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San Jose Sharks Sign Scott Reedy

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The San Jose Sharks have added another prospect to the depth chart, signing Scott Reedy to a two-year entry-level contract. The deal will kick in for the 2021-22 season and Reedy is expected to join the San Jose Barracuda on an amateur tryout for the rest of the 2020-21 season. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a short statement on the signing:

Scott just capped off a tremendous career at Minnesota, leading the Gophers in goal scoring each of the last two years, and as one of the nation’s youngest seniors he has steadily improved with each season. His big frame allowed him to play a very important, versatile role and some tough minutes on one of the top teams in college hockey this past season.

Reedy, 21, was originally selected 102nd overall by the Sharks in 2017 but is coming off a strong four years of development at the University of Minnesota. The 6’2″ forward managed a point-per-game senior season, scoring 28 in 28, though he didn’t actually lead the Gophers in goal scoring as Wilson suggests. Reedy had just 11 tallies this season, well behind Colorado Avalanche draft pick Sampo Ranta’s 19.

Still, there is a bright future for Reedy in professional hockey. His versatility and size should allow him to seamlessly move into an AHL lineup, playing either center or the wing. Whether he can ever make it all the way to the NHL is still very much uncertain, but the Sharks obviously believed in him enough to hand out an entry-level contract.

Sharks Open To Adding Salary In Trades

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With so many teams up against the salary cap this season, the trade deadline is going to largely be about clearing out money.  Some of the teams with surplus cap space don’t appear to be willing to use it but as Pierre LeBrun reports in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link), the Sharks are letting teams know that they’re willing to take on money as long as it comes with another asset or two in the process.

San Jose isn’t a typical buyer in terms of their placement in the West Division where they sit tied for sixth place and are six points out of the final postseason spot which is currently held by St. Louis.  However, with the team having the ability to add more than $8MM in contracts per CapFriendly, they could certainly pick up a player or act as a third-party facilitator in which they acquire a player and retain part of the contract before flipping him to a third team.

The Sharks have more than $68MM tied up in payroll commitments for 2021-22 already to just 13 players which is going to limit what they can do.  In order to keep what little space they have available, GM Doug Wilson would be wise to restrict himself to taking or retaining on expiring contracts.  It’s worth noting that they have not used any of their three salary retention slots for this season.

As a result of several win-now moves made in recent years, San Jose’s prospect pool has been weakened and they don’t have a full complement of draft picks in either the 2021 or 2022 drafts.  While teams technically can’t buy draft picks, it certainly seems as if the Sharks may be willing to get creative to ultimately accomplish just that.

Radim Simek Questionable To Play Tonight

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Snapshots: Klefbom, Ducks, Fines

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Oscar Klefbom will have surgery on his shoulder in Cleveland on Thursday, according to Mark Spector of Sportsnet. Spector reports that the issue Klefbom is facing is arthritis and the best-case scenario is the defenseman is ready for 2021-22 training camp later this year. The Edmonton Oilers have not yet publicly confirmed the surgery and likely won’t until it is completed.

Klefbom last played on August 7, the game which eliminated the Oilers from playoff contention in their qualification round matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. He logged over 25 minutes in that game but hasn’t seen NHL action since, missing the entire 2020-21 campaign due to this shoulder issue. The hope now is that the 27-year-old can get back to his old self and continue the strong path his career had been on. His contract with the Oilers will expire after the 2022-23 season.

  • The Anaheim Ducks have canceled practice for today after a player entered the COVID Protocol, though the release indicates that the game tomorrow against the Minnesota Wild is still on schedule. The Wild also had a player enter the protocol today, though that was Andrew Hammond who did not play in the game last night between the two clubs. It is not clear yet who the Ducks player is, but they will be revealed this evening when the list is announced.
  • The league has issued fines to both Kurtis Gabriel and Bob Boughner of the San Jose Sharks for the incident that took place in warm-up last night. Gabriel cross-checked Kurtis MacDermid of the Los Angeles Kings and will pay $3,017.24 for his trouble. Boughner, head coach of the Sharks, will pay $5,000 and the team has been assessed a $25,000 conditional fine that will be collected in the event of similar “inappropriate behavior” within the next year.

Patrick Marleau Would “Seriously Consider” Trade To Contender

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It was somewhat surprising when Patrick Marleau signed a new one-year, $700K contract with the San Jose Sharks last October. Not because he had lost any love for the franchise that he spent two decades leading, but because the Sharks didn’t appear to be in a position to give him a chance at what he had always lacked–the Stanley Cup.

