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Sharks Notes: Celebrini, Chernyshov, Afanasyev, Ulmer

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Sharks first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini will decide whether he’s turning pro for 2024-25 shortly after this week’s development camp ends, he told reporters yesterday (via San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng). The high-end two-way center prospect won the Hobey Baker Award for the top player in college hockey last season after recording 64 points in 38 games for Boston University as a freshman and didn’t turn 18 until well after the season had ended.

It’s overwhelmingly likely he’ll be in the San Jose lineup come opening night, as Peng says he’s been led to believe Celebrini is turning pro for months now. Only two first-overall picks out of college in recent memory – Erik Johnson (2006) and Owen Power (2021) – have returned to school after their draft year. In Johnson’s case, it wasn’t a return, either. He’d spent his draft year in the U.S. National Team Development Program before attending the University of Minnesota in 2006-07. Either way, both players were defenders, and neither was viewed as the true franchise talent Celebrini is.

Elsewhere out of the Bay Area:

  • San Jose is also facing a similar decision from their third pick of the draft – Russian winger Igor Chernyshov, who they picked up with the first pick of the second round (33rd overall). While he was under contract to continue with Dynamo Moskva in the Kontinental Hockey League, that may no longer be the case. Mikhail Zislis of Sport-Express reports he’s terminating the deal to head to North American juniors. Chernyshov’s agent, Dan Milstein, followed up to Peng that there’s “nothing imminent” about Chernyshov’s decision for next season but did confirm it was up in the air. If he is joining the junior ranks on this side of the Atlantic, it would be with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. They selected Chernyshov in today’s CHL Import Draft.
  • While one Russian is getting closer to San Jose, another appears to be leaving. Peng reported earlier this week that RFA forward Egor Afanasyev is set to sign a two-year deal in the KHL, presumably with CSKA Moskva, who owns his rights. The Sharks acquired Afanasyev’s signing rights in a swap with the Predators last month, sending 2020 first-round pick Ozzy Wiesblatt the other way. He made just two NHL appearances with Nashville last season but had 54 points in 56 games on assignment to AHL Milwaukee.
  • On the off-ice side, the Sharks are reportedly adding to their coaching staff in the form of former AHL Abbotsford assistant Jeff Ulmer, The Hockey News’ Max Miller reports. It’s unclear in what capacity, although there is one assistant opening on the Sharks’ bench under first-year head coach Ryan Warsofsky. Ulmer, 47, had spent the last three seasons in the Canucks organization as an assistant in Abbotsford and was also a member of the Coyotes’ player development department from 2019 to 2021.

Minor Free Agent Signings: Pacific Division

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With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Pacific Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.

Anaheim Ducks

none

Calgary Flames

G Devin Cooley (two years)
F Martin Frk (one year)

Edmonton Oilers

D Connor Carrick (one year)
G Collin Delia (one year)
F James Hamblin (two years)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (one year)
F Noah Philp (one year)

Los Angeles Kings

F Glenn Gawdin (two years)
F Tyler Madden (one year)
F Jack Studnicka (one year)
D Reilly Walsh (one year)

San Jose Sharks

D Lucas Carlsson (two years, $800K cap hit)
D Jimmy Schuldt (one year)

Seattle Kraken

F Brandon Biro (one year)
D Nikolas Brouillard (one year)
D Maxime Lajoie (one year)
F Mitchell Stephens (two years)

Vancouver Canucks

G Jiří Patera (one year)
F Nathan Smith (one year)

Vegas Golden Knights

F Zach Aston-Reese (one year)

Sharks To Sign Alexander Wennberg

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The Sharks are signing UFA center Alexander Wennberg to a two-year deal worth $5MM annually, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.

It’s clearly above market value for Wennberg, likely signed with the intent to help San Jose stay above the $65MM cap floor. But that doesn’t mean the addition is devoid of value for the Sharks, who desperately need veteran talent to help avoid overworking rookies like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, both of whom project to slot into the opening night lineup.

Wennberg is what he is at this stage of his career, recording between 30 and 40 points for three years in a row. The 29-year-old has logged heavy minutes over the past few years, averaging around 18 minutes per game since 2020-21, certainly more than he’s suited for. But he does manage decent possession numbers in defense-oriented usage at even strength, and he’s been a fixture on the Kraken’s penalty kill since they signed him in free agency three years ago. He’ll remain a top PKer as he makes the move to San Jose via a brief stop in New York thanks to a deadline deal to the Rangers in March.

