Recently, the 4th period released their free agency big board, and the Sharks were linked to 4 interesting potential targets in free agency. Who are the Sharks looking at, and what could their potential fit be next season?
Mitch Marner
The star winger is almost sure to hit the market and has been connected to many teams this offseason. While Sharks' rivals, LA and Vegas, are viewed as the frontrunners for his services, could the Sharks offer up a big contract to lure him to the Bay Area instead? It's certainly possible, and the Sharks could shoot their shot in the coming week for his services. Marner would be an instant upgrade to the Sharks' top line and could be Celebrini’s running mate for the next 7 years. Despite the Sharks' cap space, one has to wonder if it would be smart to pay Marner 14 million plus. While the Sharks can afford it now, it may come back to hurt them down the line when they need to pay the kids. Toronto provides a good example of this when they signed Tavares back in 2018 and struggled to add depth to their roster after handing out significant extensions to their core. However, Toronto was hindered by a flat cap, which won't be the case in all likelihood for the Sharks.
Aaron Ekblad
I wrote previously that Aaron Ekblad would be the Sharks' dream target this offseason, and that's still the case. It does not surprise me to see the Sharks entertain the idea of Ekblad, given the state of their right side on defense. Ekblad is the clear best available right-shot D on the market, and while the fit on paper with the Sharks makes a ton of sense for the Sharks, the veteran Ekblad may be intrested in winning now, even with two stanley cups to his name, and has expressed a desire to remain in florida next season.
Jake Allen
Allen is the top goaltender available in this year's class and would be an ideal fit for the Sharks as a veteran platoon option alongside Yaroslav Askarov. Allen will have plenty of interest this offseason and could be looking for more of a role with his next club. This could make the Sharks an interesting option as Allen could compete for more starts with a team breaking in their young goaltender. The Sharks are unlikely to give Askarov a large workload, opening the door to Allen for more starts and making a potential deal attractive to both sides. With the Sharks' cap space and Allen’s age, they could easily offer more than other teams financially for his services on a one or two-year deal similar to when they signed Alex Wennberg last offseason at a 5 million AAV for 2 years.
John Tavares
Finally, one of the most interesting cases is John Tavares. This isn't the first time the Sharks have been connected to Tavares. His last run through free agency saw the Sharks make an aggressive push for his services that ultimately fell short. Given how much the Sharks reportedly offered Tavares that offseason, it left many fans feeling bitter with the Canadian star. Flash forward to today, and the Sharks and Tavares are both at completely different stages. Tavares is older and unlikely to cash in major term on his next deal compared to last time, while the Sharks have completely torn down the roster and hired new management since 2018. An overpay for Tavares is an interesting idea from a Sharks perspective. Tavares is still a very good producer and scored 74 points in 75 games last season. Entering his age-35 season, he likely still has some good years left, and he could be an excellent mentor for the Sharks' young core. The Sharks could make an attractive offer to Tavares, but we know from history that Tavares is not solely motivated by money, and if he does hit the market, after cashing big on his last go through free agency, Tavares may be more motivated to join a contender than a rebuilding club.
As we enter free agency and the draft over the next week and a half, more rumors are starting to pick up, and it will be exciting to see how the Sharks plan to navigate the 2025 offseason.