Sharks Off-Season notes

The San Jose Sharks are wrapping up their off-season signings and the team is taken shape for next season. One order of business remaining is finding a coach after Jon Copper's departure after last season. Candidates are being interviewed currently and offers will be made as early as tomorrow.

The first order of business was to sign the entry level players. The Sharks had 5 players turning pro in the EHE and they have all signed their deals. Here they are:

C Wyatt Johnston - 3 years @ $950,000 per year

With a lack of depth at the center position, Johnston looks set to start the year on the pro team. Most likely in a top 6 role.

C/W Jiri Kulich - 3 years @ $900,000 per year

RW Brad Lambert - 3 years @ $900,000 per year

LW Cross Hanas - 3 years @ $850,000 per year

G Oskari Salminen - 2 years @ $850,000 per year

These players will be attending training camp with sights on making the pro team, although it's most likely they end up with the Barracuda this season.

The Sharks also re-signed all their RFA's to new contracts. Here's what those contracts look like:

C/RW Christian Fischer - 4 years @ $1,750,000 per year

LHD Juuso Valimaki - 2 years @ $1,250,000 per year

LW Drew O'Connor - 1 year @ $950,000

RHD Ian Mitchell - 2 years @ $962,500 per year

C/LW Josiah Slavin - 2 years @ $825,000 per year

RW Cameron Hebig - 4 years @ $955,900 per year

RHD Jordan Sambrook - 4 years @ $825,000 per year

Next up was UFA signings. San Jose GM Mitchell was very busy during the UFA period as the Sharks were well below the salary cap floor and had many holes in the line-up. The team ended up signing 6 free agents, here are those signings:

LW Donimik Kubalik - 2 years @ $6,000,000 per year ($3,000,000 signing bonus)

LHD Marc-Edouard Vlasic - 1 year @ $6,000,000

C/LW Tomas Nosek - 1 year @ $5,000,000

RW Brendan Gallagher - 1 year @ $4,750,000

C/RW Justin Danforth - 1 year @ $4,500,000

C/LW Xavier Parent - 4 years @ $950,000 per year ($1,140,000 signing bonus)

The Sharks were quite pleased to be able to add Marc-Edouard Vlasic to the team to join his cousin Alex. Alex is a long shot to make the pro team, but will enjoy having family close by. The Sharks GM was also ecstatic to add a young player in free agency in Xavier Parent.

With FA behind us, we can get a clearer look at what the line-up could look like next season. Here is the projected line-up:

Line 1: Dominik Kubalik - Alex Wennberg - Josh Anderson

Line 2: Frank Vatrano - Wyatt Johnston - Brendan Gallagher

Line 3: Ondrej Palat - Tomas Nosek - Christian Fischer

Line 4: Drew O'Connor - Brendan Gaunce - Justin Danforth

Extra: Brandon Biro

D Pair 1: Jamie Oleksiak - Justin Schultz

D Pair 2: Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Ian Mitchell

D Pair 3: Juuso Valimaki - Derrick Pouliot

Extra: Wyatt Kalynuk / Casey Fitzgerald

Starter: Akira Schmid

Back-up: Felix Sandstrom

This does not look like a playoff team...but crazier things have happened. I predict a 24th place finish overall for this team.

Once a coach is hired, this team is ready to roll. See you in pre-season!