The Arizona Coyotes bought out the final year of Antoine Vermette’s two-year contract on Monday. That puts the center on unconditional waivers and should make him available should the Sharks want to sign him.
Given the Sharks cap situation, there’s an incredibly slim chance Vermette ends up in San Jose. But seeing as there’s not much in the way of news this time of year, let’s at least go through the motions to see if he’d fit in with the Sharks current roster.
Let’s start with the skill level of the now ex-Coyote. Given that Arizona liked Vermette less than Brad Richardson, Martin Hanzal and a host of untested prospects, he’s probably not worth the $3.75 AAV the Coyotes gave him. Here’s Vermette’s HERO chart:
So it’s not great. For comparison sakes, here’s Vermette compared to Chris Tierney (who I think will be the Sharks fourth center on opening night).
Vermette may be a very slight upgrade over Tierney on the fourth line, but he would also likely cost more. They’re both left-handed, just like Matt Nieto (another player I think will play on the fourth line) and if Melker Karlsson also plays on the fourth line this move would likely send Tierney to the press box.
So…no. Vermette would be a terrible fit for the Sharks and I feel a little bad for wasting your time with this exercise of futility. Uh, remember how great this was? Let’s talk about that instead.
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