Blackhawks Recall Ethan Del Mastro
The Blackhawks have recalled defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from AHL Rockford, per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720. He fills the roster spot vacated by yesterday’s trade of Connor Murphy to the Oilers.
Del Mastro, 23, was a fourth-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2021. Since then, he’s been steadily climbing the depth chart, demonstrating some real shutdown upside as a fringe top-four option or bottom-pair staple. In 161 AHL games since his pro debut in 2023, he has a 9-55–64 scoring line and a +23 rating, a top-32 figure in the league during that timeframe (min. 100 GP). This year, he has a 2-16–18 line with a +8 rating in 45 outings.
He’s gotten some NHL looks before, including a 24-game run last year that seemed to put him in contention for a full-time role as soon as this season. That hasn’t happened, due in part to their late-summer signing of Matt Grzelcyk plugging up the left side, but he did get a call-up back in December that resulted in a pair of appearances.
In January, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times ranked Del Mastro as the #10 prospect in the Hawks’ system. He noted that Wyatt Kaiser‘s and Louis Crevier‘s breakthrough campaigns this year have slightly limited his pathway toward regular time among Chicago’s glut of defense prospects, but he’s had a strong enough season in the minors to continue putting him in the conversation.
As a result, Del Mastro’s stint on the roster is only likely to last until Kaiser can return from injured reserve, unless Chicago trims another defender from its ranks by Friday’s trade deadline. Kaiser sustained a lower-body injury shortly before the Olympic break and is on track to return sometime this month. For now, Del Mastro’s got a shot to challenge fellow youngster Kevin Korchinski for ice time on the Hawks’ bottom pairing behind Grzelcyk and Alex Vlasic, attempting to leapfrog him on the depth chart before Kaiser’s activation potentially forces Chicago into a decision over who to send back to Rockford.
Trade Deadline Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets
With the Olympic break now over, the trade deadline is this week. Where do each team stand, and what moves should they be targeting? We continue our look around the league, focusing on playoff-hunting teams, and we’re back with the Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets haven’t made the playoffs since the 2020 bubble and were close last season, finishing with 89 points and narrowly missing the postseason. Coming into this year, there was an air of optimism in Columbus. However, a 19-19-7 start under former head coach Dean Evason quickly let the air out of the balloon and left many fans wondering whether Columbus would sell off their pending UFAs. They haven’t done that to this point and have climbed back into the playoff picture, going 11-2-1 under new head coach Rick Bowness. Now heading into the deadline, Columbus sits five points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand and 23 games to go. What they will do at the trade deadline is anyone’s guess, but they have dropped hints.
Record
30-21-8, 5th in the Metropolitan (39.2% playoff probability)
Deadline Status
Conservative Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$45.55MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2026: CBJ 1st, STL 2nd, CBJ 3rd, COL 3rd, TOR 4th, CBJ 5th, PIT 6th, CBJ 7th
2027: CBJ 1st, CBJ 3rd, WAS 3rd, COL 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th, CBJ 7th
Trade Chips
The Blue Jackets dealt their best trade chip at the end of December, trading Egor Chinakhov to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Danton Heinen and two draft picks. That move wasn’t a trade for this season, but it did give the Blue Jackets two additional draft picks to potentially make additions with, on top of their other catalogue of picks. Columbus GM Don Waddell doesn’t sound like he is ready to make a big splash or punt on this season, so it could be a quiet deadline in Ohio.
2021 fifth overall pick, Kent Johnson, is a potential trade chip who has been a healthy scratch for a few games now. The 23-year-old has a pair of successful NHL seasons under his belt, but they are sandwiched between several seasons of inconsistency, including this year. Johnson has just six goals and 12 assists in 56 games, after registering 24 goals and 33 assists last year in 68 games. Johnson was once touted as the Blue Jackets’ top prospect, but at this point, he could be their best trade chip if they want to make additions at the deadline. There is a gamble in moving him while he is slumping, though he does have a track record of scoring in the NHL, and it might be best to be patient with him and see if he can rediscover his game, particularly given that the Chinakhov trade looks quite bad right now for Columbus.