Marleau has gone chasing a ring before, signing a three-year deal with the upstart Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017 and then embracing a trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins at last year’s trade deadline. Returning to San Jose, who had gone 29-36-5 in 2019-20 and were bringing back largely the same roster, seemed like he was giving up any chance at the Cup this season and instead focusing on breaking the all-time games played record with the franchise he knows best. Marleau now sits just 15 games behind Gordie Howe’s 1,767 regular season contests, a record that for a long time seemed unbreakable.

But now, speaking with Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, Marleau explained that he would “seriously consider” another move to a contender if one were to approach the Sharks about him, noting that winning a Stanley Cup is still the goal. The 41-year-old doesn’t actually have any trade protection in his contract, but would likely be part of the conversation with San Jose management about a deadline deal given his legacy status with the team.

Of course, Marleau’s play has drastically declined, to the point where acquiring him may not necessarily be a good idea for a contender. He has just one goal and five points in 29 games this season, and though part of that is the struggling Sharks roster, part of it is a 41-year-old player trying to keep up. In four postseason games with the Penguins last season he failed to record a point, meaning that third-round pick Pittsburgh used to get him didn’t have much return on investment. Hard to imagine a lot of clubs racing to do the same thing, especially given the added quarantine protocols and cap issues that are plaguing the NHL trade market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Sorensen, Mrazek, St. Lawrence

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The San Jose Sharks might be moving on from forward Marcus Sorensen, especially considering he will be hitting unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. In fact, Sorensen could find himself in the North Division soon as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported that several Canadian teams have interest in the rental forward.

“Marcus Sorensen in San Jose is more of a traditional rental,” said Johnston during the “Headlines” segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “[Sorensen] only makes $1.5 million, he’s a UFA at the end of the year and I know he’s drawn some interest from the Canadian teams.”

Sorensen’s numbers aren’t overwhelming, however, with just a goal and three points in 17 games, while averaging 11:58 of ATOI. However, the experienced veteran would provide some bottom-six depth at a cheap salary and cost.

  • The Carolina Hurricanes saw a familiar face on the ice as injured goaltender Petr Mrazek, who has been out since Jan. 30 after undergoing thumb surgery, practiced with the team on Sunday. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour said that Mrazek’s return will depend on how the netminder feels. “He’s got to feel like he can play and contribute at the level he needs to,” said Brind’Amour (via NHL.com’s Michael Smith). “It’s a good sign we got him back out there. … I think we’re moving in the right direction.” Mrazek’s return would be a big boost to the Hurricanes. In four games this year, he has a 2-1 record and a .955 save percentage.
  • A tough day for St. Lawrence University. One day after capturing the ECAC Conference Championship and an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, College Hockey News reports that the collegiate team has withdrawn its automatic bid to the tourney due to a positive COVID-19 test. In fact, head coach Brent Brekke announced that he was the one who tested positive. “I’m extremely sorry that this group has lost the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament,” Brekke said. “It was my own test that came back positive today. The roller coaster of emotions in the last 24 hours for everyone is unimaginable. Last night we are holding the trophy above our heads and today we are shaking our heads in disbelief that the season is over. This hurts. But the one thing that can’t be taken away from this team — they are champions.”

Snapshots: Pearson, Andersen, Dahlen

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To this point, the Vancouver Canucks had approached the future of forward Tanner Pearson with two options. If the two sides could come to terms on an extension, the preference was to retain Pearson beyond this season. If no agreement could be reached before the trade deadline, then the team would instead trade Pearson rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency. Now, than plan might have been taken away from them. Pearson was injured in the Canucks’ Wednesday night match-up with the Ottawa Senators and was forced to leave the game. The team has since announced that the injury is far worse than merely a one-game absence. Pearson is expected to miss at least four weeks with an undisclosed lower-body injury. With the trade deadline just 24 days away, Pearson will not return to action before the Canucks’ last chance to move him. In a normal year, perhaps a team would be willing to buy low on an injured Pearson at the deadline. However, in this cap-strapped climate, teams aren’t messing around with adding salary and with Pearson not only injured through the deadline but with an uncertain timeline to return altogether, there is very little chance that the Canucks will be able to move him. Perhaps GM Jim Benning and company will be able to leverage the injury into a more affordable extension; Vancouver’s lack of cap space is believed to be the reason why a deal hasn’t already been reached and a cheaper deal would help to make the squeeze work for next season and beyond. Otherwise, its seems the Canucks have missed their chance to get any value out of Pearson before he departs this summer. It’s not and ideal outcome for the team or the player, who would prefer to be competing for a playoff spot if and when he returns to action.