He struggled to produce in postseason action for the Blueshirts, limited to one goal and one assist in 16 games. He’ll look for a fresh start in San Jose, where he’ll get a solid paycheck and is joined by veteran additions Barclay Goodrow and Tyler Toffoli up front to help add some much-needed secondary scoring.

Sharks Sign Tyler Toffoli To Four-Year Contract

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Kevin Weekes of ESPN reports that forward Tyler Toffoli will sign with the San Jose Sharks once free agency opens up at the top of the hour. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, the Sharks will pay Toffoli a total of $6MM per season.

Since the start of the 2021-22 NHL season, Toffoli has played for four different teams on a tour across Canada and the Atlantic coast of the United States. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports the contract will be a four-year agreement between the Sharks and Toffoli, giving the scoring winger a sense of stability for the time being.

Regardless of the constant change of scenery, Toffoli has kept pace as one of the better-scoring wingers around the league. In 156 games over the last three years split between the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, and Winnipeg Jets, Toffoli has put up 54 goals and 122 points. Achieving back-to-back 30-goal campaigns over the past two years, Toffoli may be a good bet to reach the 40-goal total for the first time in his career as he should be expected to log heavy minutes for the Sharks.

Not only does Toffoli bring valuable offensive prowess to a young San Jose lineup, but the veteran forward has appeared in four postseason runs over the last five years. In those four trips through the Stanley Cup playoffs, Toffoli has racked up 11 goals and 25 points over 46 games while also winning the Stanley Cup as a member of the Los Angeles Kings back in 2014.

All that compiled into one player is what makes this such a dynamic signing for the Sharks. The organization was desperate to improve upon a 2.20 GF/G and 20.19% powerplay percentage from a season ago. In Toffoli, the team adds that in addition to a veteran with plenty of playoff experience.

Sharks Sign Justin Bailey To One-Year, Two-Way Extension

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The San Jose Sharks have signed forward Justin Bailey to a one-year, two-way extension. The deal will carry a salary of $800K at the NHL level and $375K at the AHL level, with $400K guaranteed, per PuckPedia (Twitter link).

Bailey, 28, willed his way into a full-time NHL role this year, after kicking off the AHL season with 11 points in 16 games. He was recalled in late November and potted five points across his first eight games with the Sharks, earning another promotion to the team’s third line, where he’d spent most of the remaining season. Finally ahold of an everyday role, Bailey posted five goals and 14 points in 59 games – NHL career-highs in all three stats.

And while Bailey could be a candidate to work his way back on to the Sharks roster with this deal, the two-way clause likely sets him up for yet another year in the minors. That’s where Bailey has spent much of his career so far, totaling 241 points in 370 AHL games, across tenures with the Rochester Americans, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and Utica Comets. He’s proven a capable minor-league scorer, with at least 30 points in each of his last three full years in the league. Re-signing to a one-year deal should give Bailey a chance to prove his worth in the Sharks organization, and earn his way into a confident NHL future.

Nikolai Knyzhov Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Sunday: Knyzhov has cleared waivers, PuckPedia reports.  However, he isn’t being bought out; instead, it’s a mutual termination, meaning that San Jose will have no lingering cap hit.

Saturday: The San Jose Sharks have placed defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout, per Chris Johnston with The Athletic (Twitter link).

Knyzhov has spent parts of the last five seasons with the Sharks roster, joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He showed up strong with the San Jose Barracuda, recording just five points in 33 games but looking well-matched when defending the rush on North American ice. The strong adjustment earned Knyzhov a full-time role with the Sharks in 2020-21. He totaled 10 points and 39 penalty minutes in 56 games as a rookie – posting career-highs across the boards. But injuries derailed Knyzhov’s sophomore year, holding him out for all of the 2021-22 season and most of the 2022-23 season. This year was his first of good health since 2021, and he seemed to make a triumphant return, recording a career-high 14 points in 40 AHL games, though he struggled significantly in 10 NHL games.

