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Karlsson Responds To Trade Speculation

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The hockey hot stove has been abuzz ever since San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier explained that he would listen to calls about star defenseman Erik Karlsson, but there’s one thing that much of the speculation seems to overlook. Karlsson has a full no-trade clause all the way through his contract, which keeps him wrapped up through 2026-27. He would need to sign off on any deal, so Corey Masisak of The Athletic asked him whether he would:

Suffice it to say, the 32-year-old isn’t interested in throwing any more gas onto the fire. Instead, he’ll just continue to rack up points in a resurgent year for the Sharks. Karlsson has 24 points in 18 games and played a whopping 34:12 on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild. Averaging the most ice time since he arrived in San Jose, he looks poised for a vintage season near the top of the defenseman scoring list.

Latest On Erik Karlsson

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Prime Erik Karlsson was a treat to watch, and despite a tough year for the San Jose Sharks, ’EK65’ is giving us some of his best hockey in years. The 32-year-old has a whopping 10 goals, 12 assists, and 22 points in just 17 games while averaging over 25 minutes per game, his highest mark since arriving in San Jose.

With the team nowhere near playoff contention and leaning more toward rebuilding than ever, Karlsson’s apparent return to form suddenly makes his $11.5MM cap hit look more palatable on the trade market, still with some retention on San Jose’s side. General manager Mike Grier told NHL.com’s Nicholas Cotsonika today that he’ll “listen” to offers on Karlsson before this season’s March 3 trade deadline.

As Grier noted in his interview, a second blockbuster trade involving the Swede won’t be a straightforward process. Karlsson has a full no-movement clause in his contract and controls the outcome of any potential trade. Despite the contractual hurdles to moving him, though, Grier was nothing but complimentary of Karlsson’s play:

“He’s a dynamic player. To me, he’s probably one of the three best offensive defensemen in the League, and he’s been great for us. He’s done everything we’ve asked as far as preparation, practicing, playing. He’s been great. So maybe there’s a scenario where a team comes asking for him [in a trade], because I do think he’s a difference-maker. He’s someone who can go out there and win you a game — or win you a series, for that matter — so maybe something will come up down the road. We’ll see.

Karlsson can absolutely be the difference-maker that Grier claims. Karlsson received Norris Trophy votes in eight straight seasons from 2011-12 to 2018-19, including trophy wins in 2012 and 2015. During that timeframe, Karlsson notched 492 points in 545 games, leading the league’s defensemen in assists and points.

Injuries have been a constant during his last few years in San Jose, though, and his play, while still commendable, hasn’t been at the truly elite level he displayed in his prime with the Ottawa Senators. But in just 17 games this season, Karlsson’s already matched his total point output from two seasons ago in 52 games.

With so many teams close to or above the salary cap using long-term injured reserve, however, moving Karlsson to a contender will be a challenge, even at a 50% retention rate of $5.75MM per season. It’s unlikely a third team would be willing to take on another 50% hit ($2.785MM) until 2027 without significant compensation, though, a much different ask than we’ve seen in past similar three-team trades.

If Karlsson keeps up even 75% of his torrid pace to start the season, though, he remains a top-flight defender that can transform a team’s chances of winning a Stanley Cup for the better.

Injury Notes: Allison, Bowers, Knyzhov

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A trio of roster transactions involving injured players were made tonight, starting with the Philadelphia Flyers. According to CapFriendly, the team has moved forward Wade Allison to injured reserve, signifying he’ll miss at least five more days with a lower-body injury.

Allison was placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 12 and will miss at least the team’s upcoming three-game road trip against Columbus, Boston, and Montreal. The 25-year-old left Saturday’s game against Ottawa after laying a hit on Senators defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker, and The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor reported yesterday that Allison won’t miss too much time. Through 14 games this season, Allison has contributed three goals and an assist.

