Sharks send Stefan Noesen to Leafs in three-way trade

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson isn’t afraid to play middle man in a trade, and in a season where the Sharks are unlikely to make the postseason, he’s going to get creative. Today, the Sharks were part of a three-way trade that ultimately sent forward Nick Foligno to from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Here’s how they made it work:

First, veteran forward and Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno was sent to San Jose, with Columbus retaining half of his $5.5 million cap hit. The Sharks did not send anything back to Columbus, however, Toronto sent their first-round selection in 2021, as well as their fourth-round selection in 2022, to the Blue Jackets.

The Sharks then retained an additional 50 percent ($1.375 million, or 25 percent of his total contract) of the remainder of Foligno’s salary and sent Foligno and AHL forward Stefan Noesen to Toronto. The Leafs sent their 2021 fourth-round pick to San Jose in exchange.

Here’s how everything shakes out at the end, per CapFriendly:

Drafted in the first round (21st overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, the 28-year-old Noesen played for three other NHL teams before ending up with the Sharks. In 2019, he signed a one-year AHL deal with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, eventually earning an NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins that same season. The team waived him a few weeks later and the Sharks claimed Noesen off waivers.

He played out the remainder of the 2019-20 season with the Sharks, tallying eight points (six goals, two assists) in 34 games. The Sharks re-signed Noesen to a one-year contract worth $925,000 in October.

After going scoreless in five NHL games in 2021, Noesen was re-assigned to the San Jose Barracuda, where he’s recorded six points (two goals, four assists) and 23 penalty minutes in 12 AHL games.