Over the last few seasons, the San Jose Sharks have been firmly in the midst of a rebuild. We’ve seen them sell off the majority of their old core, dealing away the likes of Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl.
That continued this year, with San Jose once again selling before the trade deadline. The team dealt about one-third of their roster, shipping Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars, Nico Sturm and Vitek Vanecek to the Florida Panthers, Luke Kunin to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jake Walman to the Edmonton Oilers and Fabian Zetterlund to the Ottawa Senators.
As a result, the Sharks don’t have a ton of trade pieces left. But with the organization clearly set on adding as many draft picks as possible, just about anyone from the roster who may not factor in long-term could be a possible trade candidate.
Below are three players the Sharks could look to trade this summer.
Mario Ferraro could bring back a big return
The Sharks’ top trade chip remaining by far is Mario Ferraro.
Selected in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft, Ferraro has spent his entire career with the Sharks. The defenseman has managed 88 points across 403 NHL games, while averaging over 21 minutes per game.
Ferraro is one of the last core pieces to survive the rebuild to this point. Across some very tough seasons, he’s been a steady presence on the team’s blue line. The defenseman is still just 26 years old, so there’s also an argument to be made that Ferraro should be looked at as a long-term piece, rather than a trade chip.
But with a single year remaining on his contract, the Sharks will have a decision to make. Ferraro’s deal carries a team-friendly $3.25 million cap hit, and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
San Jose also has to factor in their other young, left-handed defensemen into the decision. The group of Sam Dickinson, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Luca Cagnoni could all be roster regulars in the coming years. As a result, the team may be able to afford to trade Ferraro, while still building a strong left side.
Especially factoring in his cap hit, Ferraro certainly carries the most value of any realistic trade candidate on the roster. Given how the team has prioritized adding draft picks, there’s certainly a chance Ferraro could be finishing up his final season in San Jose.
Henry Thrun may not be a long-term fit with Sharks
Thrun doesn’t have anywhere near the same trade value as Ferraro. However, he remains a candidate to be dealt, especially if the Sharks opt to re-sign Ferraro instead of moving him.
Thrun is 24 years old and was acquired by from the Anaheim Ducks in February of 2023. Since being acquired, the defenseman has played a total of 111 NHL games with the Sharks, managing 23 points.
Some of the same reasons that Ferraro is a trade candidate also apply to Thrun. With a left side that’s only becoming more crowded, it’s possible we’ll see Thrun get squeezed out.
Thrun has also seen his role reduced. Upon being acquired, there was some excitement around the defenseman, and he was given a big opportunity. Across 51 games last season, Thrun averaged 20 minutes per game, which ranked second amongst regular Sharks defenders.
This season though, Thrun has averaged less than 17 minutes per game. He’s been a healthy scratch at times, and could be falling down the depth chart.
While his trade value wouldn’t be substantial, Thrun is still young and has a year left on his contract. As a result, the Sharks could likely still get an asset back for him. If the team doesn’t expect him to factor in long-term, moving Thrun is a possibility.
Carl Grundstrom hasn’t solidified a role for himself in San Jose
San Jose’s forward group isn’t strong to begin with, but more subtractions from the current group could come.
Carl Grundstrom was acquired by the Sharks this past summer, from the Los Angeles Kings. In his first season in San Jose though, the winger has scored just two goals and eight points in 47 games. Grundstrom has been in and out of the lineup, averaging under 10 minutes in the games he has played.
At his best, Grundstrom can be a high-intensity winger who can play physically, but also has skill to his game. He’s shown in the past to have some offensive upside, with a hard and accurate shot that can catch goalies off-guard. At the same time, the winger really hasn’t shown in San Jose that he should be considered for anything more than a depth role.
With Barclay Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea still under contract into next season, and Zack Ostapchuk recently acquired, the team has a trio who could make up the fourth line next year. As a result, assuming the team does look to upgrade their top-nine this offseason in some form, Grundstrom may have even less of a role going forward.
So if there’s any possibility of getting an asset back for Grundstrom, we could see San Jose move the forward this summer.
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