Sharks Notes: Offseason Plans, Thrun, Dickinson, Leddy
The San Jose Sharks have had yet another massively productive off-season. They’ve reeled in a special talent in second-overall pick Michael Misa, then turned around to find multiple legitimate lineup additions through the acquisition of Alex Nedeljkovic via trade, and John Klingberg, Dmitry Orlov, and Jeff Skinner via free agent contracts. The Sharks looks set to roll out a lineup much hardier than last year’s. With that, general manager Mike Grier shared that the team is likely done for the summer, unless an enticing trade comes along, in a recent media availability captured by Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group.
Grier went on to acknowledge that San Jose acquired goaltender Yaroslav Askarov late last August, after Nashville began shopping around the top Russian prospect. The Sharks pulled off that move at the cost of high-end prospect David Edstrom, goalie prospect Magnus Chrona, and a conditional 2025 first-round pick. That’s a lofty amount of assets to move out so close to the start of the season, and Grier’s acknowledgement of that fact could be proof that San Jose will be ready to make a worthwhile move happen, if the opportunity presents itself. If not, the Sharks seem set to enter the 2025-26 season as bottom-feeders once more – looking to reel in a high 2026 draft pick and provide their young stars, like Macklin Celebrini, a chance to take a stride forward.
Other notes out of San Jose:
- Grier also spoke to the team’s recent swap of young defender Henry Thrun for veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves. He shared that Thrun was the odd-man-out on the blue-line, as San Jose prepares for potential surges into the lineup from Shakir Mukhamadullin or rookie Sam Dickinson, per Max Miller of the Sharks Hockey Digest. Grier added that Dickinson seemed like a player ready to take advantage of any opportunity thrown his way. The praise for Dickinson should come as welcome news for Sharks fans eager to see how the Memorial Cup-winner can translate to the pro flights. Dickinson is still under CHL protection, meaning his only options for next season will be making the NHL roster or returning to the OHL, where he recently posted 29 goals and 91 points in 55 games en route to back-to-back league championships.
- The press conference closed with Grier claiming no comment on recent reports that the St. Louis Blues waived Nick Leddy after he refused a trade to the Sharks, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now and originally reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. San Jose had waiver priority after finishing last season in dead-last, setting them up for a guaranteed claim on Leddy once he hit waivers. That’s exactly what transpired, and now the 15-year veteran will play through the final year of his contract on a low-grade Sharks roster. Grier did share that Leddy expressed exxcitement over a chance to earn a bigger lineup role and live on the West Coast for the first time in his career. Leddy played his 1,000th NHL game in the 2023-24 season, and scored five points in 31 games through an injury-riddled year last season.
Gushchin Unsure Of Where He'll Play Next Season, Skinner Gets Trade Protection
- Sharks RFA winger Daniil Gushchin told Sport24’s Dmitry Yerkalov that he hasn’t decided yet if he’ll re-sign with San Jose or play in Russia next season. The 23-year-old was quite productive in the minors with the Barracuda, tallying 28 goals and 23 assists in 56 games but that performance didn’t give him much of an opportunity with the Sharks as he played in just a dozen games where he had only one assist. Gushchin stated that he is hoping to make a decision about his playing future by the beginning of August.
- Still with the Sharks, new winger Jeff Skinner received some trade protection in his contract according to PuckPedia (Twitter link). The 33-year-old has a full no-trade clause through January 30th at which time, the protection drops to just a six-team no-trade clause for the remainder of the season. Accordingly, while this deal won’t stop Skinner from being a speculative in-season trade candidate, any move is likely to come closer to the trade deadline. Skinner had 16 goals and 13 assists in 72 games with Edmonton last season.
Grier: Sharks Likely Finished With Offseason Movement
The Sharks have been busy in recent days, adding Ryan Reaves and Jeff Skinner up front. Those moves came after the back end was shaken up last week with the additions of John Klingberg, Dmitry Orlov, and Nick Leddy while other depth moves were made this summer as well. Speaking to reporters today including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link), GM Mike Grier indicated that San Jose is probably finished with their offseason movement but that they’d definitely look into other trade scenarios that could pop up before the season starts. With all of the moves they’ve made, more than one-third of their roster has been changed up this summer, a percentage that could go higher depending on if other prospects make a push for a roster spot in training camp.
Jeff Skinner Signs With Sharks
Free agent winger Jeff Skinner has signed a one-year deal worth $3MM with the Sharks, according to a team press release. He was one of the few of our top 50 unrestricted free agents who remained unsigned heading into the second week of the new league year.
