Lost in the mix of an excellent draft weekend was General Manager Mike Grier getting some key pieces of business done. The San Jose Sharks announced on Saturday that the team signed restricted free agent Zack Ostapchuk to a four-year extension. The next day, restricted free agent Michael Kesselring signed a three-year extension of his own.
Locking up a fourth-line center and a mid- to bottom-pairing defenseman for the next few years is tidy work for the general manager after pulling off such an immensely successful day one of the draft.
What Ostapchuk’s deal indicates
Ostapchuk’s four-year contract is for $2.35 million per season. With the cap going up for the foreseeable future, that means the Sharks have a very reasonably priced fourth-line center locked in and plenty of room to make sure centerpieces Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa and Sam Dickinson get the proper extensions they deserve.
For this season, it means the Sharks are likely rolling with a fourth line of Barclay Goodrow – Zack Ostapchuk – Ty Dellandrea. If the Sharks re-sign Ryan Reaves, look for Reavo to slot in there as well.
Next season, don’t expect San Jose to re-sign Goodrow. With Ostapchuk locked in for 2027-28 and Dellandrea as well, the Sharks will use free agency to sign a fourth-liner or move up one of the younger players like Carson Wetsch.
Call next season a changing of the guard, if you will.
Was Kesselring’s deal an overpay?
As for the Kesselring deal, Grier continued his tradition of not signing long-term deals. He signed the defenseman to a three-year contract worth $4.50 million per season. It’s more than was expected for a defenseman who only played 34 games last season and had two assists, but Sharks fans should remember a few things.
First, the Buffalo Sabres were stacked on defense. The Sharks are not. That means Kesselring will get much better usage in San Jose, and both the team and the player believe he can manage the workload. As AFP Analytics puts it, this contract takes last season out of the equation.
Michael Kesselring signs a new contract with @SanJoseSharks. His 3 year, $4.5M AAV contracts comes in significantly higher than our offseason projection. After having a rough season in Buffalo, we did not have the comps to justify much higher. However, this is very in-line with… pic.twitter.com/elOjYv6SNl
— AFP Analytics (@AFPAnalytics) June 29, 2026
Without last season, Kesselring’s play with the Utah Mammoth would have earned him approximately $4.5 million per season, so this is in line with that.
Then there’s the fact that the Sharks avoided any of those handcuffing no-movement or no-trade clauses that players like to work into their deals. As The Athletic’s Thomas Drance points out, there’s a price to pay to keep away from those.
Brilliant contract for the Sharks, who just keep cooking.
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) June 29, 2026
The lack of trade protection is worth paying the premium price for, especially with a player who has the sort of premium exchange value traits that Kesselring does. https://t.co/QaRD6n8UAD
Ultimately, three years still gives the Sharks flexibility, and it’s unlikely that Kesselring is going to turn into the Sharks’ $10 million defenseman in that three-year span, especially with players like Dickinson, Luca Cagnoni, Keaton Verhoeff, Ryan Lin and Eric Pohlkamp working their way into the lineup. One or more of those players are scheduled to surpass Kesselring’s value in the next few years. In other words, the Sharks aren’t leaving any value on the table by signing Kesselring to a shorter-term deal.
