As we head into free agency on July 1st, the deadline to qualify restricted free agents was today at 2 pm. The Sharks have qualified three players and decided to let eight players hit free agency tomorrow.
Qualified - Thomas Bordeleau, Danil Gushchin, Jack Thompson
Not Qualified - Cal Berglund, Nolan Burke, Brandon Coe, Noah Gregor, Klim Kostin, Nikolai Kovalenko, Gregori Romanov, Mitchell Russell.
Bordeleau, Gushchin, and Thompson were all relatively likely to receive qualifying offers. All three players got into NHL games at points last year and have shown they may still have something more to give the Sharks down the road. While it's no guarantee that all three will opt to remain with the Sharks next year, if they wish to stay in North America, the Sharks will continue to hold their rights for another year. None of these three players are expected to get more than their qualifying offer on their next contract, so if they do decide to play in North America next season, expect them to accept the qualifying offer.
The biggest shocker for players that didn't receive a qualifying offer was Nikolai Kovalenko. Kovalenko was a part of the Blackwood return and, at the time, was viewed as a potential piece for the Sharks. Unfortunately, Kovalenko’s time in San Jose was mired with inconsistency and off-ice drama that likely soured the Sharks on his long-term fit with the franchise going forward. Romonov was put in a tough spot with the Sharks after the trade deadline, having to backup Georgiev for the rest of the season due to trades and injuries. Romanov handled that as well as he could have, but ultimately it wasn't enough to get a qualifying offer. Kostin and Gregor spent the majority of last season in the NHL but ultimately proved to be ineffective and were frequently scratched. Beglund, Burke, Coe, and Russell were AHL depth pieces that are unlikely to contribute at the NHL level.
The Sharks didn't have many interesting RFA cases this year, but with the RFAs largely out of the way, they can put their full focus towards free agency and trades in the coming days.