The first day of the NHL Free Agent Frenzy has wrapped up, with roughly 80-90 percent of the free agent class signing new deals. The Sharks have made a handful of moves on the first day of free agency, including a few veteran additions and a notable trade. Let's dive in:
The Sharks' first significant signing of the day was agreeing to a new contract with newly acquired goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood's new deal is worth two years and $4.7 million, carrying a $2.35 million AAV.
Next up, the Sharks added Kyle Burroughs to their D-corps, inking him to a three-year, $3.3 million contract with an AAV of $1.1 million. Burroughs is a 27-year-old, six-foot defenseman who brings a large, physical presence to the Sharks' blue line. This past season, Burroughs recorded two goals and three assists for five points in 48 games with the Vancouver Canucks, bringing his career total to three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 95 NHL games split between the Canucks and Colorado Avalanche.
San Jose's third addition of the day is forward Givani Smith, signing him to a two-year deal worth $1.6 million, carrying an AAV of $800k. Smith is a 25-year-old big, physical, enforcer-type winger with a lot of energy. This past season with the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings, Givani Smith tallied one goal and three assists for four points along with 72 penalty minutes in 36 games. He also appeared in one playoff game for the Panthers this past season on their way to the Stanley Cup Final and registered five points in 22 AHL games for the Grand Rapids Griffins and Charlotte Checkers. In total, Smith has eight goals and ten assists for 18 points and 210 penalty minutes in 119 career NHL games between the Red Wings and Panthers.
The Sharks have brought back a familiar face in forward Ryan Carpenter on a one-year, two-way deal. This will mark Carpenter's second stint in San Jose, having previously spent parts of five seasons in teal from 2013 to 2018. The 32-year-old forward last played for the New York Rangers this past season, recording one goal and two assists for three points in 22 games along with 21 goals and 23 assists for 44 points in 51 AHL games with the Hartford Wolfpack. During his first tenure with the Sharks, Carpenter had two goals and three assists for five points and a plus-6 rating in 28 games. In addition, he registered 44 goals and 86 assists for 130 points in 206 AHL games in the Sharks organization with the Barracuda and Worcester Sharks, helping lead the Barracuda to the Western Conference Finals in the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs. In total, Carpenter has 27 goals and 45 assists for 72 points in 330 NHL games with the Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, and New York Rangers. Carpenter will more than likely be a veteran presence for the Barracuda, but there will be opportunities for him to make an impact on the big-league club if necessary and he proves himself well enough.
The Sharks re-signed forward Fabian Zetterlund to a two-year contract worth $2.9 million ($1.45 AAV). This past season, Zetterlind recorded six goals and 17 assists for 23 points in 67 games between the Devils and Sharks. He skated in the final 22 games of the season after being acquired in the Timo Meier trade on February 26, tallying three assists. Zetterlund will get plenty of opportunities on the Sharks, and hopefully he can become a solid depth forward in teal.
Team Teal added more depth for the Barracuda, signing forward Scott Sabourin to a two-year, two-way deal. This past season, Sabourin set career highs with 16, goals, 17 assists, and 33 points in 51 AHL games with the Belleville Senators. In total, Sabourin has two goals and six assists for eight points in 43 career NHL games, mostly with the Ottawa Senators, along with 129 points in 405 career AHL games with a variety of different teams.
Lastly, the Sharks made a pretty significant trade out of left field, acquiring forward Anthony Duclair from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Steven Lorentz and a 2025 5th-round pick. This past season, Duclair registered two goals and seven assists for nine points and a plus-4 rating for the Panthers. He also helped the Panthers reach the Cup Final in 2022-23, recording four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 20 playoff games, finishing seventh on the Panthers in goals and points in the playoffs. In total, Duclair has 122 goals and 139 assists for 261 points in 490 career NHL games with the New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers. He set career highs of 31 goals, 27 assists, and 58 points during the 2021-22 season and was named to the NHL All-Star Game during the 2019-20 season. This is a great trade for the Sharks, as Mike Grier took advantage of a cap-strapped Panthers team to upgrade the Sharks' forward lines and depth scoring.
On the other hand, the Sharks' starting goalie for much of this past season, James Reimer, has found a new home in Detroit, signing a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Red Wings. The Sharks are still taking their time with trade discussions involving Erik Karlsson, with the Pittsburgh Penguins now emerging as a potential top suitor.
Before the start of free agency today, the Sharks issued a qualifying offer to Martin Kaut while not issuing qualifying offers to Noah Gregor, Jonah Gadjovich, and Evgeny Svechnikov, The latter three are now unrestricted free agents and unlikely to return to Team Teal.
Overall, the Sharks made mostly minor but solid additions during the free agency period this year. Their roster for this coming season is mostly set, but Team Teal isn't done making moves yet this offseason. Things in the NHL offseason are expected to cool off from here, but I plan to provide as much Sharks news and notes as possible here and compile at least one or two personal ranking posts between now and the start of the 2023-24 season, so be on the lookout for those soon.
Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, NHL Discussion via Instagram
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