Day one of the NHL free agency period is in the books, and it has been quite an eventful one for the San Jose Sharks. There is plenty to cover here, so let’s begin:
Before diving into the start of free agency for the Sharks, prior to the start of free agency today, the Sharks signed recently-acquired defenseman Michael Kesselring to a new three-year contract worth an average annual value of $4.5 million. It was revealed soon after the contract was signed that Kesselring was dealing with some soreness in his knee for much of last season and was not transparent with the Sabres about it. With this new contract, the Sharks are significantly counting on Kesselring to bounce back and thrive as their middle-pairing right-shot defenseman for at least the next few years.
Onto the start of free agency this year, and these transactions will be listed in the order they were officially announced. The first free-agent addition added to the Sharks this year is defenseman Jacob Trouba to a four-year contract worth an average annual value of $8.25 million. Known for his solid two-way ability and large, physical presence, Trouba recorded 10 goals, 25 assists, and 35 points in 81 games for the Anaheim Ducks last season, along with one goal in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games. His goal total from last season is one shy of his career best of 11 set during the 2021-22 season with the New York Rangers, while his assist and point totals from last season were the third-best of his career. He also led Ducks defensemen with 149 blocked shots and ranked second among this group with 143 hits last season. At the start of last season, Trouba became the third defenseman since 2006-07 to register ten or more points and a plus-16 rating or better in the first 15 games of the season. Over the course of his NHL career, Jacob Trouba has amassed 84 goals, 274 assists, and 358 points in 906 games with the Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, and Anaheim Ducks, along with five goals, 15 assists, and 20 points in 85 Stanley Cup Playoff games. In addition, Trouba was awarded the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award in the 2023-24 season.
The Sharks' second free-agent addition this year is forward Mason Marchment, who signed a five-year contract carrying an average annual value of $6.75 million. Marchment split last season between the Seattle Kraken and Columbus Blue Jackets, recording a combined 19 goals, 26 assists, and 45 points in 68 games. He performed better in Columbus after he was traded there from Seattle in mid December, collecting 32 points in 37 games, including seven multi-point games and a hat trick on January 24 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Marchment was tied for second on the Blue Jackets in goals and ranked fifth on the team in points during his tenure in Columbis last season. In total, Mason Marchment has registered 95 goals, 139 assists, and 234 points in 370 career games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Seattle Kraken, and Columbus Blue Jackets. He also has 11 goals, eight assists, and 19 points in 59 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Panthers and Stars, helping the Stars reach three straight Western Conference Final appearances from 2023 to 2025. Marchment's play style and new contract are similar to those of Kiefer Sherwood, and Mason's dad Bryan was a former Sharks player and scout, making this new addition a full-circle moment for him.
Team Teal's third free-agent addition of significance this year is goalie Eric Comrie on a two-year deal worth an AAV of $1.15 million. Comrie spent last season as the backup to Connor Hellebuyck on the Winnipeg Jets, posting a 12-11-1 record, 3.13 goals-against average, and an .890 save percentage in 25 appearances. His best season to date came in 2024-25 with the Jets, in which he compiled a .914 save percentage, 2.39 goals-against average, and two shutouts, along with a 1.40 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in his first three Stanley Cup Playoff games. In total, Comrie has registered a 45-47-4 record, 3.11 goals-against average, .896 save percentage, and four shutouts in 102 career NHL games with the Jets, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres. Under the Sharks, Comrie will serve as their third-string goalie and insurance in net in case one of Yaroslav Askarov or Alex Nedeljkovic goes down with an injury at any point during the next two seasons.
After the Sharks made their three major free-agent additions today, they swung a significant trade to further reshape their defense, acquiring Darnell Nurse from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin and prospect forward Zack Sharp. No salary retention was involved in this deal. Last season with the Oilers, Nurse recorded seven goals, 17 assists, and and 24 points in 82 games. He led the Oilers in blocked shots and hits, and ranked fourth on the team in average time on ice (20:58). He also ranked ninth among NHL defensemen in blocked shots and third among Oilers defensemen in points. Last season was Nurse's ninth consecutive year of recording at least 100 blocked shots and hits and logging an average ice time of 20 or more minutes per game in a season. In total, Darnell Nurse has compiled 88 goals, 236 assists, and 324 points in 798 career NHL games, along with seven goals, 22 assists, and 29 points in 100 Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with the Oilers. In addition, Nurse served as one of the Oilers' alternate captains from 2019-20 until last season. On the other hand, Shakir Mukhamadullin registered five goals, seven assists, and 12 points in 83 games during his tenure with the Sharks from 2023 to 2026, and Zack Sharp was a fourth-round pick of the Sharks in last year's NHL Draft.
To round out the first day of free agency this year, the Sharks signed recently-acquired forward Andre Gasseau to a two-year, two-way, entry-level contract. They issued a qualifying offer to forward Collin Graf, but did not issue a qualifying offer to forward Philipp Kurashev as well. At the start of this offseason, I thought the Sharks had a strong possibility of bringing back Vincent Desharnais, but he left in free agency today to join the Washington Capitals on a four-year contract. There was an even greater likelihood that longtime Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro would walk in free agency, and that is exactly what happened, as he is joining the Winnipeg Jets on a three-year contract.
In a smaller transaction that has a greater impact on the Barracuda in the AHL, the Sharks signed forward Alex Barre-Boulet, who was a point-per-game player with the Colorado Eagles last season and will bring some much-needed firepower to the Cuda next season.
Overall, I like the Sharks’ latest additions of Mason Marchment, Jacob Trouba, and Eric Comrie. Marchment should fit in very well on the Sharks’ second or third lines and in a place he was very familiar with growing up. Before he joined the Sharks, I was not the biggest fan of Jacob Trouba, but he is a great fit on this Sharks team as an effective two-way defender and a mentor and protector for the young star players. I see Eric Comrie as a decent third-string goalie for the Sharks, and he should be an upgrade over Laurent Brossoit in this role. However, I am not a big fan of the Darnell Nurse trade due to him being an aging, declining veteran defenseman on an expensive contract. The Sharks also gave up a young defenseman with room to improve in order to land Darnell Nurse, and they did the Oilers a favor by taking on the remainder of his contract. In addition, I believe there were better routes the Sharks could have taken to further address their blue line woes, and I am concerned that Nurse will be stealing valuable ice time from younger defensemen like Sam Dickinson and Luca Cagnoni. On the other hand, if this change of scenery can improve the Sharks defense, and Darnell Nurse can be an effective player in a Sharks uniform, I will view this acquisition in a more positive light. Despite some valid criticisms from analysts and fans regarding the free agent signings and trade made by the Sharks today, I am still confident that the Sharks will perform better and make the playoffs next season.
Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, Sjsharks.com, Curtis Pashelka and Sheng Peng via X
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