Scouts Talk New Sharks Duclair, Blackwood, Burroughs & Smith

The San Jose Sharks were busy when free agency opened on July 1.

They signed UFA defenseman Kyle Burroughs to a three-year, $3.3 million contract and UFA winger Givani Smith to two-year, $1.6 million pact. They inked goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, who they had acquired before the 2023 Draft, to a two-year, $4.7 million deal. And they traded for winger Anthony Duclair, sending out Steven Lorentz and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Florida Panthers.

How were these moves perceived league-wide? I spoke with four NHL scouts from outside the San Jose Sharks organization to get their thoughts.

I asked these specific questions about the newest Sharks: In Florida’s run for the Cup, did Duclair look fully recovered from his Achilles tear? Was acquiring Blackwood a good gamble for the San Jose Sharks? Burroughs played a career-high 17:22 a night for the Vancouver Canucks last year, is he capable of taking on an even larger role than that? And what does Smith bring besides fisticuffs?

Anthony Duclair

Two scouts disagreed on how far Duclair’s game has come back from injury.

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