San Jose Sharks Open More Cap Space After Recent Trades

The San Jose Sharks are in better position for a summer splash, dumping off salary while adding draft picks for the upcoming draft.

San Jose’s transition period is now over as general manager Doug Wilson is ready for the San Jose Sharks to become Stanley Cup contenders. Wilson is one not to underestimate, often pulling moves which come as a surprise (Brent Burns and Evander Kane).

John Tavares is a possible addition as the clock ticks towards July 1 for the free agency period to commence. With no deal yet to be struck with the New York Islanders, he is likely going to test the waters. Tavares will have options and will command the highest salary.

Under the current salary-cap, adding Tavares could have been tricky with signing Logan Couture to an extension, and Tomas Hertl getting a raise. To fit all pieces may cause a dilemma, mainly to keep grizzly vet, Joe Thornton, in the fold.

San Jose Sharks /

San Jose Sharks

But as seen with re-signing Kane, Wilson is open for business and plans to be active throughout the summer. After recently kicking the tires with Ilya Kovalchuk, he made his next move trading Mikkel Boedker to the Ottawa Senators.

Boedker became expandable after a disappointing first season in teal. The former first-rounder did not live up to expectations, often getting scratched from the lineup for his poor play.

For a player who played under Peter DeBoer in the minors, Boedker never appeared to mesh well on any line for the Sharks.

Wilson should feel good in finding a trade partner for Boedker. His stock rose after a strong second half as he finally flashed his true form in generating offense. Boedker was likely on the trading block for some time, but his $4 million cap-hit kept teams away plus his struggles.

Despite a surge, Boedker would have entered training camp on a short leash if he did not keep up his production. For the Sharks’ coaching staff, having players ready to come out of the gates is the expectation.

Instead of using a compliance buyout, which may have been the next option, Wilson now has a little more flexibility with the salary-cap to pursue Tavares and keep currently restricted free-agents.

In the trade with the Senators, the Sharks also sent a 2020 sixth-round pick and defenseman Julius Bergman. The defenseman fell down the depth chart with the San Jose Barracuda and management hopes younger players will step up for the Barracuda defensive core.

The Sharks received forward Mike Hoffman, a 2020 fifth-round choice and Cody Donaghey from the Senators.

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Hoffman’s name got floated around during last season’s trade deadline with his goal-scoring capabilities. Ottawa could not find a trade partner as the team is going through a rebuild.

His tenure in teal did not last long as Wilson sent him to the Florida Panthers along with a seventh-round draft pick. Florida sent San Jose picks in the second, fourth, and fifth rounds of this year’s draft in Dallas.

At first, Hoffman would have been a great addition, averaging 20 goals in the past four seasons. His recent off-ice issue would have been toxic to the Sharks’ locker room and ultimately, destroying the chemistry.

Allegations revealed Hoffman’s fiancée harassed the wife of former teammate Erik Karlsson online.

In short, Wilson was likely not interested in acquiring Hoffman from the start and was a means to facilitate a trade to shed salary. He successfully did by flipping Hoffman to Florida and now has an extra $4 million in space.

With the Sharks’ general manager looking at all avenues to improve the team, Hertl could be a piece to a bigger move. As of now, Hertl’s stock is probably at an all-time high after finally playing a full NHL season. He finished with 46 points in 79 games after injuries plagued him early in his career.

Thornton will be interesting to see if he does remain in San Jose should Wilson land Tavares in free agency. To not have him in the lineup would not be a huge loss considering how the Sharks managed to get to the second round of the playoffs.

An aftershock came without his presence as the Sharks struggled for about a week in adjusting to not having him. The Sharks turned the page which proved pivotal in Wilson landing Kane and now has a gritty, offensive-minded forward for the next seven years after signing an extension.

Next: San Jose Sharks Just Kicking the Tires

For now, Wilson has put the Sharks in a better position for free agency or to add players through a trade. The NHL has not announced the upcoming salary-cap for this season, but the Sharks will have plenty of wiggle room to make waves.

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