if he has what it takes to continue on to the pro level.
  • When Helsinki-based club Jokerit backed out of the KHL playoffs and later announced they would be leaving the league altogether, the expectation was that they would be returning to the Finnish Liiga next season. However, no such official decision has been made and with the Liiga now in offseason mode, a pair of notable Jokerit forwards have decided to move elsewhere. SC Rapperswil-Jona has announced that both Nicklas Jensen and Jordan Schroeder have signed two-year deals with the team. Playing on a Jokerit roster filled with former and future NHLers, Jensen and Schroeder ranked first and third respectively in goals and second and third respectively in points. The former Jokers are expected to fill those same top-line roles with the Lakers for the next two years and should be even more productive in the Liiga. Both first-round picks of yesteryear, Jensen and Schroeder combine for less than 200 NHL games between them, but have found their place as top scorers in Europe.
  • Usually when the KHL rights of active NHL players are traded, there is information informing the value of those rights. With that in mind, pay attention to Russian netminder Alexei Melnichuk this offseason. HC Sochi and SKA St. Petersburg have made a deal in which the rights to forward Ivan Morozov and goaltender Mikhail Berdin were sent to SKA, while Melnichuk’s rights are headed to Sochi, the club announced. Seeing as Morozov just signed with the Vegas Golden Knights two weeks ago and Berdin is signed through next season with the Winnipeg Jets and to a one-way deal no less, the only player whose rights could reasonably have value in 2022-23 is Melnichuk. An impending restricted free agent, the 23-year-old Melnichuk is not having the season he expected after making his NHL debut with the San Jose Sharks last year. Rather than gain more of a role in the Sharks’ organization, Melnichuk played exclusively in the AHL this year before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the deadline, who have kept him in the ECHL ever since. Melnichuk put up stellar numbers in the KHL at a young age before jumping to North America and there could be a strong draw to return given his recent usage and results. On the other side, though Berdin has long been committed to playing in North America and Morozov is an up-and-coming prospect who hopes to have a long NHL career, St. Petersburg certainly added the vastly superior talent in the deal and will be happy to cash in if either player ever return to Russia.

Sharks Notes: Simek, Barabanov, Megna, Grievance

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Sharks defenseman Radim Simek played just two partial games over the final six weeks of the season due to injuries and a lower role on the depth chart but he confirmed to Lukas Losleben of hokej.cz that he will suit up for the Czechs at the upcoming World Championships.  The 29-year-old had a tough year, recording just two points in 36 games while averaging just over 13 minutes per game.  Simek expressed some frustration with his usage, telling Losleben that management called his reduced role a coaching decision while the coaches said it was management’s call.  A fresh start at the Worlds certainly won’t hurt as San Jose will undoubtedly be looking to move the final two years of his deal (which carries a $2.25MM AAV) this summer.

More from San Jose:

  • Earlier this week, interim GM Joe Will met with reporters, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, as part of their end-of-season media conferences. He mentioned that he would like to re-sign a pair of pending UFAs in winger Alexander Barabanov and defenseman Jaycob Megna.  Barabanov was a capable secondary scorer for the Sharks this season with 39 points in 70 games which has him in line for a sizable raise on the $1MM deal that’s set to expire.  Megna, meanwhile, averaged over 19 minutes a game in 44 contests on the back end.  That should be enough to get him a one-way deal for the first time in his career with a price tag that checks in a little above the $750K minimum.
  • Also from Pashelka’s piece, Will indicated that the team expects the Evander Kane grievance to be settled by July 13th which is the start of free agency this summer. San Jose terminated Kane’s deal with the winger filing a grievance back in January with the first hearing only occurring last month.  Getting clarity on that front will be critical as there’s an expectation that the Sharks will face some cap penalties but the severity (or lack thereof) will go a long way in determining what they can or can’t do from a roster-building standpoint.