Columbus will likely keep this next player, but there will be interest in center Charlie Coyle. The 34-year-old has 126 games of NHL playoff experience, and many teams would love to have him as their third-line center should he be available. Coyle has 15 goals and 30 assists in 59 games this season and fits a need that many teams have, but very few sellers are currently offering. The Blue Jackets likely want to keep Coyle, but they might get offers that are too difficult to ignore for a player who likely doesn’t figure in much of the Blue Jackets’ long-term future. Even if they re-sign Coyle to a multi-year deal, he likely won’t be producing at his current levels when Columbus enters their contention window.
In terms of prospects, the Blue Jackets aren’t dealing their top picks, Cayden Lindstrom or Jackson Smith, but a prospect such as Luca Del Bel Belluz could be the centerpiece of a big trade in Columbus, had the team changed its mind and gone big-game hunting. Belluz was the Jackets’ second-round pick (44th overall) in 2022 and is likely to return to the NHL very soon, given his impressive AHL numbers this year (15 goals and 28 assists in 41 games). The 22-year-old was with Columbus until just before Christmas, when he was demoted to the AHL after posting just a single point in 13 NHL games. It was Belluz’s second lengthy NHL audition, with his previous opportunity yielding eight points in 15 games. Belluz might not have the name recognition of some of Columbus’s other prospects, but he does have a solid resume thus far and is in just his third professional season.
Team Needs
A Top Six Forward: Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, Johnson’s poor season has left the team in a spot where they could use another top-six forward. With Johnson playing his way off the top two lines, Heinen has occasionally taken a spot, as have other depth forwards. Columbus has a below-average offense, and a top-six forward could push others in the lineup into a more advantageous position and unlock additional offense. Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, things didn’t work out with Chinakhov, as he has filled that top-six role in Pittsburgh for the Penguins, leaving them in a spot where they have to hunt down their own top-six solution.
A Top Pairing Defenseman: Damon Severson is a very good NHL player and has long been an analytical darling. But the once-offensive defenseman has struggled with turnovers over the last two seasons and is better served on the second pairing. The 31-year-old has yet to top the 30-point mark in Columbus, something he did four times in New Jersey and would be better served to play against lesser competition, which could free him up more offensively. It’s unlikely the Columbus could find a right-shot top-pairing defender before the deadline, but in a perfect world, they would supplant Severson. It’s also possible that the Blue Jackets feel they have the heir apparent in Denton Mateychuk, who is just 21 years old and has been terrific this season.
Photo by Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Lightning Place Dominic James On IR, Recall Conor Geekie
The Lightning have recalled center prospect Conor Geekie from AHL Syracuse, Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider reports. Fellow pivot Dominic James was placed on injured reserve to open a roster spot.
With Gage Goncalves still dealing with an undisclosed injury, the roster math indicates Geekie could step into the lineup tonight against the Wild if head coach Jon Cooper opts for a traditional 12 forward/six defenseman alignment. It would be the 21-year-old’s first NHL game since being sent to Syracuse back in October after cracking the opening night roster.
It’s fair to say the Bolts aren’t rushing Geekie’s development. Drafted 11th overall by the Coyotes in 2022 before being sent to Tampa by Utah in the Mikhail Sergachev trade, he’s made 58 NHL appearances over the past two seasons but never got much of a leash in a top-six role. He’s scored eight goals and 15 points, with only one point coming in six games earlier this year. He averages 12:05 of ice time per game. While Tampa is surely looking for more offense out of him long-term, he has been a decent physical presence near the bottom of the lineup without disastrous possession impacts.
The 6’4″, 207-lb Geekie might now get a chance to showcase that increased offense after a spectacular bulk of the season in the minors. He was quite productive as a rookie for Syracuse last season but is now clicking at over a point per game, notching 14 goals and 51 points in 47 games on one of the AHL’s most potent offenses in Syracuse. He’s tied for fourth in the entire league in scoring and is second on his club behind league leader Jakob Pelletier.
