San Jose Sharks: Multiple Personnel Decisions Appear Imminent
Oct 3, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Jose Sharks right wing Adam Burish (37) looks on during the second period against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
If it wasn’t apparent after last season, it is now: Adam Burish has played his final game with the San Jose Sharks.
As Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada reported, the Sharks have placed Burish on waivers to buy out the final year of his contract.
Burish, 32, played in only 81 games with San Jose over the course of his four-year, $7.2 million contract that he signed in the summer of 2012. He scored just two goals and four assists, while being a minus-17 during his tenure with the Sharks. Obviously, it was a massive failure and one that general manager Doug Wilson got wrong in bringing Burish in. Burish was waived by San Jose back on November 23, 2014 and was re-assigned to the Worcester Sharks. He was then loaned to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.
According to Kevin Kurz of Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area, Burish will carry a $616k cap hit the next two seasons. Burish will be the second buyout casualty in San Jose after Martin Havlat was bought out last season.
Other Personnel Moves
The Burish news was not the only personnel decisions that surfaced today. Kurz reports that Wilson indicated both John Scott and Scott Hannan will not return to San Jose next season. Again, both of those should come as no surprise, but it’s clear Wilson is wasting no time in trying to reshape his roster.
In more promising developments, it appears the Sharks will have no problems in bringing back rookie sensation Melker Karlsson or defenseman Brenden Dillon, who was acquired in the Jason Demers trade with the Dallas Stars.
Karlsson performed well in his rookie season, eventually settling in on the wing on San Jose’s top line. Karlsson registered 13 goals and 11 assists in 53 games this past season. Meanwhile, Dillon didn’t feature as well in his 60 games with the Sharks, but he is a must-sign as San Jose needs defensemen and Dillon should improve in his second season with the Sharks. Dillon recorded two goals and seven assists, but was a minus-11.
Furthermore, per David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News, Antti Niemi and Matt Irwin are unknowns at this point about whether they will be returning to the Bay Area next season.
#SJSharks GM Wilson stops short of saying Niemi won't be back. Out the door? John Scott and Scott Hannan. Uncertain? Matt Irwin.
— David Pollak (@PollakOnSharks) June 19, 2015
Needless to say, there should be a fair amount of roster turnover in San Jose as the Sharks look to put the 2014-15 season in their rear-view mirror.