Sharks Waive Vlasic For Purpose Of Buyout
#sjsharks have placed veteran D Marc-Edouard Vlasic on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 26, 2025
We had listed him as a buyout candidate a few weeks ago.
Vlasic was drafted 35th overall in 2005 by the Sharks and played 19 consecutive seasons for them, totaling 1323 regular season games and 142 playoff games. The 38-year-old received Norris Trophy votes four times in his career and Lady Byng Memorial Trophy votes nine times.
Vlasic scored a goal and recorded three points in 27 games this season. He also averaged 14:38 of ice time. The Sharks have plenty of cap space to use, so having a buyout hit of Vlasic won’t be a burden on them at all. In fact, the team has to find a way to spend a lot of money to reach the cap floor. Buying out Vlasic only makes it so the team has to spend even more.
The Sharks have five NHL defensemen under contract now, and all of them have one year left on their deals, whether that means they will be a UFA or RFA afterwards. Vlasic was a staple defensively for many years and flew under the radar not only in San Jose, but because he was a defense-first d-man and the team also had Brent Burns and Dan Boyle while Vlasic was in his prime.
He’s now 38 years old, so it remains to be seen whether he will call it a career or try to sign with another team. Given he doesn’t have a Stanley Cup after playing this long, I think he tries to find a contender to sign with as a depth option, but given his playing time with the 32nd ranked teams this season, it isn’t very likely he will crack another lineup unless there’s injuries. I don’t think Vlasic will be keen on spending any time in the AHL after so many years in the NHL. Maybe we hear a retirement announcement in the next couple of weeks.
Photo credit: © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
