The Sharks have been active on the trade market as the league is on break for the Olympics. While the rosters are frozen at this time, there is a quick turnaround from the league returning at the end of February and the trade deadline on March 6th.
It’s no secret that the Sharks have been active on the market for a defenseman all season. The Sharks have 2 defensemen under contract next season in Orlov and Dickinson, and have 4 pending UFAs on the current active roster in Ferraro, Klingberg, Desharnais, and Liljegren. None of these players is likely viewed as a long-term core piece, except maybe Ferraro.
A name often linked to the Sharks in the past is Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider. The Sharks have shown interest in the 24-year-old right-shot defenseman, and with the Rangers recently transitioning to a more rebuild-oriented approach, it's possible they would look to move the defender for younger assets.
Schneider is far from a perfect defender; the 6’4 rearguard is known more for his defensive game, physicality, and shot blocking. In many ways, he is similar to Mario Ferraro and could be seen as a younger right-handed version of the Sharks, ready to replace Ferraro in future seasons. That said, like Ferraro Schneider’s analytics do not look pretty, and while that is not everything, it is something to take into consideration if you're giving up solid assets to acquire him.
Another name connected to the Sharks on the rumor mill has been Morgan Reilly. Reilly would be a big-name acquisition for the Sharks, but there would be a lot in the way of acquiring the veteran blueliner. First things first, Reilly has a full no-move clause and would need to waive for the Sharks, not to mention Reilly has a massive contract with 4 years remaining at a 7.5 million dollar cap hit.
A Reilly trade would allow the Sharks to presumably clear some contracts off their books to match salary, something they have been trying to do, given Reilly’s contract and declining play this season. I can’t see the veteran having that much appeal long term for the Sharks without other assets coming back their way to make it more palatable. Something I doubt the Leafs would be too eager to do at this stage with Reilly.
On the ice, Reilly does provide a needed element for the Sharks this season, adding a capable puck mover and offensive ability that they sorely lack on the backend. How long he can keep that up is the major concern.
The Sharks certainly will have an interesting deadline ahead of them, with a lot of expiring veterans and a surprising performance to this point of the season, Grier will need to juggle the present and the future at this year's deadline.