Heading into the offseason, teams will start making decisions on pending unrestricted and restricted free agents. The Sharks may not have any notable pending free agents, but there are still interesting decisions to be made. Today, I will look at the status of the Sharks' pending free agents and where they stand heading towards July 1st.
Pending RFA’s
Forwards
Noah Gregor
Klim Kostin
Nikolai Kovalenko
Thomas Bordeleau
Danil Gushchin
Brandon Coe
Nolan Burke
Carl Berglund
Alexander Chmelevski
Martin Kaut
Mittchell Russell
Defenseman
Jack Thompson
Goaltenders
Georgi Romonov
Gabriel Carriere
Regarding RFAs, there are some easy and more difficult discussions. Noah Gregor and Klim Kostin have likely played their last games as Sharks, as the team needs to create space on the roster for new free agents and younger talent. Kostin and Gregor were healthy scratches at points down the stretch, so a change of scenery makes sense for both sides.
Nikolai Kovalenko, Jack Thompson, Danil Gushchin, and Thomas Bordeleau are likely qualified. Despite his struggles, Kovalenko is a good player and should still factor into the Shark's plans. The big question is whether the Sharks factor into his plans, as he could always return to the KHL instead of running it back with the Sharks for another year. Thompson played well for the Sharks and provides the team with a solid depth option for next season. Gushchin and Bordeleau are in similar places, where despite the lack of opportunity, there is enough promise to justify keeping them around. However, it's not as clear-cut as with Thompson or Kovelenko.
Goaltenders Romonov and Carriere will likely be retained to add depth in net for the Barracuda. Currently, Askarov is the only goalie under contract, and with no apparent prospects to bring into the fold, the Sharks will likely retain the two netminders for another season.
Chmelevski and Kaut spent last season overseas and did not sign with the Sharks. Since the Sharks retained both players last season, expect them to continue holding their rights if they choose to return to North America.
The rest of the list will likely be non-tendered to make room for new prospects coming to the Cuda. Brandon Coe is the more notable name on the list, an interesting prospect out of the OHL. Coe had a dominant overage season that saw him score 101 points. However, that offense has never translated to the pros, and after posting 9 points in 30 games in his 3rd season for the Cuda, it looks doubtful he will carve out an NHL career.
Pending UFA’s
Forwards
Walker Duehr
Scott Sabourin
Colin White
Pavol Regenda
Defenseman
Jan Rutta
Jimmy Schuldt
Goaltenders
Alexander Georgiev
The Sharks group of pending UFAs is less intriguing than the RFAs. Jan Rutta is the biggest name on the list, but with the Sharks needing to revamp the blueline, he is likely let go to make room for new blueliners next season. Georgiev has already confirmed he won’t be returning to the Sharks next season. These are the only two pending UFAs that spent significant time with the Sharks last season.
The rest of the list mainly impacts the Barracuda; while the Sharks could retain some of the players for the AHL, with an influx of prospects coming to the Cuda next season, they could let go of most of their pending UFAs. Jimmy Schuldt would be the most significant loss. While he does not have much of an NHL future, the veteran defender Captained the Cuda and was a substantial contributor to the Barracuda making it back to the playoffs this past season.
While it's not the biggest class of pending free agents, it will be interesting to see how the Sharks handle their expiring players. With prospects coming in every year to start their pro careers, the Sharks need to find the balance between adding competitive depth and providing playing time for their players. This could lead to some interesting cuts this season as the Sharks continue their rebuild.