But there’s upside to be had with Knyzhov, who will now enter the open market with 81 career games, and 12 career points, under his belt. He’ll offer a cheap defensive-defenseman style, so long as he opts to stay in North America, rather than returning to SKA St. Petersburg in Russia. Knyzhov previously spent three years in SKA’s system, after brief stints with the WHL’s Regina Pats and the NAHL’s Springfield Jr. Blues in the 2015-16 season.

Sharks Sign Luke Kunin To One-Year Extension

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06/30: The San Jose Sharks have made this deal official, signing Kunin to a one-year, $2.75MM extension.

06/28: PuckPedia reports that the San Jose Sharks and forward Luke Kunin are nearing a one-year extension that will pay Kunin $2.75MM. The deal will clock in just shy of Kunin’s qualifying offer which would have been $3MM.

Now just one year away from unrestricted free agency, it was reported a few months ago that Kunin was open to signing a multi-year contract with the Sharks organization. Instead, Kunin and San Jose can punt those conversations down the line as the middle-six forward will suit up for his third season with the Sharks.

While averaging just under 16 minutes of ice time per game, Kunin potted 11 goals and 18 points in 77 games for San Jose this season which was good for seventh on the team in the former category. However, Kunin’s possession metrics took a nose dive this season with a CorsiFor% of 36.5 — a six-point decrease off his career average. With his secondary scoring and physicality, Kunin still holds value as a middle-six option for the Sharks.

Additionally, after a historically bad season for the organization, San Jose may have rewarded Kunin for wanting to stay with the organization in the first place. He now has the opportunity to add to his earning power in unrestricted free agency if he can capitalize on this one-year deal with the Sharks.

Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now was the first to report that Kunin and San Jose were nearing a deal. 

Sharks Select Macklin Celebrini First Overall

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As expected, Macklin Celebrini is a San Jose Shark. He’s the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, heading to San Jose to begin his major league career, likely next season.

Celebrini is coming off a freshman season at Boston University that will be regarded as one of the most impressive in NCAA history. The Vancouver native entered tonight as the consensus No. 1 pick after collecting 15 collegiate honors all before his 18th birthday.

He was one of the very best two-way threats in the nationwide circuit this season, finishing third in NCAA scoring with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 38 games. His 1.68 points per game were second only to Boston College’s Will Smith, who he’ll likely team up with on the Sharks next year after the latter signed his entry-level contract last month.

In their 2024 NHL Draft Guide, Elite Prospects called Celebrini “the best draft-year college prospect we’ve ever scouted” with “franchise center potential.” He’s not viewed as quite as dynamic an offensive talent as last year’s franchise-altering selection, Chicago’s Connor Bedard, but he’s a bonafide first-line center with an eye for the Selke Trophy in his future.

While the Sharks have done well to rebuild a previously empty prospect pool over the last couple of years under general manager Mike Grier, this will likely be viewed in retrospect as the cornerstone point of their rebuild. Much like the Blackhawks, he won’t change their fortunes immediately in his rookie season with a severely understaffed group of defensemen and many of his young teammates still in the development stage, but he should be viewed as one of the favorites for next year’s Calder Trophy and shouldn’t look out of place averaging north of 17-18 minutes per game next season.

That’s if the 6’0″, 196-lb center opts not to return to BU for his sophomore season, of course. However, the general consensus is that he’ll be signing his rookie deal this summer and suiting up for the Sharks come October.

Kings, Sharks Swap Kyle Burroughs, Carl Grundström

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The Kings have acquired right-shot defenseman Kyle Burroughs from the Sharks in exchange for the signing rights to RFA winger Carl Grundström, the team announced Thursday.

Burroughs, 28, is coming off a difficult year in which he played a role he was never meant for. After breaking into the league as a fringe bottom-pairing presence with the Canucks in 2021, he landed a three-year, $3.3MM commitment from San Jose on the open market last summer.

After the Sharks traded away reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to the Penguins later in the summer, it was clear there would be a domino effect on the rest of their defense corps. Many players were projected to be overtaxed while compensating for Karlsson’s loss on a team that was squarely and correctly projected to be a lottery contender. Perhaps no one was overworked more than Burroughs, who was thrust into top-four duties alongside Mario Ferraro.

