The Sharks have wrapped up their first day of free agency this year, and as expected, they have made some significant free agent additions to their roster. Let's dive into them:
The first new unrestricted free agent addition made by the Sharks this year is Tyler Toffoli, signing him to a four-year deal carrying an average annual value of $6 million and a full no-movement clause for the entire duration of the contract. Toffoli is a top-six scoring winger signed to help the Sharks build around their new core of Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini, and William Eklund, and this signing immediately improves this new core's supporting cast. This past season, Toffoli registered 33 goals and 22 assists for 55 points in 79 games with the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets. He has scored at least 20-30 goals every season for the past five seasons and has been a bit of a journeyman the past four years, having previously played for the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, and Winnipeg Jets. In addition, Toffoli won the Stanley Cup with the LA Kings in 2014, and his new contract with the Sharks will last him through his age-36 season. In total, Toffoli has 260 goals and 261 assists for 521 points in 812 NHL games, along with 20 goals and 26 assists for 46 points in 93 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The second free agent addition made by the Sharks is Alexander Wennberg, signing him to a two-year deal carrying an average annual value of $5 million and a full no-trade clause in year one of the deal. Wennberg adds more depth and security at the center position for San Jose, especially in the instance that Logan Couture may not be ready to start the 2024-25 season, and is capable of being utilized in a top-six role and as a shutdown option. Last season with the Seattle Kraken and New York Rangers, Wennberg posted 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points in 79 regular season games, along with scoring the overtime game-winner for the Rangers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers to give them a 2-1 series lead. This marked his third consecutive year recording 30 points and fourth consecutive year reaching double-digit goals. In total, Wennberg has 91 goals and 244 assists for 335 points in 712 NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Seattle Kraken, and New York Rangers, along with eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 58 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
On top of the two most significant signings for the Sharks during this year's free agency period, Team Teal signed two AHL players in much more minor transactions, specifically defensemen Lucas Carlsson and Jimmy Schuldt to two-year and one-year, two-way contracts respectively. Carlsson recorded 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points in 52 AHL games with the Charlotte Checkers last season and represented the Checkers at the 2024 AHL All-Star Game. As for Schuldt, he registered five goals and 19 assists for 24 points in 68 AHL games for the Coachella Valley Firebirds last season. In addition, it has been reported that the recently-acquired Egor Afanasyev will not be joining the Sharks organization and will instead be signing a two-year deal with CSKA of the KHL, while the Sharks will still retain his NHL rights.
Lastly, the Sharks announced that their 2024-25 home opener will take place October 10 against the St. Louis Blues, with their full 2024-25 schedule set to release tomorrow. Other notable departures from the Sharks not previously mentioned on CPF Hockey include Devin Cooley and Jacob MacDonald, who have signed new contracts with the Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche respectively.
Overall, the Tyler Toffoli signing is a great one for the Sharks, and the Alex Wennberg signing is a bit of an overpayment, but both of these new additions are necessary for Team Teal to push them over the cap floor and establish more veteran presence to help their young core further develop into stars. Next up, the Sharks will hold their prospect development camp this week and host their annual prospect scrimmage on the 4th of July. By the end of this year's Sharks prospect development camp this week, I expect Macklin Celebrini to sign his ELC with the Sharks, so stay tuned to CPF Hockey for this developing story and any other Sharks updates this offseason.
Sources: ESPN, NHL Discussion Page via Instagram, Curtis Pashelka via Twitter/X, Sharks + SAP Center App, Sjsharksnews via Instagram, San Jose Hockey Now
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