Four areas that need to address sharks through free trade and commerce

Four areas Sharks should address via free agency, trades originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Editor’s Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage at San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.

Who couldn’t help the San Jose Sharks improve next season?

When you’re arguably the worst team of the salary cap era — the Sharks’ minus-150 goal differential for last season was the largest since the Ottawa Senators’ minus-196 in 1993-94 — it feels like virtually half of the NHL that would be. improvement.

So of course top UFAs like center Sam Reinhart, winger Steven Stamkos and defenseman Brady Skjei can make a difference. Of course, big-name trade targets like Mitch Marner, Martin Necas, and Nikolaj Ehlers would be great additions.

But realistic?

The Sharks must balance the desperate need to create a more positive, competitive environment for star prospect Will Smith and the projected No. 1 overall draft pick of Macklin Celebrini, perhaps as early as next year — without going overboard.

The Sharks aren’t close enough to the Stanley Cup playoffs where they would be attractive to an older free agent used to winning like Stamkos — or where it would make sense to sign a 29-year-old goal scorer from To offer 50 goals, like Reinhart, a maximum contract.

In much the same way, they aren’t yet in a good position to offer meaningful assets to land a star like Marner via trade.

Simply put, the Sharks need to improve significantly next season, but without seriously risking their future. At this point in their rebuild, it is still critical to preserve their future first-round draft picks and avoid handing out long, potentially crippling contracts.

So with that in mind, here are four needs the Sharks need to address, along with more likely free agents or trade targets.

Couture insurance

Let’s assume center Logan Couture, who was only able to play six games last year, cannot start the 2024-2025 NHL season.

That leaves the Sharks’ center depth thin, behind Mikael Granlund, Nico Sturm and likely Celebrini.

Smith is a natural center, but relying on two teenagers to anchor key roles in the middle could be a recipe for disaster. Wing could be a more ideal place for Smith to start his NHL career anyway.

So San Jose could use another veteran center who has a mid-six skill, competes high and will be a great example for the youngsters. If you could clone Couture or Granlund, that would be ideal.

But if that doesn’t work out, the New York Islanders could look to shed some salary.

Could the Sharks trade for Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who has two years left on his contract, for an AAV of $5 million?

“It almost feels like they can’t go any further without moving him, given his cap [hold],” Andrew Fantucchio of NYI Hockey Now told San Jose Hockey Now.

Keep in mind that the 31-year-old has a 16-team No-Trade clause.

But the Islanders’ alternate captain is an all-situation center, more defensive-minded, and has averaged about half a point per game since 2019-20. His production dropped to 11 goals and 22 assists in 82 games last year.

But the 6-foot pivot is a solid addition that should have a reasonable initial cost.

So if Couture is healthy? That’s just a huge bonus.

Gritty scoring winger

General manager Mike Grier has constantly talked about making the Sharks harder to play against.

A Pageau helps with that.

But the Sharks also need help on the wing, a highly competitive player who has a mediocre six-point rating and will stand up for his teammates.

Let’s pencil in Will Smith, William Eklund, Fabian Zetterlund, Luke Kunin, Klim Kostin, Filip Zadina and Justin Bailey into the wing lineup.

Thomas Bordeleau and Danil Gushchin are also knocking on the door.

Could free agent Dakota Joshua be a solid addition to this mix?

The 6-foot-4 Joshua blossomed this past season with a career-high 18 goals in 63 games, also leading the Vancouver Canucks in hits and tied for the team lead in fights.

At 27, he could be a late bloomer.

AFP Analytics predicts UFA will sign a four-year contract starting May 20 with an AAV of $3.253 million.

Not one, but two defenders

On a team full of weaknesses, the defense was perhaps the Sharks’ ugliest last season.

They couldn’t kill plays or move the puck — essentially, they couldn’t do almost anything right — so adding all-around defensemen should be the priority.

The Sharks could use at least two all-around blueliners who belong higher on the depth chart than incumbent lefties Mario Ferraro, Henry Thrun, Shakir Mukhamadullin and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and righties Jan Rutta, Matt Benning, Ty Emberson. and Kyle Burroughs.

There’s a chain reaction: Pushing players like Ferraro down the lineup makes the entire defense better. For example, instead of Ferraro playing his usual 23-plus minutes, it’s probably better for him and the team to get him in the 19-20 range.

So maybe a pair of UFA right-handers like Dylan DeMelo and Sean Walker would be a good fit?

An NHL scout from outside the Sharks organization believes DeMelo and Walker should be slightly less sought after than the bigger mid-tier names on the market like Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev.

Offensively, both DeMelo (31 points) and Walker (29) would have trailed the Sharks defensemen in that category, above de facto leader Ferraro (21). Neither are true top power-play quarterbacks, but they are capable puck movers.

Defensively, both DeMelo and Walker are very competitive defenders who can handle tough games, and they are also penalty killers.

Ideally, you’d want bigger (DeMelo is 6-foot-1, Walker 6-foot-1) and younger (DeMelo is 31, Walker is 30) blueliners, but beggars can’t be choosers. And their willingness to fight makes up for a lot.

Ideally, DeMelo and Walker are the back center pair on a deeper team, but at least they shouldn’t be as overmatched as Sharks D was last year in high-leverage situations.

AFP Analytics expects DeMelo to get a four-year contract with an AAV of $5.3 million and Walker to sign a three-year deal with an AAV of $4.63 million.

Projected lines

“Certainly [plausible],” the scout, who vetted these roster needs and additions, told SJHN.

The Sharks will likely have to overpay players like Joshua, DeMelo and Walker, but with more than $30 million in salary cap space at their disposal, they can afford to do so. They are risks, but not significant risks.

Make no mistake: This theoretical Sharks team won’t make the playoffs:

Eklund-Granlund-Kostin

Joshua-Celebrini-Zetterlund

Kunin-Pageau-Will Smith

Zadina-Sturm-Bailey

Ferraro-DeMelo

Thrun Walker

Mukhamadullin-Benning

Mackenzie Blackwood

Vitek Vanecek

But it should be a more competitive group that will create a more positive environment for Celebrini and Smith to develop.

And that’s the point: don’t put the weight of the world on Celebrini and Smith until they’re ready.

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