At first glance, it went about as well as one would expect. Averaging north of 19 minutes per game, Burroughs managed two goals and six assists for eight points in 73 games while posting a -42 rating, worst in the league among defensemen. A more detailed look at his stats does yield some promising signs, though. His pairing with Ferraro controlled 48.1% of expected goals when deployed together, the best among any Sharks pairing with more than 100 minutes played this season. He also met expectations physically, leading the Sharks with 233 hits (fourth in the NHL) and placing second in blocks with 134.

But with younger righties Ty Emberson and Henry Thrun deserving of more minutes next season, alongside an expected UFA addition next week, Burroughs was on the cusp of being the odd man out on the San Jose blue line. While obviously not equipped for top-four minutes long-term, the 2013 seventh-round pick does carry signs that he can be effective in an everyday bottom-pairing role.

In Los Angeles, he’ll fight for a third-pairing role alongside Andreas Englund, who would immediately become one of the most fearsome, hardest-hitting duos in the league. Englund played much less than Burroughs on a nightly basis last season, averaging 13:13 per game, but still managed to finish inside the top 20 in hits league-wide. The Kings do have a pair of up-and-coming righties in Jordan Spence and 2021 eighth-overall pick Brandt Clarke, but both (especially the latter) are candidates to slide into second-pairing duties with Matt Roy likely heading elsewhere in free agency.

While parting with Burroughs, the Sharks pick up some checking forward depth in Grundström. The 26-year-old is now on his third NHL team after being drafted by the Maple Leafs in 2016 but being moved to the Kings before making his NHL debut three years later. They have three days to re-sign him or issue him a qualifying offer to retain his signing rights as an RFA this summer.

Injuries limited Grundström to 50 games last year, in which he scored eight goals and 12 points in fourth-line minutes (10:56 per game). The Swede has had decent possession metrics in SoCal and is also a frequent hitter with a good shot when he gets the chance. He’ll look to carry that solid energy play up north to the Bay, where he joins a bottom-six forward group that’s already seen two new names added this summer in Ty Dellandrea and Barclay Goodrow.

The Sharks can expect a new deal for Grundström to come in at around $1.5MM for a one-year term, Evolving Hockey projects. With over $30MM in projected cap space next season, though, the prospective $400K increase on Burroughs is nearly meaningless.

Burroughs remains under contract for two more seasons in Los Angeles. He can hit the UFA market again in 2026.

Sabres, Sharks Swap 2024 First-Round Picks

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The Sharks have moved up three spots in tomorrow’s first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, acquiring the 11th overall pick from the Sabres, per a team announcement. They’re sending the 14th overall pick back to Buffalo, which they originally acquired from the Penguins in last year’s Erik Karlsson trade, along with the 42nd overall pick, which was previously acquired from the Devils as part of the return for Timo Meier in February 2023.

San Jose general manager Mike Grier now holds a slightly higher pick that should give him a chance to draft a slightly more impactful talent to develop alongside Boston University standout center Macklin Celebrini, who they’ll be taking with the first overall selection in just over 24 hours. It comes at the expense of a decently positioned second-round choice, although they do still have their own second-rounder in addition to the Lightning’s (No. 53). They picked it up via the Red Wings yesterday, along with defenseman Jake Walman.

Sabres GM Kevyn Adams, meanwhile, had the 11th pick on the block as far back as early this month. Most assumed he’d be leveraging it for some win-now help, which today’s move may actually benefit. The difference in value between No. 11 and No. 14 isn’t terribly large in this year’s deep draft class, and he now owns an additional second-round pick to toss into a trade for a top-six forward. Hurricanes pending RFA Martin Nečas and the Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers remain attractive options available for acquisition.

Buffalo also still has a deep prospect pool of their own, especially at forward. That made the selection expendable in the eyes of many. Just in the past two years, they’ve used first-round picks on left winger Zach Benson (2023, 13th overall), center Jiri Kulich (2022, 28th overall), center Noah Östlund (2022, 16th overall) and center Matthew Savoie (2022, ninth overall).

There is such a thing as too many prospects, especially with all of them on relatively similar timelines. Roster spots won’t exist for all of them, so it was always a sensical choice for the Sabres to leverage this year’s top selection for other assets.

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