San Jose Sharks
Sharks Bring Back Marleau, Nieto
Many happy returns?
The San Jose Sharks are bringing back wingers Patrick Marleau and Matt Nieto, both for one year, $700K each.
“Matt’s a player we’re obviously familiar with having been here for our Stanley Cup Final run in 2016 and he plays with speed and energy,” San Jose Sharks Doug Wilson said in a press release. “His quickness and defensive responsibility made him one of the top penalty killers on Colorado and we feel that those assets, along with his decision making and playmaking, will bring a lot of elements to our team.”
In fact, the 27-year-old was the most-used Colorado Avalanche forward on the league’s 13th-best penalty kill.
Last week, San Jose Hockey Now broke that the San Jose Sharks had inquired about Michael Grabner. Like Grabner, Nieto is a speedy penalty-killing specialist — “elements” that Wilson was clearly looking to add to his team:
Speaking of speed…
“Patrick is one of the most iconic players in San Jose Sharks history, as well as being one of the most respected veterans in the National Hockey League,” Wilson noted. “The leadership he brings on and off the ice has been well documented over his fantastic NHL career and his competitive fire to win is still burning strong. Patrick’s lead-by-example demeanor is inspiring and continues to resonate with our group of younger players.”
The 41-year-old acquitted himself well in San Jose this season, playing well enough off a veteran’s minimum two-way contract to fetch the Sharks a third-round pick at the Trade Deadline. A source confirmed to SJHN that Marleau’s contract is a one-way deal this time around.
The San Jose Sharks would be thrilled if Marleau could replicate his play in teal next year. The future Hall of Famer is also 45 games away from breaking Gordie Howe’s record for all-time games played.
So will the Sharks add more players this off-season?
For starters, Joe Thornton remains unsigned and Wilson has already suggested that they’re looking for a veteran bottom-pairing defenseman.
Currently, per Puckpedia, San Jose has 15 forwards on their roster.
Both Lean Bergmann and Noah Gregor, who are still on their entry-level contracts, are waiver-exempt. Meanwhile, Antti Suomela, who isn’t waiver-exempt, is not a favorite for the opening night roster.
That leaves 12 forwards I’d project to make the opening night roster, if you include Dylan Gambrell and Joel Kellman — both not waiver-exempt.
Assuming that the San Jose Sharks add a near-minimum vet defender, they still have about $3.5 million dollars of cap space to add a Thornton and/or another forward.
If they, as Erik Fowle suggested this morning, dump Marcus Sorensen’s $1.5 million dollar cap hit, that’ll open up even more space.
Marleau and Nieto don’t move the needle much, but they’re both still very competent fourth-liners who can swing up to third-line duty.
We’ll see if Wilson has anything more up his sleeve this off-season.
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(Long Beach Native) Matt Nieto is a surprise signing!
I certainly have a fondness for Nieto and he’s a good 4th liner and PK guy, but boy do I wish DW were willing to instead take some of this money and spend it on someone who is much more likely to be able to do a job on the 3rd line. At this point I feel like you have to assume, barring a trade, that Jumbo will be centering that line, but it should be obvious that he can’t carry a line at this stage of his career and it would be nice to give him someone more skilled… Read more »
If Thornton goes, 3C is looking really dry right now, Haula and Soderberg only appetizing options
Josh Leivo PLEEEEEEEEASE Doug
Welcome back boys!!
There is unrest in Montreal, maybe DW does some magic and we can bring in Gallagher. He’s cheap and a heck of a player.
Dominik Kahun is a 24 yo center/winger who was a pt/g player in the DEL and has 2 years of NHL experience as a 200-ft EV top 9 point producer. he’s got middle 6, 45-pt upside and could be the Sharks long term solution at 3C. i think he’s looking for a team to commit to him (iirc he’s played for 4 teams in those 2 seasons) and could be value add at around 2M-3M. a 2-yr deal takes him to UFA, but DW could prob eat up some UFA years with a longer deal while keeping the AAV down.
Kahun is a good player & could certainly help the Sharks. However, though he’s listed as a center, he’s taken a shade over 100 faceoffs in 2 seasons, so he’s probably closer to a winger that can be an occasional center like Donato
i think that’s more an indictment on his ice time not deployment. iirc, he centered lines with all 3 of CHI, PIT, and BUF.
CHI: (quarter 1)DeBrincat-Kahun-Toews/DeBrincat-Kahun-Kampf/Fortin-Kahun-Kampf; (quarter 2) Kahun-Saad-Toews/Hayden-Kahun-Kampf/Anisimov-Kahun-Kane; (quarter 3) DeBrincat-Kahun-Toews/DeBrincat-Kahun-Strome/Kahun-Saad-Toews; (quarter 4) Anisimov-Kahun-Saad/Anisimov-Kahun-Kane/DeBrincat-Kahun-Strome
PIT: (quarter 1) Hornqvist-Kahun-McCann/Bjugstad-Kahun-McCann/Hornqvist-Kahun-Lafferty; (quarter 2) Aston-Reese-Kahun-McCann/Hornqvist-Kahun-McCann/Hornqvist-Kahun-Simon; (quarter 3) Kahun-Malkin-Rust/Kahun-McCann-Rust/Hornqvist-Kahun-Malkin
BUF: Johansson-Kahun-Vesey/ Johansson-Kahun-Olofsson/Girgensons-Kahun-Larsson
by percentage of ice time at pos i think it shakes out to around 70% of the time he plays center.
Talked to a couple guys who have watched Kahun closely in a couple of his stops: He’s pretty much always played wing. Now he sounds versatile and can play a little center, and maybe a lot of center if given the chance, but he hasn’t done it regularly at the NHL level
he stated in an interview he mostly played center all his life until the NHL, so i think that’s his natural position. we can use him at RW too. probably be easier for him to play wing if he plays up in the line up and maybe get a chance at center lower. i think i read PIT moved him around from right to left wing while he was there. he replaced Galy on BUF’s 2LW iirc. i hope the Sharks find a way to sign him. maybe Sheary too if Jumbo’s done.
Do agree these are a couple of the better bargains left out there, imagine reeling them in for around $4 mil per or under combined. I understand not sinking big money and term into guys this summer, but there are some real deals to be had, you can build a brand-new quality third line on the cheap right now