San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier was in Toronto this week to meet with the league’s other general managers, and you can bet there was a lot of talk about who might be available for trade and what it would take to get a trade done. Several of the players for the Sharks are in the final years of their contracts, and a lot of them might not fit into the team’s plans for the future. That gives Grier the opportunity to turn those players into future assets for the team, either as draft picks or young prospects.
With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the players that might have popped up in conversations in between meetings.
Mikael Granlund
Many people thought Mikael Granlund was washed up when he was traded to San Jose, but he’s thrived in teal. He scored 60 points in 69 games last season and is on a more than point per game pace this season, with 18 points in 17 games (before yesterday’s game against New York).
Granlund is in the final year of a deal that pays him $5 million. While it’s a hefty price tag, he could be a steal for a team looking for a potential second-line center at the deadline. Not only does Granlund kill penalties and block shots but he’s defensively responsible and a scoring threat.
If you’re looking for a potential deal, look at what the Sharks received for Anthony Duclair last season. San Jose netted defensive prospect Jack Thompson and a 2024 third-round pick. The Sharks used the pick to trade up and draft Carson Wetsch in the most recent entry draft.
The pot might get sweeter if San Jose takes a short-term bad contract back. We believe a lot of teams talked to Grier about Granlund this week, even if it’s just laying the foundation for a future deal.
Luke Kunin
It’s clear that the Sharks management likes Kunin. He’s a character player who enters every game with his heart on his sleeve. That said, where he fits in the lineup moving forward is a bit of a mystery. Kunin wasn’t skilled enough to play on the second line last season. He’s fallen down the depth chart this season. Most recently, with Macklin Celebrini’s return, he was moved to the fourth line.
Kunin’s stats aren’t great; he only has 5 points in 17 games this season and just 2 goals. However, a team in need of more culture within its lockerroom, especially if they want to go deep into the playoffs, could use a guy like Kunin to kill a big penalty or get into a scrap when his team doesn’t quite have it.
Kunin’s one-year, $2.75 million contract makes him an easy rental player for a lot of teams as the trade deadline nears.
Cody Ceci
Of the defensemen on the Sharks’ roster, Cody Ceci is the most likely to be moved before the deadline. Ceci was a piece of the Edmonton Oilers’ Stanley Cup Final run last season. He logged heavy minutes alongside Darnell Nurse at 5-on-5 play, allowing Nurse the room to do his thing.
Looking at Ceci’s numbers last season with the Oilers, you can see he held his own with a partner like Nurse, who was more offensively minded than defensively.
Ceci is the kind of player that would be perfect for a team looking for a depth defenseman. Not only would he fill the role well, but he also has the ability to move up the lineup and log heavy minutes when necessary.
Ceci is in the final year of a deal that pays him $3.25 million. He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Nico Sturm
If there’s a jewel in this mix other than Granlund, it has to be Nico Sturm. Teams look for depth as they head into the playoffs and they could do a lot worse than Sturm and his $2 million contract.
Not only is the 29-year-old a stalwart on the penalty kill, but he’s an effective player in the faceoff circle. Sturm won 60.1% of his faceoffs last season and has won more than 60% of his draws this season.
He’s the kind of player teams will rely on in tough situations and his Stanley Cup-winning pedigree doesn’t hurt either.
Sturm will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Jan Rutta
As defensemen go, Jan Rutta likely isn’t a team’s top choice in terms of a trade. But Grier might let it be known that Rutta could be had for a steal at the deadline.
The defenseman likely doesn’t factor into future plans for the Sharks, and we’re still in sell for assets mode. Any pick or young prospect that Grier can get for Rutta will be good for the team. Other teams might need a seventh defenseman if they plan for a deep run in the playoffs.
Rutta is signed to a $2.75 million contract. He is an RFA UFA at the end of the season.
Vitek Vanecek
So far, Vitek Vanecek has shown that he can be a reliable backup goaltender. He put up 49 saves in San Jose’s overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and continues to compete hard with Mackenzie Blackwood for the title of starter.
Vanecek appears to be well recovered from the injury that slowed him down just a season ago.
That said, his contract might be even harder for San Jose to move than Kaapo Kahkonen’s was last season. Vanecek is signed to a $3.4 million deal, and the Sharks do not have any retention spots to eat some of that contract.
The team has cap space to take another contract back, but depending on the length of the deal, Grier might not want to handcuff his team in that way.
If Vanecek gets dealt, look for it to happen close to the trade deadline, when the actual cap hit is much smaller than it is now.
Klim Kostin
I expect if any team is interested, they’ve already started talking to Grier about Klim Kostin. Kostin has seven games this season and hasn’t found a way to stay consistently in the lineup. That’s a bad sign when you play for a team as bad as the Sharks.
The 25-year-old forward has zero points in those seven games and is being passed over for the likes of Givani Smith and Carl Grundstrom. Even when Macklin Celebrini and Ty Dellandrea were dealing with injuries, Kostin was sitting more than he was playing.
Kostin is in the final year of a contract that pays him $2 million. He will be a restricted free agent after this season, which might give a team a bit more incentive to trade a late draft pick for him.
Mackenzie Blackwood
Goaltender Blackwood has proven his worth over the last year and a half, putting up performances on occasion that steal games for the Sharks. His 44 saves on Sunday against the New Jersey Devils put him on the radar of a lot of teams. Blackwood’s ability to stand tall against one of the better teams in the NHL certainly turned heads.
As teams in a playoff position look at their goaltending situation, they could do a lot worse than Blackwood as a backup option, especially considering how volatile goaltending can be in the playoffs.
Blackwood could garner a strong draft pick if he’s available at the trade deadline. The real question is, will he be available? Many think that he would be a good tandem with Yaroslav Askarov as the young netminder begins to work his way into the top tier of hockey.
Unless there’s an absolute steal of a deal, San Jose’s plans for the future could trump any potential trade.
Blackwood will be a UFA at the end of this season. His contract currently has a $2.35 million AAV.
Fabian Zetterlund
Yes, Fabian Zetterlund is a restricted free agent after this season. But any team looking to acquire him will have to pay a steep price. It’s looking more and more like the Sharks traded one power forward for another when the team dealt Timo Meier to New Jersey.
Zetterlund is 25 years old, three years younger than Timo, and Zetterlund’s timeline appears to fit right in with San Jose’s compete window. Even as a second-line winger, Zetterlund has the ability to be a consistent 20-30 goal scorer. You don’t let young prospects like that who are under team control go easily.
The Sharks might get calls about Zetterlund, but it’s unlikely there will be a deal done unless San Jose is offered a huge return.
Zetterlund is an RFA on a $1.45 million contract. He clearly needs a raise and it will be interesting to see what number he and the Sharks end up at this summer.
Danil Gushchin
Danil Gushchin is another prospect player who is up for a new contract, but given his lack of playing time this season, it’s hard to see other teams trying to land him unless he’s part of a package deal.
The Sharks aren’t likely to dangle Gushchin in front of other teams, either. If San Jose parts with him, it will be because it was what was needed to make another deal happen.
Guschin is an RFA with a $828,000 contract.
Conclusion
Yes, the Sharks are in sell mode, but the team will be a lot more cautious with its prospects now. Grier has vastly improved the prospect pool in his two years on the job, but that doesn’t mean he’s at the point where he can trade prospects without serious thought about what he’s receiving in return.
There will be deals this season, but we expect that they will only involve trading expiring contracts. It’s still too soon to trade young prospects for more proven players.
