According to TSN insider Chris Johnston, the Sharks and Sherwood are not close in contract talks. The two sides have had preliminary discussions but remain far apart on his next contract. With no deal looking close at this time.
Based on previous reports from The Athletic, Sherwood rejected a 4-5 year deal in the realm of 4 million AAV from the Canucks sometime prior to the trade. So one would think the Sharks' offer would need to improve from there.
Insider Frank Seravelli throughout 5 x 5.5 million AAV as a possible comp for a Sherwood contract. While there is no guarantee that Sherwood’s camps ask, it would be ridiculous for Grier and the Sharks to give Sherwood that kind of term and AVV, given his age and the short sample size of his success.
Given the two sides are far apart, however is not a good sign given the assets the Sharks traded for Sherwood. While Sherwood is a player the Sharks have needed in the lineup for a while now, the team is nowhere close to being a contender, even if they do slip into the playoff field by season’s end, they will likely be bounced in the first round by one of the Avalanche, Knights, or Oilers.
I believe Grier knows this, and if they can’t meet in the middle on a Sherwood contract, the Sharks should bite the bullet and trade Sherwood before the deadline if there is no deal to be had. Contenders will still place a high value on what Sherwood brings to the ice, and the Sharks could easily recoup at least one of their traded 2nd round picks. Not an ideal situation, but better than losing him for nothing at season’s end.
Ultimately, I think Sherwood and the Sharks will find common ground on an extension. The Sharks provide Sherwood a strong opportunity to play up in the lineup with young superstars like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, who will make things easy for him to play his game, and the team is on the upswing and can afford to pay him more money than most other contenders.
Ultimately i see the deal being for 5 years at 4.75 AAV per season. Sherwood gets long-term security while receiving a massive raise from his current AAV of 1.5 million. Sharks likely give up more term than they want, but they lock up a player they have coveted for quite a while who adds a needed element to their forward group.
Regardless of what happens with Sherwood going forward, things have certainly gotten more interesting as we head into the Olympic break and towards the trade deadline.