NHL Announces 2022 Draft Lottery Odds

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With the conclusion of the 2022 regular season coming this afternoon after the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-3 in regulation, the entire league standings are finally settled, and so are the odds for the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery, which will take place on Tuesday, May 10th, at 6:30 pm ET. The odds, which increase in reverse order of the NHL standings, are as follows (link):

Montreal Canadiens – 18.5%
Arizona Coyotes – 13.5%
Seattle Kraken – 11.5%
Philadelphia Flyers – 9.5%
New Jersey Devils – 8.5%
Chicago Blackhawks* – 7.5%
Ottawa Senators – 6.5%
Detroit Red Wings – 6.0%
Buffalo Sabres – 5.0%
Anaheim Ducks – 3.5%
San Jose Sharks – 3.0%
Columbus Blue Jackets – 2.5%
New York Islanders – 2.0%
Winnipeg Jets – 1.5%
Vancouver Canucks – 0.5%
Vegas Golden Knights** – 0.5%

* As a result of the Seth Jones trade on July 23, 2021, Chicago will transfer their 2022 first-round pick to Columbus, unless it is a top-two pick, at which point they will transfer their 2023 first-round pick instead.

** As a result of the Jack Eichel trade on November 4, 2021, Vegas will transfer its 2022 first-round pick to Buffalo, unless it is a top-ten pick, at which point they will transfer their 2023 first-round pick instead.

As a reminder, the NHL announced changes to the rules for the operation of the draft lottery on March 23, 2021, which in effect limits the amount of spots certain teams may move up. Teams are not eligible to move up more than 10 spots in the lottery; so, only the eleven teams with the highest odds can receive the first-overall pick. For example, the San Jose Sharks have the potential to receive the first overall selection, however the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have the next-highest odds, cannot select any higher than second overall. In previous years, any team in the lottery was eligible to move up to the first, second, or third position.

Another change to the lottery this year will be that only two teams will be chosen in the lottery, unlike previous years when three were selected. Then, like previous years, the remaining teams will be awarded their selection in reverse order of the NHL standings. This change means that a team with the highest odds, this year Montreal, will be guaranteed a top-three selection, whereas they could drop to as low as fourth in previous lotteries.

Although the odds drop off steeply as the list goes on, the lottery is still worth paying attention to for fans of the lower teams. Sure, Montreal is much more likely to win one of the two lotteries than the Islanders or Jets, however previous teams with poor odds have prevailed, most notably including the 2017 Flyers and 2020 Rangers.

Sharks Notes: Meier, Couture, Hill, Karlsson

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Recently, Corey Masisak of The Athletic had a chance to sit down with many of the San Jose Sharks players to tie up loose ends on their status heading into yet another offseason without a playoff berth for the Sharks. In talking to Masisak, forward Timo Meier said that he hasn’t thought about a contract extension yet, but that it was something he would think about over the summer (link). For now, Meier says, his primary focus is on the upcoming World Championships, where he will represent Switzerland. The Sharks’ star has one more year remaining on a four-year, $24MM contract, which will leave him as a RFA heading into the 2023 offseason.

Meier signed his last contract after a stellar 30 goal, 36 assist, and 78 game campaign in 2018-19, the last of his entry-level contract. After that, Meier failed to reach the same level of production until this year, when the forward had 35 goals and 41 assists in 77 games. With the bounce-back, Meier could expect not only to receive a similar AAV on his next contract, but could even be due a raise. If he chooses to hold-off on an extension, and can continue the production into next season, he would surely be due a significant raise. One notable question heading into these negotiations will be whether Meier chooses to pursue a bridge deal that will take him straight into UFA status, or if he would prefer a long-term extension at or close to the eight-year maximum.

