2 early Sharks trade candidates after missing 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The San Jose Sharks came as close as you can to returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs before a late collapse caused them to miss out in the end. The entire season was about the emergence of Macklin Celebrini as one of the world’s top players, which means it’s now time to start contending for the playoffs instead of looking for lottery picks. With the roster still under construction, there are some trade candidates to look at on the Sharks this offseason.

The Sharks have plenty of prospects in their pipeline, which is causing a logjam in their forward group. CapWages currently lists 17 forwards on the Sharks’ roster, with only five on expiring contracts. Add in some players knocking on the door to move to the NHL and potential additions in the offseason, and some players are going to have to move out.

While Sharks fans are trying to figure out which players might leave the organization, they should be more concerned about how Mike Grier will improve the depth of their defense. San Jose currently has four UFA defensemen on expiring contracts, and Shakir Mukhamadulin as an RFA who hasn’t signed an extension yet.

So how can Grier find defensemen with the 2026 UFA class depleted by players signing extensions with their NHL clubs? It might take the general manager getting creative in the lead-up to the 2026 NHL Draft.

Sharks’ first-round pick is a trade candidate

The Sharks currently have a 5% chance of winning the draft lottery and landing the first overall pick, or a 5.2% chance of getting the second pick. If neither of those unlikely scenarios happens, the Sharks will be picking in the 9-11 range. San Jose has so many great young players that a ninth-overall pick feels redundant. If they want to start getting serious about contending, it might be time for them to put a draft pick in a package to land a prominent player, especially a defenseman.

Some valuable defensemen could potentially find themselves on the trade block this offseason. While veterans like Roman Josi and Erik Karlsson could command a first-round pick, it’d be a bit of poor asset management to trade a top-10 pick for a veteran who has some injury concerns. A potential defenseman who would be worth a first-round pick is the New Jersey Devils’ Simon Nemec.

Nemec went second overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He hasn’t been great for the Devils, but giving up on him so soon seems like a mistake. There’s a chance that the allure of adding another top-1o pick to go with New Jersey’s own pick would be something the Sharks should ask about.

There is also growing speculation about Josh Morrissey’s availability after a disappointing season for the Winnipeg Jets. Morrissey has his own injury concerns, but he lines up better with the team’s age range and has plenty of time to be a contributor for the Sharks. Placing an offensive guy like Morrissey onto a top powerplay unit with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith might be the blueliner they are missing in their lineup. You could also find a lot worse one-two punches around the league than Morrissey and Sam Dickinson on the left side of your defense.

The Jets might be looking to get younger and more talented. Adding a second top-10 pick is a good way to do that quickly this offseason.

Adam Gaudette’s trade value may never be higher

Adam Gaudette often found himself on the outside looking in of the Sharks’ lineup this season, despite scoring 17 goals and, at one point late in the season, leading the team in five-on-five goals/60. A player like Ty Dellandrea was more of a bottom-six player for Ryan Warsofsky, which made Gaudette an extra on some nights to end the season.

It might not be the fairest outcome for someone who had his best season in the NHL, but the Sharks have a vision for their team in the future, and it doesn’t seem like Gaudette is in it. He has one year remaining on his deal, and some team looking for scoring will convince themselves that Gaudette can find even more success with more playing time.

If the Sharks need to make some room on their roster up front and maybe find a depth defenseman or two to fill out that part of the roster, shopping Gaudette around the league might be a smart decision. Another season of Gaudette finding himself out of the lineup when he can dress for another team on a nightly basis wouldn’t make sense for either the team or the player, especially in a contract year.

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