Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks

F Collin Graf – Although Macklin Celebrini stole the show, Graf was quietly one of the Sharks’ best secondary contributors this season. The undrafted free agent out of Quinnipiac University finished sixth on the team in scoring with 21 goals and 46 points in 81 games, averaging 16:27 of ice time per game. Despite the high goal totals, Graf’s possession metrics were subpar, indicating he is unlikely to develop into a player who can drive a line. However, given the wealth of talent San Jose has coming up the forward ranks, and those already on the roster, Graf could conceivably develop into a 30-goal scorer next to the right playmaker. The Sharks will have to be prudent with the contracts they give out this summer, but Graf may be one they’ll want to sign long-term.

F Philipp Kurashev – After losing his spot with the Chicago Blackhawks, Kurashev landed with San Jose last offseason as a potentially low-risk, high-reward addition. Unfortunately, injuries derailed his season, causing Kurashev to finish with seven goals and 20 points in 43 games. However, his point-per-game average, as well as his possession and defensive metrics, all improved with the Sharks. Depending on how San Jose wants to shape their roster next season, Kurashev may stick around as a placeholder. Still, his playstyle doesn’t fit well into the bottom six, so the Sharks should only retain him if they have a spot for him in the middle six of the forward corps.

D Shakir Mukhamadullin – The former first-round pick played relatively well throughout his first full season in San Jose. Like Kurashev, Mukhamadullin lost some of his season due to injury, finishing with five give goals and 12 points in 50 games, averaging 17:09 of ice time with a -3 rating. It’s unlikely that he’ll ever develop into a scoring threat, but San Jose trusts him, starting 57.1% of his shifts in the defensive zone. Most of the Sharks’ summer will be spent on redeveloping the defensive corps, and Mukhamadullin is the type of defenseman any team would want on their bottom-pairing as a shutdown threat.

Other RFAs: F Zack Ostapchuk, F Martin Kaut, F Ethan Cardwell, D Noah Beck, D Nolan Allan, G Gabriel Carriere

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D John Klingberg – Klingberg, 33, was one of the several defensemen San Jose brought in last offseason to help stabilize the defensive corps. He finished as the team’s second-highest scoring defenseman with 10 goals and 27 points in 56 games with a -13 rating. As much as his play on the defensive side of the puck was lacking, the Sharks don’t have any right-handed defenseman signed through next season, unless they’re willing to give Mattias Havelid a shot on the NHL roster. To help with continuity as they transition to a younger blue line, Klingberg may be one of the few unrestricted free agents the Sharks keep around on a one- to two-year deal.

D Mario Ferraro – One defenseman the Sharks won’t be retaining is Ferraro. The subject of trade rumors for several years, San Jose was reportedly holding out for a first-round pick and some, but ultimately didn’t land what they were looking for. Now, they’ll lose Ferraro for nothing. Given his desire for a multi-year deal and the relatively thin options on the free agent market this summer, Ferraro has likely priced himself out of the Bay Area. He’s coming off the best performance of his career, registering seven goals and 23 points in 82 games with a -1 rating, averaging 21:02 of ice time per game.

Other UFAs: F Ryan Reaves, F Pavol Regenda, D Nick Leddy, D Vincent Desharnais, F Colin White, F Samuel Laberge, F Shane Bowers, F Egor Afanasyev, D Lucas Carlsson, D Jett Woo, G Laurent Brossoit, G Jakub Skarek

Projected Cap Space

The Sharks will enter the offseason with the most cap space of any team at $40.56MM. As stated previously, San Jose is relatively set in their forward corps, and should use most of their available dollars to build up the defense. Given their cap space, there’s nobody off-limits to the Sharks, as they could conceivably sign multiple of the top defensemen available. However, the likes of Celebrini, Will Smith, and Yaroslav Askarov are all eligible for extensions this summer, which should eat up a decent chunk of San Jose’s future cap space if they’re all signed to long-term deals. To not only ensure that the team returns to the postseason but also retains their flexibility in the future, this summer will be a balancing act for General Manager Mike Grier.