Penguins and Sharks May Emerge as Trade Partners as San Jose Scrambles to Clear Contracts
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With the latest signing of prospect Michael Misa, the Sharks now have 51 contracts on the books, and will need to shed some to become compliant - could the Penguins come calling?
The San Jose Sharks secured the immediate future of Michael Misa, who they took with the 2nd overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
He's now the 2nd top-2 pick the Sharks have had in as many years, as they took Macklin Celebrini with the 1st overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
His scouting report via Elite Prospects reads as follows:
Capable of speeding past opponents and drawing complex rush patterns in the neutral zone, Misa finds and creates gaps in neutral zone coverages. He drives east-west, under and over teammates' routes, slows down and accelerates, and slips pucks under sticks, always keeping defenders on their heels. Away from the puck, he's constantly relocating from pocket to pocket, reloading to the top of the zone, sprinting behind defenders, and playing between them.
They signed him to a 3 year entry level contract, but in doing so, it became the 51st contract on the books in the Sharks organization.
Because the limit is 50 contracts, this means that they'll soon have to part ways with a handful of assets to become compliant.
Penguins' Three Open Contract Slots Could Make Them Candidate for Deal With San Jose
On the other hand, the Penguins have 3 open contract slots that they could eventually make good use of if they were to become trade partners with the Sharks.
San Jose currently has multiple players who are set to become UFAs after the year ends, including the likes of Carl Grundstrom, Philipp Kurashev, and even ex-Penguins forward Ryan Reaves.
Right now, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has been focused on trying to trade one of Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, or Bryan Rust, but has been unsuccessful in doing so.
If the Penguins would like to add some depth scoring, players like Grundstrom or Kurashev could make sense for an acquisition.
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