As for James, he left the Bolts’ last game on Saturday – a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Sabres – with a leg injury late in the third after getting tangled up with Buffalo’s Michael Kesselring. Cooper told reporters yesterday (including Erlendsson) that “his injury does not appear to be short-term,” although he’s still undergoing evaluation. He had goals in back-to-back games, bringing his total to seven in 43 games on the season.
Trade Deadline Primer: Anaheim Ducks
With the Olympic break now over, the trade deadline is less than a week away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? Next up is the Ducks.
The Ducks currently hold a playoff spot in the Western Conference and have been a pleasant surprise this season. The team is in a very advantageous position heading into the trade deadline, with a ton of trade capital and plenty of space under the salary cap. If GM Pat Verbeek wanted to get aggressive, he certainly could, but given that it is a buyer’s market, it feels as though this club might not be ready to make a splash just yet. Verbeek has seen mixed results making trades in recent years, but there is no doubt he has put together a good blend of youth and veteran experience in Anaheim.
Record
33-23-3, 2nd in the Pacific (93.6% playoff probability)
Deadline Status
Conservative Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$52.61MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2026: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, ANA 3rd, DET 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th, ANA 7th
2027: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, STL 2nd, DET 3rd, ANA 3rd, ANA 5th, ANA 6th, ANA 7th
Trade Chips
Pavel Mintyukov isn’t necessarily the Ducks’ best trade chip, but he’s the most likely to be used before the deadline if the Ducks are to make a significant move. It was just a few years ago that the former 10th-overall pick (in 2022) was a standout OHL defenseman with a lot of shine to his game. In 2023-24, the then 20-year-old had a terrific rookie season, tallying four goals and 24 assists in 63 games, finishing 14th in the Calder Trophy conversation. The versatile defenseman hasn’t been able to match that level of production since and has been squeezed quite a bit by the Ducks’ packed left side of their defense.
This depth has led to Mintyukov being a healthy scratch at times and to his playing time being reduced, something he clearly isn’t happy with. If the Ducks decide the youngster isn’t a fit with the team, he still has enough value to be a solid trade chip if the Ducks want to grab a bigger asset to improve their lineup in the here and now. The issue for the Ducks on their back end is that they need defensive defenders on the right side, which is what Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas were supposed to be. With both of those men likely gone in the offseason, Verbeek may hang on to Mintyukov.
Among other top young players, the Ducks aren’t moving forward Beckett Sennecke, the third overall pick in 2024, who has been a rookie sensation this year, scoring 19 goals and 29 assists in 58 games. Beyond Sennecke, the Ducks have a few prospects they could look to move if they wanted to go big-game hunting.
The Ducks have strong depth on the left side of their defensive core, which could make Stian Solberg expendable. The 2024 first-round pick (23rd overall) has been toiling in the AHL in his first full season in North America. At just 20 years old, Solberg has shown he is very difficult to play against, thanks to a mean streak a mile long and an ability to keep opponents away from the front of his team’s net. Solberg doesn’t have the offensive instincts to contribute much on the scoresheet, but he does have a heavy shot and is an efficient skater.
Moving up to forward, there is little chance the Ducks move Roger McQueen, whom they drafted last summer, but Lucas Pettersson, a 2024 second-round pick (35th overall), could interest teams looking for a player whose NHL trajectory is about two years away. Pettersson is a bit on the small side, but he makes up for it with a two-way game that leans offensively. The 19-year-old is a creative playmaker who can play in any situation and possesses terrific offensive skills, including a sneaky-accurate wrist shot and great passing. Pettersson could be of interest to teams seeking a plug-and-play forward who is potentially a second- or third-line NHL center in the making.
