Reports have come out that the Sharks have made an effort to retain pending UFA defenseman Mario Ferraro on a short-term extension. Ferraro and his camp reportedly rejected that offer, wanting more long-term security from the Sharks on a potential extension.
Ferraro is the longest-tenured Shark on the roster, having played with the team for 7 seasons, missing the playoffs every year. He is an absolute warrior on the ice, blocking shots, and is strong on the penalty kill. Still, his lack of offense and puck skills limits his ability to be effective with a large amount of ice time, an issue over the last couple of seasons when he was the Sharks' clear number 1 defenseman.
On a deeper Sharks blue line this season, the Sharks and Ferraro have looked much better, sitting in the playoff hunt nearly 2/3rds into the regular season. And Ferraro is a very critical part of the team this season, both on and off the ice, with his leadership. This creates a bit of a conundrum for the Sharks.
The Sharks have clearly been hesitant to commit to Ferraro over the years; he has been on the trade block for years, it seems, but the Sharks never received an offer close to their asking price for the cost-controlled defender. Now, in the final season of his contract, it looked like the two sides were heading towards a split. The Sharks' success this season has somewhat complicated the situation.
The Sharks have a plethora of left-handed D prospects on the horizon, looking for an opportunity, excluding Orlov, Dickinson, and Mukhamadullin, who are under contract for next season. While this certainly shouldn’t stop them from committing to Ferraro for another few seasons, it does explain why the Sharks are not too keen on a long-term deal, especially one that will likely cost a good amount even with term. With the rising cap, it’s not out of the question that Ferraro could command 5-6 million per season on a 4+ year deal on the open market. A deal the Sharks would likely be wise to avoid.
This brings us to the idea of trading Ferraro, which has become even more difficult. Ferraro is easily the Sharks' most valuable pending free agent and would easily fetch a 2nd round pick at least at the deadline. Subtracting him from a Sharks team on the verge of the playoffs could be a major blow to the team moral however, making the decision more difficult for Mike Grier.
Grier will have to balance the now and the future at this deadline, and while the vibes around the Sharks are good, they are still far away from where they need to be, and the Sharks shouldn’t leave value on the table in favor of a first-round-exit in the postseason.