In the midst of a lengthy rebuild, the Sharks are in no rush to force contention at the expense of their future. However, this doesn’t mean they won't take steps to improve the roster's competitiveness. So, who are some realistic options in free agency that could help the Sharks compete next season while still prioritizing their young talent and future cap space?
Pius Suter
The Swiss forward would bring versatility to the Sharks with his ability to play all three forward positions, in addition to contributing to both special team units. One of the Sharks' most significant issues is scoring depth; while they have young stars on the team and on the horizon, a guy like Pius Suter would be a good addition to help insolate the younger players and add quality depth to the Sharks. A deal with the Sharks could be intriguing to Suter, who is coming off a career season scoring 25 goals playing a career-high 17:21. He should be able to replicate that usage with the Sharks and continue to build off his career year. Daily Faceoff projects Suter to get 5 million over 4 years, an easily palatable deal for the Sharks.
Nate Schmidt
It is no secret that the Sharks' biggest hole is the right side of their defense. Their right side consists of Timothy Liljigren, Vincent Deharnais, and Jack Thompson. They also have Shakir Muhkamudulin, who saw time on his off-side in a short sample. It's not the most inspiring collection of players heading into next season. I wrote previously that Aaron Ekblad would be a dream target for the Sharks, and that remains true, but what if the Sharks miss out on Ekblad? The rest of the options regarding the established top 4 guys on the right side are bleak. Ekblad's teammate Nate Schmidt could be an interesting target. The veteran defender is having a solid playoff run with the Panthers and could be a veteran presence on the backend for the Sharks in the short term. Coming off a league min deal with the Panthers, the Sharks could offer Schmidt a significant pay raise on a short-term contract.
Andrei Kuzmenko
Kuzmenko has had a roller-coaster career since coming to North America. He scored 39 goals and 74 points in his debut season with the Canucks, but he struggled the following season, which led to his being traded to Calgary, where he ended the season strong. This season, Kuzmenko once again struggled out of the gate, leading to being traded twice, ultimately ending up in LA, where he recorded 17 points in 22 games and 6 points in 6 playoff games. Due to the inconsistency, teams may hesitate to hand out a big contract to Kuzmenko. A prove-it deal could make some sense for the Sharks, who could add a strong contributor in the top 6 on a short-term contract, while Kuzmenko could use next season to prove he can be a consistent scorer and would have tons of opportunities to do so on a young team like the Sharks.
While none of these players will make the Sharks a playoff contender next season, realistically, making up 40 points in one year is a near-impossible task. They could help the Sharks be more competitive, though, and with continued growth from the young core, they could rise out of the basement at the very least. The Sharks should be looking to do this so they can instill a winning culture in their younger players.