NHL Trade Rumors: Sharks Could Flip Kiefer Sherwood

The San Jose Sharks beat a large number of interested teams to the punch in securing a trade for Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks back in January.

But is Sherwood's stay in San Jose going to come to a close after just a handful of games?

The bruising forward is a pending unrestricted free agent, and is looking for a huge raise. There's been talk about an ask in the neighborhood of a $5 million AAV for the NHL's single-season Hits record-holder.

The Sharks certainly knew what they were getting into when they traded for him, as those numbers were floating around before the trade with Vancouver. But according to insider Pierre LeBrun in The Athletic, if San Jose can't get an extension done with Sherwood before next week's trade deadline, they could actually flip him to make sure they get something back for their investment of two second-round picks.

I get the sense that the first contract-extension conversation was a real wires-crossed moment as far as expectations from both sides. So now the clock is ticking on the Sharks. Can they get him signed before next Friday? Or do they consider flipping him so they don’t lose him for nothing July 1?
A league source told me this week that the Sharks are open to the possibility of flipping Sherwood if they can’t get him signed... I think it’s more likely than not he’s moved if the Sharks can’t extend him over the next week.

That would be a disappointing turn of events for the Sharks. However, the 30-year-old is sitting on 17 goals and 222 hits (after 19 goals and a ridiculous record-breaking 462 hits the year before), and with his expiring $1.5 million cap hit, there will be no shortage of suitors. There were at least seven other teams that we know of who were linked to him before the Sharks landed him, including the Vegas Golden Knights, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars, among others.

There's a good chance the Sharks could recoup something in the range of those two second-rounders if they flip him.

In his two games in San Jose, one before the break and one after, he's averaged a career-high 18:24 ice time, and has delivered 12 hits.