NHL Rumors: Sharks Gearing Up For Unique Trade Deadline
With the March 6 deadline approaching and the sellers’ market expected to be thin, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta believes Sharks general manager Mike Grier can work both sides at once, adding pieces to support a surprise push while still cashing in on expiring contracts where the return makes sense.
It helps that San Jose is not buried in the standings either, sitting eighth in the Western Conference at 21-18-3, tied on 45 points with the two West wild card teams.
All across the league it's very similar too. For example, the Toronto Maple Leafs went from last in the Atlantic Division to within two points of a wild card spot with a win last night. We're already halfway through the season, and it truly feels like no one's really out of it yet.
Sharks trade deadline plan has buyers and sellers vibes
The turning point that sharpened the conversation was the Alexander Wennberg extension, which took one major pending free agent off the table and gave the front office clarity. Wennberg has been a major driver for this upstart group with 29 points in 42 games, and after he locked in a three-year deal at a $6 million AAV, the Sharks still have a pile of expiring contracts to play with.
Alex Wennberg has signed a 3 year extension at $6M per season. 💰
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 4, 2026
The 31 year old Swede has 26P in 41GP this season. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/z7X2uoeURW
Up front, pending UFAs include Jeff Skinner and Ryan Reaves, and in net, Alex Nedeljkovic is also eligible to hit the market on July 1.
David Pagnotta says Sharks could sell defense and add long term
Where this gets spicy is the blue line, because that's where Pagnotta sees San Jose having real leverage. The Sharks have multiple defensemen on expiring deals, including Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, Nick Leddy, John Klingberg, and Vincent Desharnais, and Pagnotta’s read is that Grier does not need to move everyone to make noise.
Mario Ferraro nets an empty net goal, his third of the season, with 2:14 remaining in the third period. He is now one game away from tying Douglas Murray for eighth on the all-time games played list for Sharks defensemen.
— San Jose Sharks PR (@SanJoseSharksPR) January 7, 2026
Alexander Wennberg records his third point in the…
The idea is to potentially move one or two defense pieces to maximize return, while also hunting for a top four defender in the mid to early 20s with term who actually fits the core they are building.
The Sharks also have six picks in the first four rounds of this year's draft.
That's the unique part of this deadline for San Jose, because they can try to upgrade the roster for the present without losing the long view, especially with roughly $8.45 million in current cap space and more than $54 million projected for next season.
Photo Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