  • The Colorado Avalanche have moved forward Shane Bowers to injured reserve, according to CapFriendly, freeing up a roster spot for any potential call-ups. On Saturday, Bowers was given a six-week timeline by head coach Jared Bednar after sustaining an upper-body injury 1:46 into his NHL career. The team did not have any extra roster spots for healthy players, with all non-dressed players out with injuries.
  • The San Jose Sharks have also moved defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov to long-term injured reserve. Knyzhov, 24, has not played hockey since suiting up for all 56 games of the shortened 2020-21 season. A groin injury kept him out for the entirety of 2021-22, and an Achilles injury is expected to keep him out until mid-February.

San Jose Sharks Place Radim Simek On Injured Reserve

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The San Jose Sharks will be without one of their regular defensemen for at least one week. According to the team’s media relations department, the team has placed defenseman Radim Simek on injured reserve and recalled Nick Cicek from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda in his place.

Simek, 30, has dressed in all 17 of San Jose’s contests this season. He’s registered just one goal, though, and is playing just 14:43 per game. The Czech defenseman has been in the organization since 2017 when he signed as an undrafted free agent and is in the third season of a hefty $2.25MM AAV extension.

Last night, Simek left San Jose’s shootout win against the Minnesota Wild after just one shift with an undisclosed injury. There was apparent head contact on a hit from Wild forward Mason Shaw, which caused the injury. Shaw did not receive a penalty on the play.

Veteran Scott Harrington, who’s played just twice this season, could suit up in Simek’s place. However, Cicek, also an undrafted free agent, could look to make his NHL debut while Simek is out. After signing an AHL contract with the Barracuda for 2021-22, his first professional campaign, he impressed enough to receive a two-year entry-level deal from the Sharks this past offseason.

He’s yet to register a point in 10 AHL contests this season, however, after scoring five goals and adding 20 assists for 25 points in 53 games there last season. The 22-year-old spent four seasons with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and served as captain during his final season in 2020-21.

Prospect Mason Beaupit Traded In The WHL

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  • Sharks goalie prospect Mason Beaupit is on the move at the junior level as WHL Winnipeg announced that they’ve acquired the 19-year-old from Spokane. Beaupit was a fourth-round pick of San Jose (108th overall) this past summer after posing a save percentage of .893 last season in 49 games.  Things haven’t gone as well this year, however, as that dropped to .833 in nine contests with the Chiefs.  The Sharks have until June 1, 2024 to decide whether or not to sign him.

Could Matt Nieto Carry Some Trade Value At The Trade Deadline?

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  • With the Sharks believed to be open to moving just about anyone, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News examines a handful of veterans that could be on the move. One candidate that might fly under the radar is winger Matt Nieto.  The soon-to-be 30-year-old has four points in 12 games so far this season while holding his own in a top-six role.  He wouldn’t have that role on a contender but a veteran making just $800K that can move up and down the lineup could be intriguing to some cap-strapped teams.  Accordingly, Pashelka posits that San Jose could do a little better than the fifth-rounder they received for Andrew Cogliano who was moved at the deadline last season.

Snapshots: Zegras, Carter, Benning

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The NHL Department of Player Safety today fined Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras $1,500 for slashing San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Benning during last night’s game. Zegras was assessed a minor penalty for slashing on the play.

It’s the second fine issued today after New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas escaped with a fine instead of a suspension stemming from his collision with Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock. Thankfully, Benning was not injured on this play. The Ducks will be ecstatic that no further discipline was awarded to Zegras, who’s second on the struggling team with eight points in 10 games.

Laurent Brossoit Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The goaltending issues that the Vegas Golden Knights were expected to face when Robin Lehner was ruled out for the season have certainly not materialized. The duo of Adin Hill and Logan Thompson have been almost perfect, posting a combined save percentage of .941 through ten games.

Hill, acquired from the San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round pick before the season began, is 4-0 and has allowed just seven goals on 123 shots. Thompson, the de facto starter, leads the league with two shutouts in his first six games.