  • Forward Logan Couture says he does not plan to play at the World Championships in order to rest (link). Further, the Sharks’ captain said he is not entertaining any offers to play elsewhere and has not made that request himself, and in fact, he would prefer to finish his career with the Sharks. While his team has fallen on tough times and has entered a mini-rebuild, Couture’s career might seem to mirror one of down-state rival Dustin Brown, who saw plenty of success with the Kings early in his career, then endured a rebuild with the Kings, and has now announced his retirement following this season, but not before seeing his team through their first playoff series since 2017-18. Couture, who just turned 33, has had a storied run with San Jose and could very well prefer to see things through with the organization, with hopes of leading the team to a Stanley Cup down the road. Either way, Couture is signed for $8MM per season through 2026-27 with a modified no-trade clause.
  • Goaltender Adin Hill, who dealt with injuries this season, does not expect to need surgery on his lingering lower-body injury (link). Instead, Hill said, the plan is to rest and rehab the injury to resolve it, and he expects to be ready for training camp. The goaltender was originally injured in a January 22nd loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but came back on March 12th, where he appeared to re-aggravate the injury, and has not played since. Hill did manage a strong season when healthy though, recording a .906 save-percentage and 2.66 goals-against average in 25 games.
  • Defenseman Erik Karlsson declined to share what exactly the injury was that has kept him out of the lineup the final two weeks of the season, but did make clear that the injury was relatively minor and mentioned that had the Sharks been in contention, it may have even been something he would play through (link). The veteran has struggled with injury this season, missing nearly two months between January and March and last playing on April 14th. In other positive news regarding the injury, Karlsson did say he was unsure if he would be playing in the World Championships, however the fact that he is considering it in some capacity also goes to show the relative scope of the injury. In 50 games this season, the 31-year-old had 10 goals and 25 assists.

Barabanov Probable For Tonight

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  • Sharks winger Alexander Barabanov is listed as probable for tonight’s game against Chicago, notes Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury.  Barabanov has been one of the bright spots for San Jose this season, notching 37 points in 65 games, a very nice return on a $1MM AAV.  He’s eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer and will be looking at a sizable raise on his next contract.

Sharks Start Requesting Permission To Speak To GM Candidates

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The Sharks have started reaching out to teams to ask permission to interview for their GM vacancy, Pierre LeBrun reported in a recent TSN Insider Trading segment.  Their internal list of candidates is still quite large – believed to be around 25 at the moment – but will be whittled down further before phone interviews begin which could be as soon as next week.  Given how many are on their list, this process may take a while and ownership has previously indicated that there are no issues with interim GM Joe Will potentially leading the team through the draft in July if the search takes longer than expected.  Lisa Dillman of The Athletic suggests (Twitter link) that ESPN’s Kevin Weekes is someone to keep an eye on; the former goaltender has interviewed for several GM openings recently and it seems like only a matter of time before he gets an opportunity.

NHL Announces 2022 Global Series

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The NHL is going overseas again. The league announced the 2022 NHL Global Series games, which will feature the Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, and Columbus Blue Jackets playing in European cities during the regular season.

Two of those games will open the NHL season. The Sharks and Predators will do battle in a pair of games in Prague, Czechia at O2 Arena on October 7 and 8. Those games follow exhibition matches for both clubs, with the Sharks taking on Eisbaren Berlin in Germany on October 4 and the Predators battling SC Bern in Switzerland on October 3.

Then, a month later, the Avalanche and Blue Jackets will meet in Tampere, Finland for a pair of games on November 4 and 5.

Columbus and Colorado are obvious candidates for games in Finland, since they have some of the biggest current stars the country has produced. Patrik Laine and Mikko Rantanen will be the headliners, though others like Artturi Lehkonen and even general manager Jarmo Kekalainen will certainly draw some attention as well. Laine and Kekalainen are even from Tampere specifically, meaning this is a homecoming of sorts for the Blue Jackets.

It’s no different for the Czech games, where Tomas Hertl of the Sharks will be the big draw. Hertl just signed a massive extension with the Sharks that makes him the team’s highest-paid forward and will lead his club into his hometown a decade after he left for the NHL. Teammate Radim Simek is also from the Czech Republic, as is Nashville goaltender David Rittich, though the latter is not yet signed for next season.

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