Team Needs
A Right Shot Defenseman: The Ducks continue to deploy Trouba and Gudas in roles that are beyond their skill set, but that shouldn’t be the case beyond this season. Right-handed defensemen are always in demand and among the hardest assets to acquire. The Ducks may opt to wait until the summer to try to sign or trade for one, but the free-agent market for defense is barren, and the Ducks may not be inclined to get into a bidding war. GM Pat Verbeek has shown a tendency to overpay in free agency to acquire assets (Alex Killorn, for example), but with Cutter Gauthier and Leo Karlsson both due raises as RFAs this summer, he might not want to spend so liberally. Rasmus Andersson of the Vegas Golden Knights could be the best available defender if he reaches the market, while Tampa Bay’s Darren Raddyish is having a monster year with the Lightning. A veteran like John Carlson could also test the market, but at 36, he might be too late in his career for the Ducks to consider him an option.
Bottom Six Depth: The Ducks’ bottom six isn’t great right now, as injuries have forced Ryan Poehling to center the third line and Jansen Harkins to take regular shifts in the NHL lineup. No disrespect to either man, but they are both currently playing in roles beyond their skill sets. Poehling is a capable fourth-line center but is often overmatched when playing in the top nine, while Harkins is best served as a tweener with limited offensive capabilities. Both men’s spots in the lineup clearly indicate a need for the Ducks to get deeper on their bottom two lines. The Ducks could acquire top-six help and push players down the hierarchy, or they could look for bargain options that could slide onto the third or fourth line to fill out a bottom six that is currently quite weak.
Image courtesy of Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images.
Latest On Bruins’ Deadline Plans
The Bruins find themselves squarely in contention for a playoff berth amid deadline week, not a spot most expected them to be in back in training camp. Their 5-2-3 record in their last 10 has somewhat upended their push, but they still remain with a a 54.2% chance at a postseason spot, per MoneyPuck – a slightly favorable coin flip.
Amid a crowded field, the Bruins aren’t keen to sell off more assets after last season’s deadline fire sale. Instead, general manager Don Sweeney yesterday reiterated his desire to reward his group for a strong start, but confirmed they’re not much concerned with the rental market and are instead focused on “moving forward as well.”
Sweeney did add yesterday that he’s “not in a rush to usher guys out the door” when asked about the futures of pending unrestricted free agents Andrew Peeke and Viktor Arvidsson (via Joe Haggerty of Boston Sports Journal). That’s a bit of a course reversal from last month when The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa indicated they were more willing to dangle Peeke for futures (or a longer-term upgrade elsewhere on the roster), although they weren’t keen on moving on from Arvidsson at that time, either.
It does make perfect sense that Sweeney won’t sell the farm for a pending UFA as he has in years past, even with the B’s in playoff position. Last season’s quick retool has paid immense dividends thus far, but isn’t complete. There’s a bit of restraint shown in not accelerating it too much, especially amid an incredibly crowded field of Eastern Conference competitors down the stretch.
That said, if a name can help them for the rest of the decade (or at least past this season), it’ll be something they consider. Per The Fourth Period’s updated trade board today, they’ve at least kicked the tires on veteran names with term all around the lineup like Jake DeBrusk, Justin Faulk, Nazem Kadri, and Rasmus Ristolainen, among others. Another report last week linked them to Flyers winger Owen Tippett. It’s also clear they’re willing to leverage some of their mid-to-high-end prospects, namely pivot Matthew Poitras, to make it happen.
Sabres Interested In Rasmus Ristolainen
The Sabres have been connected to the defense market this spring, preferably a right-shot name, as they already have an excess of high-end left-shot options. They haven’t been connected to many specific names yet, though. That changed today as Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports the Sabres are “actively in” pursuit of a reunion with Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.
Ristolainen, the eighth overall pick back in 2013 who struggled for years in extended deployment with Buffalo, has emerged as a much more stable option in sheltered minutes since being traded to the Flyers five years ago. The past two years, though, he’s back to averaging over 20 minutes per game and has largely kept up the improvements in his defensive game. He’s only made 23 appearances this season due to a lengthy recovery from triceps surgery, recording a 1-5–6 scoring line with a -3 rating. His 20:33 average time on ice is his highest since 2021-22, posting a 47.8% Corsi For share and 53.4% expected goals share at even strength.
