San Jose Sharks Extend Qualifying Offers to Two Players

The San Jose Sharks have issued qualifying offers to pending restricted free agents Collin Graf and Shakir Mukhamadullin.

The team is parting ways with forward Philipp Kurashev after one year.

What happened?

The Sharks did not extend qualifying offers to defenseman Noah Beck and goalie Gabriel Carriere.

The deadline to issue qualifying offers to pending RFAs was Monday.

The team recently locked up two other pending RFAs, signing center Zack Ostapchuk to a four-year contract and defenseman Michael Kesselring to a three-year deal.

Why it matters for San Jose Sharks

Kurashev had a solid start to the past season with 15 points in his first 30 games before sustaining an upper-body injury.

He missed 19 games and finished the season with 20 points in 43 games.

The Sharks' decision to sit Kurashev coincided with the return of winger Igor Chernyshov.

What comes next?

The Sharks and Mukhamadullin's camp are slated to meet sometime this week.

Mukhamadullin had 12 points in 50 games this past season, averaging 15:27 per game.

Graf is due a significant raise after coming off a breakout year with 46 points, 21 goals, and 16:27 average ice time.

The San Jose Sharks stand 11th in the Western Conference with a 39-35 record, on a W1 streak.

The team has several other pending unrestricted free agents, including forwards Ryan Reaves and Pavol Regenda.

Defensemen Mario Ferraro, Vincent Desharnais, John Klingberg, and Nick Leddy are also pending unrestricted free agents.

The Sharks will look to make moves in the offseason to improve their roster.

And with the qualifying offers issued, the team can now focus on negotiating contracts with Graf and Mukhamadullin.

But the loss of Kurashev will be felt, as he provided a solid presence on the ice.

So the Sharks will need to find a way to replace his production.

The team's standing in the Western Conference will depend on their ability to make smart moves in the offseason.