Skinner, 33, has averaged 0.65 points per game for his career and is a skilled shooter, finishing at an 11.2% clip in 1,078 career regular-season games. His lengthy career has been plagued by peaks and valleys that ultimately resulted in the Sabres buying out the final three seasons of his eight-year, $72MM extension last summer.
He quickly landed with the Oilers on an identical contract to this one when the market opened last year, but the fit wasn’t great. He spent most of his time in a bottom-six role, not particularly conducive to his offensive skillset, and turned out just 16 goals and 29 points in 72 games as a result. Those were his lowest offensive totals in three years, accompanied by the lowest deployment of his career at 13 minutes per game.
He’ll hope for better results with the Sharks, who needed another veteran forward for multiple reasons. Not only did they need another body in case they decide fringe youngsters like Collin Graf or Cameron Lund would be better served with AHL time out of the gate, but they needed to add salary to ensure they stay above the cap floor while debating what to do with their logjam of depth defensemen.
Skinner accomplishes both those objectives while hopefully adding an infusion to the league’s worst offense in 2024-25 in expanded minutes. The Sharks averaged 2.54 goals per game last season but now add a six-time 30-goal threat on a virtually zero-risk deal, even if he’s coming off a disappointing campaign in Edmonton.
San Jose hasn’t made many offseason moves at forward, although they did pick up enforcer Ryan Reaves in a trade last night and signed depth pieces Adam Gaudette and Philipp Kurashev in free agency. The bulk of their talent-adding has come on the back end, where they’ve added veterans John Klingberg, Nick Leddy, and Dmitry Orlov via signings and waiver claims.
After their recent moves, the Sharks are now $4.36MM above the $70.6MM lower limit with $20.54MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. While they’ll still lean primarily on youngsters like Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund, and Will Smith for offense, they’ve done a better job this summer of insulating their next wave of players with added quality veteran talent.
Image courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.
Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Henry Thrun
In a late-night one-for-one swap, the Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired defenseman Henry Thrun from the San Jose Sharks for forward Ryan Reaves. Both teams have confirmed the trade.
The trade is a good bit of business for both teams. The Sharks were in a position to thin out their defensive core after adding Dmitry Orlov and Nick Leddy last week, and raise their salary cap situation above the upper limit. For Toronto, they were able to move out an overpriced and underused asset for a quality defensive addition.
Thrun has been a relatively consistent blue liner in San Jose for two years. Throughout that time, Thrun has scored five goals and 23 points in 111 games with a -45 rating, averaging 18:39 of ice time per game.
While Thrun’s output in San Jose may appear unsettling, he should find more success in Toronto based on improved teammates and less responsibility. However, there is more reason for concern.
Throughout his career, Thrun has averaged a 42.6% CorsiFor% at even strength and an 89.5% on-ice save percentage at even strength. According to MoneyPuck, for defensive units that played 150 or more minutes for the Sharks last season, Thrun was on both of the worst units in terms of xGoals% with 31.3% and 30.7% respectively.
Still, there’s a legitimate argument that he’s an improvement for the Maple Leafs, considering what they gave up. Even at the time of signing, Reaves’ three-year, $4.05MM contract seemed high, especially considering that Toronto had struggled with salary cap space for a few years.
As expected, Reaves added plenty of physicality to Toronto’s lineup, but not much else. Over his two years with the Maple Leafs, Reaves scored four goals and eight points in 84 games with 268 hits and 77 PIMs while averaging 7:59 of ice time per night. Things got so bad for Reaves in Toronto that the team waived him toward the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
He won’t be expected to show any sort of improvement in San Jose. The Sharks have a glut of prospects making their way to the NHL level, and Reaves will be tasked with protecting the youth movement as one of the last true enforcers in the game.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Sharks Sign Jakub Skarek To One-Year Contract
The Sharks have signed goaltender Jakub Skarek to a one-year contract, the team announced today in a press release. It’s unclear if it’s a one-way or a two-way deal, but it’s a league-minimum contract either way.
Skarek, 25, has been playing professionally for a decade, dating back to his time in the second tier of Czech hockey, years before the Islanders selected him in the third round of the 2018 draft. He has played almost exclusively for the Isles’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport since his arrival in North America in 2019.
The Czech native didn’t make his NHL debut until injuries forced him into action for a stretch last season, posting a .872 SV% and 3.94 GAA in one start and one relief appearance in February. He’s long struggled to be a needle-mover at the minor league level, posting a 3.34 GAA, .890 SV%, five shutouts, and a 49-84-17 record in 161 career appearances for Bridgeport.
