San Jose Sharks Acquire Andre Gasseau

The San Jose Sharks have continued using their draft stockpile to make upgrades. According to a team announcement, the Sharks have acquired forward prospect Andre Grasseau and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Boston Bruins for the Florida Panthers’ 2026 fourth-round pick and the Montreal Canadiens’ 2026 fifth-round pick.

Effectively, San Jose will now pick in the middle of the selections they sent to Boston, while also taking a flyer on Gasseau. It’s a similar weaponization of their draft stockpile to what they used yesterday, sending the 20th overall pick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for the 27th overall pick and defenseman Michael Kesselring.

It’s been known for some time that Gasseau, 22, would not be signing his entry-level contract with the Bruins. Looking for immediate ice time at the NHL level, Gasseau had already informed Boston that he intended to finish his collegiate career this past season and become an unrestricted free agent later this summer if the Bruins didn’t trade him. Still, it’s not clear that the Sharks can afford him what he wants, either.

Spending his collegiate days with the Boston College Eagles, Gasseau has been an effective player, if not necessarily a standout one. Last season, during his junior campaign, Gasseau scored 15 goals and 30 points in 36 games, finishing with a +23 rating. Despite being the best individual performance of his collegiate career, Gasseau only finished fourth on his team in scoring behind James Hagens, Gabriel Perreault, and Ryan Leonard.

Unfortunately, a wrist injury cut his senior season short, finishing with six goals and 23 points in 23 games with a -2 rating. He does play well along the boards and has solid two-way elements to his game, but he largely projects as a bottom-six forward. For many scouts and analysts, that’s what made his demand for immediate NHL ice time so puzzling.

For the Bruins, this trade serves as positive asset management for a player who had already openly committed to leaving in August, anyway. Essentially, given that Gasseau was a seventh-round pick back in the 2021 NHL Draft, Boston was able to turn a fourth- and seventh-round pick into two fourth-round selections.