His strong possession-quality numbers throughout most of his tenure in Philly would be a massively valuable addition to the Sabres if he keeps them up on a Buffalo roster with its best chance at a postseason berth since before Ristolainen was even drafted. Their entire top four group is comprised of lefties at the moment. Their top right-shot option, Michael Kesselring, was expected to fill minutes higher up in the lineup after being acquired from the Mammoth last summer. He has been a virtual non-factor this season, though, mostly because of a rash of injuries limiting him to 27 games.
Incorporating Ristolainen’s full $5.1MM cap hit through next season could be a problem for Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekälainen, who’s armed with over $14MM in cap space for next season but needs to reserve all of it for new deals for Alex Tuch and Zach Benson. That would either force him to move out a significant salary in the deal, which would likely require an even steeper acquisition price to convince the Flyers to take on an undesirable deal, or to pay a similar premium for Philly to retain a significant chunk of his salary.
Philly’s base-level ask is comparable to what the Bruins netted for Brandon Carlo at last year’s deadline – a first-round pick, a mid-round pick, and a rather high-end forward prospect. The Sabres are certainly equipped with the assets to make that work – Anton Wahlberg fits a similar niche/value range to what Fraser Minten held for the Maple Leafs in that Carlo deal – and Boston retained 15% of Carlo’s salary in that trade. The Sabres would need near max retention to make Ristolainen’s salary work for next season, though, assuming they can’t find a taker for a bloated cap hit like Jordan Greenway‘s $4MM or Conor Timmins‘ $2.2MM.
Kings’ Quinton Byfield Sustains Upper-Body Injury
The Los Angeles Kings were without yet another top forward in Monday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. Quinton Byfield sat out of the match with an upper-body injury per a team release. It was Byfield’s second absence of the season. The Kings awarded rookies Jared Wright and Kenny Connors with their NHL debuts in relief of the injured Byfield and Andrei Kuzmenko.
It is not clear what the source of Byfield’s injury was. Either way, his absence left the Kings scrambling to fill yet another top-six role, after losing Kevin Fiala to a season-ending injury during the 2026 Winter Olympics. Byfield has made his presence felt in the return from break, with three points in three games since Los Angeles took back to the ice. He has averaged 20 minutes of ice time throughout the season and earned 13 goals, 33 points, and a minus-five in 58 games.
Byfield is scoring at a 47-point pace this season, a step below the pace that led him to 55 and 54 points over the last two seasons respectively. He has stayed a central piece of the Kings’ offense despite that, averaging more ice time than any Kings forward and taking the second-most faceoffs on the team. Byfield’s impact away from the scoresheet has helped the Kings make up for a down year from franchise legend Anze Kopitar, who has only 24 points in 45 games.
Should Byfield need to miss extended time with this absence, the Kings will need to heap even more responsibility onto recent, superstar addition Artemi Panarin. The former New York Rangers scoring leader has notched three assists in his first four games with the Kings. He looked like a dangerous addition to Byfield’s wing but will now serve next to Kopitar, while Alex Turcotte and Connors earn bumps into the middle-six. Neither Connors nor Wright earned a point in their first NHL game but both could have another crack at scoring with injuries piling up in Los Angeles.
Avalanche’s Artturi Lehkonen Leaves Game Injured, Will Miss Time
The Colorado Avalanche went down a winger early into Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. Winger Artturi Lehkonen left the game in the first period after a puck caught him up high. He had only played three shifts and just under four minutes of ice time. After the game, head coach Jared Bednar shared that Lehkonen will “miss some time” with an upper-body injury per Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette.
Lehkonen has filled an important role in his fourth full season in Colorado. He has averaged just under 19 minutes of ice time each game, and reached a career-high scoring pace in the role. Lehkonen has 19 goals and 42 points in 59 games, putting him on pace for 26 goals and 58 points across a full 82-game season. Both of those marks would be new career-highs, surpassing the 21 goals and 51 points he scored in 64 games of the 2022-23 campaign.