  • Another player dealing with injury is Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen. Yet, Andersen continues to suit up for the team. After a two-week hiatus with a lower-body injury, Andersen returned to Leafs earlier this month. However, the injury continues to nag him, he tells TSN’s Kristen Shilton, and it has shown on the ice. Andersen brought a 2-4-0 record, .887 save percentage, and 3.30 GAA in March into Toronto’s Friday night contest with the Calgary Flames, only to allow four goals on 18 shots in yet another loss. Andersen has now allowed 19 goals in his last five games. With their starter faltering, the Leafs will turn to backup Jack Campbell to start their next game, but one game off for Andersen is unlikely to provide any long-term relief. The Maple Leafs, who are serious Stanley Cup contenders this year and face an unusually easy path to the Final without having to go through the Tampa Bay Lightning and/or Boston Bruins in the early rounds this year. If Toronto doesn’t give Andersen another extended break to shake his nagging injury and his play does not improve, they may need to start considering a major change in net before the trade deadline. Andersen’s play this season, injury or not, is also certainly impacting his impending free agency as well.
  • San Jose Sharks prospect Jonathan Dahlen has been named the MVP of the Allsvenskan, the team was proud to announce. Although the Allsvenskan is Sweden’s second-tier league, Dahlen’s 25 goals and 71 points in 45 games are still impressive and helped Timra IK to a regular season title (by a wide margin) and a chance at promotion to the SHL. This is Dahlen’s second straight season of 70+ points as the leading scorer for Timra and it seems like he is finally ready to make the transition to the NHL. Dahlen, 23, has played parts of two seasons in the AHL, but always seemed to have one foot out the door given his preference to play in Sweden if he wasn’t in the NHL. Perhaps that has contributed to his NHL rights being traded twice already. However, the Sharks are in no position to turn away affordable forward talent and should be ready to give Dahlen a shot at a roster spot next season, if not sooner once his Allsvenskan season ends.

Erik Karlsson Does Not Want To Be Part Of A “Rebuild” In San Jose

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Star defenseman Erik Karlsson does not want to become mired in a rebuild with the San Jose Sharks, and who can blame him? Karlsson signed a long-term extension with the Sharks, who not only had gone to the Western Conference Final in his first season, but were considered one of the most consistent franchises in the NHL and even North American pro sports overall since the turn of the century. While Karlsson certainly didn’t take a discount to stay in San Jose, inking an eight-year, $92MM contract that made him the third-highest paid player in the league at the time, there was an expectation that his re-signing would put the Sharks over the top and keep them contenders for years to come. Yet, last season was an unmitigated disaster, as the team finished with the third-worst record in the league, and so far this year things aren’t looking much better. San Jose is again a bottom-ten team in the NHL and unlikely to make the playoffs. People are starting to get worried, and Karlsson is among them.

Speaking to the media, including San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, Karlsson stated that “Obviously, I did not sign here to go through a rebuild. [To] go through what I did for 10 years in Ottawa.” However, he did continue on more of an optimistic note. “We need to find a way to build with the core that we have,” Karlsson opined, “I do think we have a good group of guys here.” Karlsson is by no means stating that he wants to be traded, now or in the event that the Sharks continue to struggle this season. Instead, he is seemingly making a public outcry to his own front office, after GM Doug Wilson referred to a “reset” earlier this week, that he feels San Jose has a strong enough core to build upon moving forward rather than tear down and start over.

Karlsson’s comments clearly come from a place of emotion during a difficult time for he and his teammates. Case in point: he vastly overexaggerated the state of the Senators franchise during the early part of his career. Ottawa made the playoffs five times in Karlsson’s nine (not ten) seasons with the team, even coming just one win away from a Stanley Cup Final berth in 2016-17. Only in Karlsson’s final season did they devolve into one of the league’s worst clubs and were truly in need of a rebuild. However, in the midst of his third losing season in the past four years, it seems the losses are starting to weigh on Karlsson and he doesn’t want the team to make matters worse by stripping away the core.