Skarek was a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer and likely didn’t anticipate having much NHL interest as a result of his poor minor-league track record, so he signed a one-year deal in Finland with HIFK back in May. Instead, he’s back in North America with the Sharks, who needed depth netminders with Alexandar Georgiev and Georgi Romanov reaching free agency and top prospect Yaroslav Askarov expected to take over as their No. 1 this season.
San Jose now has four goaltenders under contract, with Skarek likely being the No. 3 on their depth chart behind Askarov and recent trade pickup Alex Nedeljkovic. He’ll presumably land on waivers in the fall and, if he clears, share the San Jose Barracuda’s crease with undrafted prospect Gabriel Carriere and the AHL-contracted Matt Davis.
Sharks Interested In Adding Top-Nine Winger
The San Jose Sharks and general manager Mike Grier may not be done this offseason, as the team remains interested in adding to its forward group, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Grier was busy to start free agency, signing blueliners Dmitry Orlov, Nick Leddy, and John Klingberg, as well as forwards Philipp Kurashev and Adam Gaudette. However, adding another winger appears to be at the top of Grier’s priority list now.
In a video link provided by the team’s website, Grier said, “We’ll probably keep our eyes open. We could probably use a top-nine winger, if something like that comes available. If not, we’re more than happy to see how things play out this summer and see where the kids are when camp starts.”
Along those lines, Peng noted his belief that the Sharks at least kicked the tires on free agent wingers Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers. However, the remaining available wingers aren’t in the same tier, meaning Grier may need to explore the trade market if he’s intent on acquiring a forward of that caliber. Grier noted that with the Sharks’ current cap space ($23.9 million, per PuckPedia), the team is a top call for agents seeking deals for their free-agent clients or for other teams exploring trade options. Staying patient may be the best strategy for finding the depth scorer they need.
Grier also touched on what next season may hold for second-overall pick Michael Misa, just days after Director of Player Development Todd Marchant stated Misa would be given every opportunity to make the team. While Grier stopped short of making any bold predictions or claims, he did note that Misa’s return to the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit or the NCAA should not be viewed as a failure on Misa’s part.
“If that is the case, our development coaches will give them things to work on. And at the same time, you can always work on your leadership skills. Misa was a captain there as a young 18-year-old. And if he happens to go back there, there’s a good chance he’ll be captain (again),” he said.
When asked whether the team had a preference on where Misa would play next season if he doesn’t make the NHL roster, Grier said those discussions will take place in the coming weeks and added that Misa’s comfort level will be the biggest factor. For his part, Misa expressed his intention to play in San Jose next season immediately after being drafted with the second overall pick, saying, “That’s where my head is at.”
Sharks Reportedly Looking To Trade Timothy Liljegren, Henry Thrun
After adding three veteran defensemen since the start of free agency, the San Jose Sharks have a glut of blue-liners on their roster. With a need to trim the ranks, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that the Sharks have made defensemen Timothy Liljegren and Henry Thrun available via trade.
The report is unsurprising given that San Jose is looking to open a role for youngerster Sam Dickinson on the opening night roster. The Sharks drafted Dickinson with the 11th overall selection of the 2024 NHL Draft, and he recently had a career year with the OHL’s London Knights, scoring 29 goals and 91 points in 55 games with a +64 rating.
Assuming that Dickinson will be given every opportunity to earn a spot on the opening night roster, the Sharks will want to remove at least one beforehand. If Dickinson makes the team out of training camp, there’s no reason for San Jose to have nine defensemen on the roster, even with an abundance of salary cap space.
It’s curious that Pagnotta only mentioned Liljegren and Thrun in his initial reporting. The pair of blue liners should have value on the trade market, but only for teams looking to add to their bottom-pairing. If the Sharks are looking to make a trade of substance, Mario Ferraro may be the best candidate.
Last season, Liljegren scored six goals and 17 points in 67 games, while Thrun scored two goals and 12 points in 60. Meanwhile, Ferraro scored five goals and 17 points but averaged more than two minutes higher than his closest counterpart, Liljegren.
Furthermore, given that the Sharks are in a position to balance the handedness of their defensive core for the first time in a while, it would make more sense to trade Ferraro than the other two. That way, Dickinson could be given a spot in the second pairing to begin the 2025-26 campaign, and the team could readily pivot to veteran Nick Leddy should he falter. In the case they keep Ferraro and trade one of Liljegren or Thrun, that means they’d have to play a veteran on his off-hand, put Dickinson on his off-hand, or move a playable option to a depth role.
Sharks to Give Misa Every Opportunity
San Jose Sharks Director of Player Development Todd Marchant stated today that second-overall pick Michael Misa will have every opportunity to make the team this year, per Sheng Peng of Sharks Hockey Now.