Lehkonen has found that extra scoring gear while serving as the left-winger next to Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas on Colorado’s top, even-strength line. The trio have played nearly 475 minutes together this season, over 340 minutes more than any other Avalanche line. Together they have outscored opponents by a staggering 38-to-16.
With Lehkonen set for the shelf, Colorado will face the tough question of how to rework their most consistent line. Captain Gabriel Landeskog will likely move to a top-line role but which extra forward will step into the lineup isn’t clear. Colorado is not currently carrying a healthy, extra forward – so they’ll need to make a recall to find some added help. Left-winger Taylor Makar has received the most NHL action of any of Colorado’s minor-leaguers, with 12 NHL games and no scoring this season. He could be the favorite for a short-term, NHL role. Colorado could also look for a bit more scoring spark from a player like Alex Barre-Boulet, who leads the AHL’s Colorado Eagles with 54 points in 52 games and scored a point in his only NHL game this season.
Kraken Not Planning To Trade Tolvanen, Pending UFAs
The Seattle Kraken are “not planning” to trade winger Eeli Tolvanen or their other pending UFA players before the trade deadline unless it is an “overpayment,” according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Per Pagnotta, the Kraken are “focused on making the playoffs and adding.” Sharks Hockey Digest’s Max Miller added to Pagnotta’s report, writing that Tolvanen and his representatives are expecting to begin talks with Seattle on a contract extension this week.
Tolvanen is not the only notable pending UFA player on Seattle’s roster. Included in that group alongside Tolvanen are three notable veterans: winger Jaden Schwartz, defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, and captain Jordan Eberle.
Together with Tolvanen they form a quartet of players who would each likely receive considerable interest on the trade market, but based on Pagnotta’s report, that isn’t a path the Kraken are willing to go down.
Through 59 games this season, Seattle has amassed a 28-22-9 record with a -6 goal differential, good for 65 points and the Western Conference’s second Wild Card spot. They are three points ahead of their closest rival, the San Jose Sharks, who have 62 points and a game in hand. They are also just one point behind the Edmonton Oilers for third place in the Pacific Division, and hold two games in hand there. In other words – the Kraken have multiple routes they can take to reach the playoffs.
With that said, their form since returning from the Olympic break has been mixed. They dropped games against the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues by a combined 9-2 score, but managed a win over the struggling Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. In order to stand the best chance of not only making it to the playoffs, but also surviving beyond the first round if they do, they may need to reinforce their roster with additional veteran talent.
Pagnotta reports that the Kraken are interested in doing so, which matches up with what has been previously reported. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted on the 32 Thoughts podcast Friday that the Kraken offered north of $14MM AAV to try to sway Artemi Panarin to choose Seattle. He elected to be dealt to the Los Angeles Kings instead. But the Kraken’s pursuit of a difference-making scoring forward has persisted, including to the point where they would be willing to deal 2022 No. 4 pick Shane Wright.
Friedman said on 32 Thoughts that the Kraken “are serious about getting a player that can electrify them offensively,” and pointed to a sense of pressure that exists in Seattle to get the organization back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022-23. He even referenced the NBA’s stated interest in considering expansion cities – of which Seattle would be a strong contender – as a factor contributing to the importance of the Kraken finding a way back to the playoffs this season.
Whether the Kraken are best served retaining four pending UFAs for a stretch run that could end up concluding in a first-round matchup against the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche is a matter of debate. There are business considerations, as Friedman suggested, that the team may be wrestling with, and the reality of the NHL playoffs is that an element of randomness is guaranteed. The Kraken have pulled off an upset before, after all. So it’s not entirely unreasonable for the Kraken to bet on, and invest in, their current team.