But is he correct that the Sharks can return to relevance as currently constituted? The team has plenty of talent on paper with a blue line of Karlsson, Brent Burns, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Logan Couture, Evander Kane, Timo Meier, and Tomas Hertl up front. There are also some nice young pieces on the roster like Mario Ferraro and John Leonard, and some intriguing names in the pipeline as well. Yet, it hasn’t shown in their results. Additionally, San Jose has a considerable amount of their cap space for years to come tied up in this core and what space they do have needs to primarily be used to rectify a dire situation in net. The Sharks may find it difficult to add impact players elsewhere on the roster in the meantime. Even if there is space, the team may hesitate to add more expensive pieces to their underperforming group. So, if the team is good enough to avoid a rebuild as Karlsson states, it starts with he and his teammates playing up to expectations and showing just that. Otherwise, the Sharks’ brass will have no choice but to shake things up.

Evander Kane, Sharks Inform Bankruptcy Court Of Potential Contract Termination

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When San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane filed for bankruptcy in January, just before the start of the season, there was some concern that he would not be available to play in 2020-21. While that has not been the case, a new question has arisen in relation to Kane’s bankruptcy case and his playing future: is this his final season with San Jose?

The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan and Kevin Kurz write today that Kane, along with the Sharks, filed a motion in United States federal bankruptcy court requesting an extension on the court’s determination as to how Kane’s contract is governed by bankruptcy law and whether it should be assumed as part of reorganization. Their reasoning: as the parties to the contract, they each acknowledge a possibility of rejection of the deal, making the determination a moot point. The court has accepted this motion, delaying the case until June 7. For a San Jose team that is highly unlikely to make the 2021 playoffs, this date falls after the season is over, at which time the two sides could decide to terminate the remaining four years and $29MM of the $49MM pact that Kane signed in 2018.

Why exactly does either side wish to terminate the deal? After all, Kane is the Sharks’ second-best scorer so far this season and a perennial 30-goal, 50-point player who is well worth his value. Kaplan and Kurz posit that for both sides this is simply about saving money in the short-term. While that may seem counter-intuitive for Kane to give up so much guaranteed money, not only is the contract filed as his sole source of employment in his bankruptcy filing, but it was also used to secure many of the loans that he has defaulted on. Removal of the money promised in his contract would fundamentally change the way that his bankruptcy ruling would be organized, denying creditors of their immediate source of repayment. Essentially, the contract is all that Kane has and by removing it before his bankruptcy determination, the result would be very different. As for the Sharks, the team is happy with the play of Kane but as they endure another difficult season and consider a rebuild, $29MM in future salary could be put to better use in a time of financial hardship.

Of course, Kane’s creditors also want a say in the matter. One in particular, Zions Bancorp, has filed a motion requesting that Kane’s bankruptcy case be treated as a business under Chapter 11 rather than as an individual under Chapter 7. They claim that Kane’s losses, mostly attributed to gambling, should be considered business-related. If this change is made, with a hearing occurring later this month, than the $29MM remaining on Kane’s contract would be open to creditors and a lien would be placed on those future earnings. In this case, there would be even more motivation for Kane to terminate the deal. If the contract remains shielded from creditor access, then it is more likely to be honored by Kane and Sharks, especially in the event of a positive decision from the judge on how it should be treated.

The NHL and NHLPA are certainly watching this case closely as well, but as Kaplan and Kurz note there is not much that they can do when it comes to competing with federal law. If the Sharks and Kane decide to terminate the contract in the eyes of the bankruptcy court, that would supersede any collectively bargained rules and processes. However, if this does occur, the league and players’ association could certainly step in to prevent Kane from signing  a new deal with San Jose – or with any other team – after his bankruptcy decision has been finalized. Kane is no stranger to off-ice issues and the league may not want to further enable him and set a precedent that their rules can be warped when players get into personal trouble.

There is still much to be decided in this case, but this is now the second time that Kane’s bankruptcy case has come up as a possible hindrance to his participation in the NHL and it likely won’t be the last. With the Sharks now involved, this situation has been elevated from an individual issue to one that could impact the team, the league, and players’ rights. The case bears watching in the coming months.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/08/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Updated with late submissions from the Oilers, Panthers, Canadiens, and Sharks, the list is currently at just two:

San Jose – Tomas Hertl, Marcus Sorensen

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Dennis Gilbert, Colorado Avalanche; Colton Sceviour, Pittsburgh Penguins

Two more removals leave the list bare and encouraging, especially as the league allows more and more fans into buildings all across the U.S. After some early season outbreaks, it appears as though the tightened protocols are working. All that remains between the NHL and a COVID clean slate is a pair of Sharks.

*denotes new addition

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