With those two playing at such a high level, it will make for an interesting decision when Laurent Brossoit is healthy enough to play again. The veteran netminder took a step toward that goal today when he was loaned to the Henderson Silver Knights on a long-term injury conditioning stint. Brossoit is coming off hip surgery and there is no concrete timeline for his return to NHL action.

A LTIR conditioning loan is usually limited to three games or six days, though it can be extended in certain circumstances. When it is over, Brossoit does not necessarily need to be activated.

Remember, the Golden Knights are also right up against the cap, meaning activating Brossoit will be a tricky game for the team to play. They will likely have to reduce their roster to fewer than 23 players, plus figure out what to do with their three goaltenders. Brossoit himself might end up on waivers, or even traded, given the performance of Hill and Thompson so far.

That bridge doesn’t have to be crossed yet, but if he proves himself healthy enough to return, it’s coming soon.

Latest On San Jose Sharks Team Direction

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Despite hiring a new front office and new head coach, this season has started off as more of the same for the San Jose Sharks organization. The Mike Grier/David Quinn era is off to a 3-8-0 start, leading many to wonder if the organization’s original goal to return to contention with their current core remains a realistic possibility. It now seems that the Sharks’ front office might agree with that sentiment, as TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on TSN’s Insider Trading program reports that the Sharks have “let it be known that they are willing to listen on pretty much every player on their roster” other than Tomas Hertl.

This presents an interesting situation for San Jose, as while the team might be interested in dealing anyone on their current roster, the realities of their roster construction present some unique challenges. First and foremost, the players that San Jose might be most interested in dealing, players such as veteran defensemen Erik Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, might be the most challenging for Grier to trade. Both Karlsson and Vlasic have full no-movement clauses and therefore would have full control over any trade destination.

Additionally, Karlsson’s cap hit is $11.5MM and Vlasic’s is $7MM. In an environment where most teams are struggling with salary cap space, Grier could find constructing a suitable trade involving both players to be quite the challenge.

Another factor complicating Grier’s ability to complete a significant reconstruction of this Sharks roster via trade is the lackluster performance of many of the Sharks’ players.

Vlasic, for example, is now an offseason buyout candidate and far removed from the capable defensive defenseman he once was. Karlsson, who has had a strong start with 11 points in 11 games this year, has dealt with major injury troubles in recent years, the sort of injury issues that would make any interested team think twice about acquiring him.

Beyond just Karlsson and Vlasic, the Sharks have other veterans that may be of some more interest to other clubs, such as James Reimer or Kevin Labanc, but a deal for either might not be the sort of franchise-altering move Grier seems to be pondering.

There is one player who fits the bill as both a major asset to be shipped out and also a player who might actually be realistically tradeable: Swiss power forward Timo Meier. Meier is a pending restricted free agent who is precariously close to hitting unrestricted free agency. Should the Sharks choose to forgo signing Meier to a long-term extension, trading him would be the most sensible option.

While Meier has had a brutal start to this season with just five points in 11 games, he scored 76 points in 77 games last season and would in all likelihood fetch a major compensation package in return in any trade deal.

Regardless of whether Grier ultimately finds a way to make a franchise-altering trade or not, LeBrun’s report makes it clear that Grier is contemplating significant changes in San Jose. For a club that could be going through its fourth consecutive season without a playoff berth, those sort of major changes could be exactly what the Sharks need.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Tomas Hertl Might Be The Only Untouchable Player For The Sharks

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It appears that the Sharks have determined their list of untouchables and it’s a pretty small one.  In the latest TSN Insider Trading segment, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported that San Jose’s list of players that they’re not open to considering trading starts and ends with Tomas Hertl who is just beginning an eight-year, $65.1MM contract.  GM Mike Grier made one notable shakeup trade last summer with the move of Brent Burns to Carolina and will certainly be looking to continue to reshape his roster.  As we start to see a bit of trade activity around the league, the Sharks could be a team to watch for over the next little while on that front.

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