SAN JOSE – Several of the teams the San Jose Sharks are competing with for one of the Western Conference’s final few playoff spots have been busy adding reinforcements ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
It’s unlikely those moves – in and of themselves – will influence the decisions made by Sharks general manager Mike Grier.
Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Sharks will remain totally quiet before Friday’s noon deadline, as Grier could look to address some roster needs by acquiring players who will also be around next season.
The Sharks only have two defensemen signed past this season, and it’s unclear how much interest they’ll have in this summer’s class of available free agent blueliners. Instead of waiting until then, perhaps Grier and the Sharks’ front office can accomplish some of that work now.
It’s just that the Sharks, given where they are as an organization, likely do not have an appetite to spend assets to acquire pure rental players for one playoff push. While things can change, getting deeply into the Western Conference arms race does appear to be on the Sharks’ agenda.
“I’m not going to do anything that’s short-sighted,” Grier said in January. “It’s all about continuing to grow and build the group.”
Western Conference teams like the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and Utah Mammoth have already spent early-round draft picks to acquire players for more immediate help, and the Seattle Kraken could do the same.
The Sharks (30-25-4) enter Friday three points back of the Kraken for the Western Conference’s second wild card spot, with two games in hand. Winners of three straight, San Jose could actually be in a postseason position by the end of the weekend, as it hosts the St. Louis Blues on Friday and the New York Islanders on Saturday to close out a six-game homestand.
Perhaps if the Sharks were further out of the playoff picture, Grier might be eager to sell off one or more of his seven remaining pending unrestricted free agents, notably defensemen Mario Ferraro and John Klingberg and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic.
Ferraro, this season, leads the Sharks in blocked shots (110) and shorthanded time on ice (202:30). Klingberg was part of the Edmonton Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, and Nedeljkovic, starting on Jan. 6, is 6-1-0 with a .928 save percentage in his last eight appearances. Any one of those players could be an asset to a contender.
Other Sharks pending UFAs include forwards Pavol Regenda and Ryan Reaves, and defensemen Timothy Liljegren and Vincent Desharnais.
Ferraro, a heart-and-soul guy who has averaged close to 21 minutes in ice time per game this season as a second pair defensemen, figures to generate the most interest among playoff-bound teams. His removal would be felt throughout the Sharks’ dressing room.
Does Grier trade Ferraro or another pending UFA if there’s interest? Does he keep them for the stretch run, and potentially risk letting them walk away in the summer for nothing?
“That probably would be the toughest decision I’ll probably have to make (before) the deadline, is trying to figure that out,” Grier said in January. “Where the group is at, where the team’s at, what’s the best decision for the group short term, but also long term. If there’s a deal out there that gets presented to me that makes sense, it’s something that our group up top is going to have to really think about and consider.
“But if we’re going well and things are good, and we decide that we just kind of roll through it and see what happens, it’s something we’re prepared to do.”
The Sharks already signaled that they wouldn’t have another fire sale this month by signing center Alex Wennberg to a three-year extension in January and winger Kiefer Sherwood to a new five-year deal on Wednesday.
After three years of tearing down, Grier and the Sharks have long been clear that it was time to start building up the roster. Nevertheless, there’s a chance Friday could bring some surprises.
“You never want to see anyone leave,” said Sharks forward Adam Gaudette, who is signed through next season. “It sucks being traded. It sucks having guys traded, especially when you have such a tight-knit group like this, and you’re in such an awesome city, and you get the sunshine, and you’ve got a brand-new facility here, and everything’s just really great here.
“It would be nice to see everyone stay, but we all know the business, and it’s nothing personal. So, whatever happens, happens, and we’ve got to move on. But you never want to see a teammate leave.”
MORE ON FERRARO
Ferraro did not practice on Thursday, with the Sharks saying it was a maintenance day. Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said the team was “pretty confident” that Ferraro would be able to play Friday. In Thursday’s practice, Liljegren took Ferraro’s place on the Sharks’ second defense pair, skating with Shakir Mukhamadullin. Ferraro has played in all 59 Sharks games this season.
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