But for a team that has largely lacked star power in its brief existence as an NHL franchise, is investing significant hockey assets in this capable, but flawed, 2025-26 Kraken team the most sensible long-term decision? That will be the question the Kraken’s hockey operations leaders will have to interrogate this week, and it will be interesting to see what path president of hockey operations Ron Francis and GM Jason Botterill elect to take.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
San Jose Sharks Open To Trading Kiefer Sherwood
The San Jose Sharks “are now open” to trading winger Kiefer Sherwood before the NHL trade deadline comes on Friday, per The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. The Sharks have been unable to secure Sherwood’s signature on a contract extension to this point, and it appears that, “rather than risking losing him for nothing,” the team is considering flipping Sherwood just six weeks after acquiring him from the Vancouver Canucks.
Sherwood was dealing with an upper-body injury when he was dealt from the Canucks, an injury that kept him sidelined for nearly a month. He got into San Jose’s final game before the Olympic break, and has played in their three games since returning.
While it’s certainly a challenge for some offensive players to change teams and keep up their production, as so much of creating offense in the NHL is based on instincts and chemistry, something that can take time to develop in a new environment, the Sharks have undoubtedly placed Sherwood in a position to succeed. He played their most recent game on the team’s top line, skating alongside Macklin Celebrini, who is one of the game’s foremost young talents, and another emerging star in Will Smith. Despite that favorable deployment, and heavy power play time, Sherwood hasn’t been able to register on the scoresheet as a Shark.
His performance in the admittedly small sample of games in San Jose is notable, but what’s far more notable is the difficulty the team has had signing Sherwood to an extension. A team is unlikely to consider flipping a player just because he’s taking some time to adjust to new surroundings and rediscover his production, but the threat of losing a player as a UFA is a far more pressing concern.
In January, we covered reports coming out of San Jose suggesting there was a “sizable gap” between Sherwood’s demands on his new contract, and what the Sharks were willing to commit to him.
According to The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka, “Sherwood’s next contract is expected to carry an AAV of at least $5 million.” AFP Analytics projects Sherwood’s next contract to be worth $5.7MM annually on a five-year term.
It appears that, for as much as the Sharks value Sherwood’s unique value proposition as an NHL player, they may not be willing to invest so heavily in his future.
As recently as 2022-23, Sherwood was widely considered more of an AHL player. He was one of the AHL’s best players in 2021-22, scoring 36 goals and 75 points in 57 games. After signing with the Nashville Predators organization, Sherwood continued his high-scoring ways with their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, before earning 32 NHL games with the Predators.
He became a full-time NHL player the following season, and in Nashville, he was able to fully flesh out the on-ice identity that has since made him such a unique player. While he was a top scorer in the AHL, in the NHL, he began to gain more of a reputation as a physical bottom-sixer, someone who could deliver hits, get under the skin of opponents, and generally make his line a difficult one to play against.
After signing with the Canucks, his value took a leap, as he began to translate his AHL production to the NHL. He scored 19 goals and 40 points in 2024-25, and began the year with 17 goals and 23 points before the trade. The Sharks surrendered two second-round picks and AHL defenseman Cole Clayton to acquire Sherwood, and it’s unclear whether they’d be able to receive similar value if they elected to flip him.
There is some recent precedent for a team acquiring, and then flipping, a player. While Mikko Rantanen is certainly in an entirely different tier of on-ice value, limiting the applicability of the comparison, his situation with the Carolina Hurricanes last year is worth mentioning here. Once it became clear to the Hurricanes that Rantanen would not be signing an extension in Raleigh, they flipped him to the Dallas Stars and received emerging young center Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks, and two third-round picks.
Whether that package is similar in value to what the Hurricanes surrendered to get Rantanen is a matter of debate, but it’s clear that even with diminished leverage, the Hurricanes were still able to get several high-end assets for Rantanen.
If the Sharks elect to flip Sherwood, will their diminished leverage cause them to opt for an offer lesser than what they traded away? That’s the key question, and one that will be interesting to interrogate if Sherwood is traded. If he isn’t dealt, that could be an indication that, given the offers that may have been on the table, San Jose believes keeping Sherwood as a rental player is a more attractive path forward than recouping some future assets.
Photos courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images