By selecting Misa, the Sharks have arguably added the most offensively gifted player in this year’s draft. Playing for the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit last season, the speedy forward racked up 62 goals, 72 assists, and 134 points in just 65 games. If he starts the season in San Jose, Misa would join a talented young core that includes Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
Misa expressed his intention to play in San Jose next season immediately after being drafted with the second overall pick, saying, “That’s where my head is at,” per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. If he doesn’t stick with the Sharks, his options include a return to Saginaw or joining his brother, Luke Misa, at Penn State.
Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov, Claim Nick Leddy
The Sharks are signing free agent defenseman Dmitry Orlov to a two-year, $13MM contract, sources tell Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. The team has also claimed defenseman Nick Leddy off waivers from the Blues, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
San Jose has been looking to make a big financial splash over the past few days, at least per season, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. While also serving as additions to a thin defense, Orlov’s $6.5MM cap hit and Leddy’s $4MM cap hit put the Sharks over the $70.6MM salary cap floor in 2025-26.
Orlov, who turns 34 later this month, now cashes in on a short-term, high-AAV contract for the second time in three years. The top free agent of a thin 2023 class landed a two-year, $15.5MM commitment from the Hurricanes that time around, but it was clear there wasn’t a good fit for him to return next season with the emergence of top prospect Alexander Nikishin and the sign-and-trade pickup of K’Andre Miller from the Rangers filling up the left side of Carolina’s defense.
It’s a slight pay cut for Orlov after seeing his minutes dip below the 20-minute mark per game with the Canes – he’d cost $7.75MM against the cap for the last two years. He does land trade protection from the Sharks, though, after going without it in Carolina. PuckPedia reports Orlov received a full no-trade clause in 2025-26 and a 15-team no-trade clause in 2026-27 as part of the deal. In terms of the cash breakdown, Orlov will rake in a $5.4MM base salary and a $2MM signing bonus this year and a $4MM salary with a $1.5MM signing bonus next season. That low salary compared to the actual cap hit in the back half of the deal could make him an appealing trade candidate at that time.
The 5’11” lefty immediately becomes San Jose’s top defenseman. While he wasn’t the everyday top-four threat on an exceedingly deep Carolina defense like he was for most of his earlier career with the Capitals, he’s only a couple of years removed from averaging north of 22 minutes per game and will need to prepare to resume that workload with the Sharks. Over his two-year tenure with the Hurricanes, Orlov averaged six goals, 22 assists, 28 points, and a +10 rating per 82 games while logging 18:36 per night.
Orlov was a consistent 30-point threat with good two-way acumen during his peak in Washington. It remains to be seen if his age will prohibit him from reaching that level again with San Jose, but their excess of cap room and need for veteran defensemen, combined with only a two-year term, makes this a low-risk signing for general manager Mike Grier, despite his cap hit likely coming in north of his market value.
As for Leddy, the Blues placed him on waivers yesterday with one year remaining on his contract at a $4MM cap hit. St. Louis was looking to shed salary and open up roster space after adding 2021 first-rounder Logan Mailloux to their blue line in a trade with the Canadiens, so they exposed Leddy to the wire after failing to agree on a trade to send him elsewhere.
San Jose is now nearly $2MM over the cap floor, so they can’t flip Leddy to another club while remaining cap-compliant unless they retain salary. All three of their retention slots were full last year, but with Brent Burns‘ previous contract expiring, they have one open now. The same goes for frequently speculated trade candidate Mario Ferraro ($3.25MM cap hit) and other potential trade chips like righty Vincent Desharnais ($2MM).
Along with Orlov, Leddy could step into a top-four role for San Jose on the left side, although he could also flex over to the right if necessary. The 34-year-old missed most of last season due to injury and only managed five points in 31 games when healthy, but averaged over 22 minutes per game for St. Louis the year prior and had 28 points with a +14 rating.
With the pickups and the still-delicate cap math to stay above the floor, there’s a bit of a log jam on San Jose’s defense. They have eight rearguards on one-way deals for next season – Orlov, Leddy, Ferraro, Desharnais, July 1 signing John Klingberg, Timothy Liljegren, and youngsters Henry Thrun and Shakir Mukhamadullin. None of them are waiver-exempt, and that list doesn’t include unsigned RFA Jack Thompson or top prospect Sam Dickinson. The Sharks likely won’t be willing to waive Thrun or Mukhamadullin, so the Sharks might still be in the market to add a high-salaried forward this summer in order to help facilitate a trade to create more opportunities for Dickinson, Mukhamadullin, Thompson, and Thrun.
Images courtesy of James Guillory-Imagn Images (Orlov) and Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images (Leddy).