Sharks player who must be traded soon
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The San Jose Sharks have made some big moves on the trade front within the last few months. The Sharks traded for Jake Walman in a deal with the Detroit Red Wings around the NHL Draft. Then, they traded for then-Edmonton Oilers defender Cody Ceci. More recently, the Sharks traded goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche in one of the larger deals of the season so far.
The Sharks are still a rebuilding team despite their moves in the offseason. Trading Blackwood instead of extending him shows the team is interest in bolstering the future more than short term success. Still, San Jose has turned in some rather respectable performances in 2024-25. They remain a rather bad hockey team in general. But the signs of future success are more evident than they were a year ago.
San Jose is likely to make more moves as the 2024-25 season continues. The Sharks, along with the rest of the NHL, are under the league’s annual holiday roster freeze at this time. However, once that lifts shortly after Christmas, the team could begin the foundation for future trades.
Rebuilding teams are never alike. Some of them have obvious trade candidates on the roster. Meanwhile, other rebuilding clubs do not have clear-cut candidates, which could lead to some surprises. For the Sharks, there is an obvious trade candidate on the team. And he should be the next player sent out of town.
Sharks’ Mikael Granlund has re-established his value
The Sharks traded for Mikael Granlund as part of the Erik Karlsson trade last summer. San Jose took on Granlund’s contract in the trade to make the finances work for all involved parties. At the time, expectations weren’t exactly high for the veteran winger. But he has certainly done well to re-establish his value on the ice.
Granlund currently leads all Sharks players with 32 points, according to ESPN. This puts him on pace for 26 goals and 77 points across a full 82 games. And it shows that his 2023-24 campaign was no fluke. Last season, the Sharks forward scored 12 goals and 60 points in 82 games. He already has 11 goals through 34 games this year.
Granlund has also found some success as a power play option. His numbers on the man advantage are down from the beginning of the season. But last year saw him score 23 points on the power play. It is worth noting that only one of those 23 points were assists, however.
Granlund does have a sizable cap hit, as he is making $5 million this season. However, he is only signed through the 2024-25 campaign. The 32-year-old becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2025. This should boost the interest contending teams have in striking a trade for him.
Teams may be somewhat concerned by his performance the last time he was traded. The Pittsburgh Penguins traded for him ahead of the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline in a deal with the Nashville Predators. However, Granlund struggled mightily in Pittsburgh. He scored one goal and five points in 21 games as the Penguins missed the playoffs.
The Sharks should not have any trouble finding suitors for Granlund, though. He has shown the ability to be a primary offensive producer if a team needs that from him. He could very well end up producing at a point-per-game pace in 2024-25. The Sharks would be wise to put him on the trade block. He could be one of the most in-demand rental options as the NHL Trade Deadline inches closer.
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