The San Jose Sharks have a record of three wins and eight losses entering November. Mired near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, there’s talk that GM Mike Grier could become a seller in the trade market.
On Oct. 27, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported hearing from other teams that Grier was willing to listen on “pretty much every player on their roster.” A notable exception was Tomas Hertl, who signed an eight-year contract extension last season.
LeBrun pointed out that Grier made a major off-season move by shipping Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes. He believed the Sharks GM would have to get creative as he’s got several players such as Erik Karlsson carrying hefty contracts with no-movement clauses. Nevertheless, Lebrun felt that Grier intends to make significant changes over the next couple of years.
Cap Friendly indicates Hertl, Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are the only Sharks with full no-movement clauses. Captain Logan Couture has a three-team no-trade clause. All four, however, have several years remaining on their respective contracts with average annual values of $7 million or higher. Even without no-trade protection, those contracts are difficult to move.
More likely trade options this season include goaltender James Reimer and center Nick Bonino, who carry affordable cap hits with less restrictive no-trade protection. Slated to become unrestricted free agents next summer, they could draw interest as playoff rentals near the March 3 trade deadline.
