The initial flurry of the offseason has passed, and things have slowed down significantly in the last couple of days. Teams are still not done finalizing their roster, however, and this includes the Sharks. I'm going to take a look at the rumors surrounding the Sharks over the past couple of days.
Grier is looking to add a top 9 forward.
Grier is in the market for a top 9 forward, and it makes sense, as the Sharks were in on both Ehlers and Boeser to some degree before they went off the market. The Sharks have a clear hole in their top 9, and while it could be filled by one of the Sharks' younger players, the Sharks have made a point that they don’t want to rush their prospects until they are ready. Options in free agency are slim at this point. The most attractive option is Jack Roslovic, the forward scored 22 goals this past season for Carolina. And would certainly slot into the Sharks' middle-six next season. Roslovic would likely fit the Sharks' profile as a short-term option, likely costing only 1-2 years on his next contract; however, there have been no reports of either side expressing interest in each other.
On the trade side of the equation, the Sharks have more flexibility in terms of who they can target. One option that makes a ton of sense to me is Evan Rodrigues of the Florida Panthers. Florida is just under 3 million over the cap and needs to be compliant before the start of the season. Moving off Rodrigues' 3 million dollar cap hit would accomplish this. The Sharks could easily take that on in a trade, and although he wouldn’t be free, a return could look something similar to the Mason Marchment deal earlier in the offseason, an easy price for the Sharks to meet. As a player, Rodrigues fits the image Grier is trying to build; he is a competitive and hard-working winger with Stanley Cup experience. Rodrigues has been impactful for the Panthers in the playoffs, scoring 30 points in 45 games over the last 2 seasons. Making him the perfect addition for a young Sharks team looking to be more competitive.
The Sharks are looking to move a defenseman, Add a defenseman.
According to David Pagnotta of the 4th Period, the Sharks are shopping defenseman Timothy Liljegren, Henry Thrun, and Mario Ferraro. Ferraro would have the most value of the trio, but it sounds like the Sharks are more eager to move off Liljegren or Thrun at this time, with Ferraro having more value as a rental at the deadline. Liljegren was acquired last year from Toronto and was adequate in his role with the Sharks, but he is likely a bottom-pairing guy at best for them going forward. He is one of 2 Right-shot defensemen the Sharks have going into next season, so it would make sense to hang on to him to have left-right balance on the back end. Defenseman of the trio, the one who makes the most sense to be on the move, is Thrun. Despite being the youngest at just 24, Thrun has struggled to this point and hasn’t looked like an NHL-caliber defender in his short career to this point. It is very possible he could hit waivers this season if he is on the roster, and it would make sense to swap him for a comparable forward prospect before the season. The Sharks' motivation to clear out a defenseman is essentially to make room for a player like Sam Dickinson or Luca Cagnoni to make the roster. They currently have eight waiver-eligible defensemen after adding Orlov and Leddy. And with Muhkamadulin poised to lock down a spot next season, there isn’t much room for younger guys right now.
In the same article, Pagnotta mentioned the Sharks being interested in Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram. While it may be counterintuitive for the Sharks to be interested in adding a defenseman when there is already a logjam, Byram would be the Sharks' clear-cut best defenseman, and the Sharks would likely be able to include multiple defenders in a return package along with futures. Unfortunately the Sabres want NHL assets in return for Byram rather then futures making it a weird fit for the Sharks. The Sharks' best bet would likely be a deal around Ferraro/Liljegren and Colin Graf, along with additional assets, but it's hard to see that being the winning bid for Bowen Byram.
It’s possible the Sharks could flip a defenseman for a top 9 forward to cover two birds with one stone, filling the hole up front with the surplus on the backend. With a long offseason ahead, it will be interesting to see how the Sharks address the holes in their roster before the season and whether they can make a big splash, similar to the Yaroslav Askarov trade the year prior.