SAN JOSE – Instead of being branded as a buyer or seller in advance of the NHL trade deadline, Sharks Assistant General Manager Joe Will a few days ago simply referred to himself as a listener.
That could have been most of what Will did on Sunday before the Sharks’ 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes, and until that paper went to print, the San Jose front office remained quiet one day before the deadline. on Monday (PT).
Among the players provided by the Sharks are forwards Alexander Barabanov and Andrew Cogliano, defender Jacob Middleton and goalkeeper James Reimer. All four were in line for the Sharks on Sunday, but perhaps an indication that nothing was ahead for any of them in terms of a pending trade.
Cogliano and Barabanov are on expiring contracts and will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season.
Reimer still has one year left on his two-year contract which has a $ 2.25 million cap hit, and Middleton, if he plays a certain number of players before the end of the season, will be a limited free agent with referees. He makes $ 725,000 this season, the lowest salary for any Sharks player.
“We listen every year and who knows what will happen until Monday,” Will said Wednesday after the Sharks signed Tomas Hertl to an eight-year, $ 65.1 million contract extension.
“You’re a listener because if it’s a lot for the franchise, now or in the future, you have to weigh it and that’s what we’re looking at.”
The Sharks are not necessarily willing to part with either Reimer or Middleton. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, the cost to get Middleton is a second-round draft pick and a prospect, and the Sharks would be perfectly happy to keep Middleton if the price tag is not met.
NHL teams also asked about Reimer, LeBrun tweeted Sunday. While the Sharks have other left-shot defenders on the list to potentially take Middleton’s place, replacing the Romans would be more of a challenge.
Reimer came in on Sunday with a 15-13-6 record and a respectable .916 save percentage – 16. Best among the 38 goals from the NHL who have played at least 25 games.
Sharks backup goalie Adin Hill is currently unavailable with a lower body injury, with no schedule for a return, and the Sharks will likely seek a replacement for Reimer in the offseason if one does not return to a trade.
A few teams have filled their need for a left-back defender in recent days, perhaps cooling the market for Middleton.
On defense, Mark Giordano went from Seattle to Toronto, Florida got Ben Chiarot and Robert Hagg from Montreal and Buffalo, respectively, and Hampus Lindholm was traded from Anaheim to Boston. Josh Manson, a true shot defender, was traded from Anaheim to Colorado.
Middleton, 26, will get a raise after playing all season for the Sharks in the top-four forward group. But he could also be an important piece for San Jose, which some cost-effective players need after signing Hertl to a massive contract.
Sharks and Barabanov had no talks until the beginning of last week about extending their contract, but that could change if the band stays in San Jose last Monday.
Barabanov finished fifth on the Sharks on Sunday with 31 points and 53 games and will receive an increase of the $ 1 million he makes this season on a one-year contract he signed with San Jose last May.
Cogliano is also on a one-year, $ 1 million deal he signed with the Sharks as a free agent in July. If he is not traded, this season – assuming Sharks’ place in the standings – will only mark the second time in 10 years that he was not on a playoff team.
After Sunday’s game, the Sharks are 27-27-8 and 10 points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for playing the second wild-card spot of the Western Conference with 20 players.
Nick Bonino, Timo Meier and Noah Gregor all scored and Reimer made 23 saves as the Sharks struck a three-game losing streak. Meier and Gregor’s goals came at 15:31 and 16:15 in the third period as the Sharks took a 2-1 lead.
Rudolf Balcers then scored an empty goal with 50 seconds left.
San Jose now travels against Calgary on Tuesday and Edmonton on Thursday.
“I think it would be good to come along (Monday) and see what our team looks like on the way in,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said before Sunday’s game.
“We will fight to the end. In our position you look up the table, it looks overwhelming at this point and we can not worry about it. We just have to keep working and try to get better, improve and try every day. to get some profit in the bank.
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