San Jose Sharks
· 2026-07-03
The San Jose Sharks are standing 11th in the Western Conference with a 39-35 record, on a W1 streak.
The Sharks made significant changes to their defense, signing Jacob Trouba to a four-year contract and trading for Darnell Nurse.
Macklin Celebrini should be furious about these moves, as they may not improve the team significantly and could affect his future contract.
The Sharks needed veteran blueliners, but their spending was not efficient, giving Trouba a four-year contract worth $8.25 million per season.
Trouba is turning 33 next season and has no offensive upside, which could make the contract age poorly.
The Sharks also traded for Nurse, who has four years left on his deal at $9.25 million per year, which is a high price for a solid top-four defenseman.
Celebrini is eligible for a contract extension now, and the Sharks have plenty of space to keep him, but the contracts of Trouba and Nurse could take away from his potential earnings.
The Sharks had a successful NHL Draft, trading William Eklund for the ninth overall pick and picking three great prospects, but the outrageous contracts on the blue line could block their path.
And the Sharks' fans should be thrilled with GM Mike Grier's performance at the draft, but the offseason moves are a different story.
But the Sharks' defense was their biggest shortcoming last season, and the changes they made may not be enough to improve significantly.
So the Sharks' moves may have been okay in filling a need, but they were not efficient in their spending.
The Sharks gave up young defender Shakir Mukhamadullin to land Nurse, which was not a high price to pay.
But the contract of Nurse is still a concern, as it is a high price for a player who is not a top-shelf defender.
The Oilers did a nice job getting Nurse's entire salary off the books, as a team could have asked them to retain a portion of his salary.
And the Sharks should have let someone else win the bidding war for Trouba, as he was not worth the $33 million price tag.