BREAKING: Sharks Will Not Qualify RFA Dahlen

San Jose Hockey Now has learned that the San Jose Sharks will not qualify RFA Jonathan Dahlen.

This is something of a surprise, considering the team’s need for more goalscoring. Dahlen was the media-voted Sharks Rookie of the Year this past season, and through the first half of the year, the rookie was on a 20-goal pace.

But the 24-year-old winger could never find his consistency in the second half, and he was healthy scratched at times. He also dealt with multiple health issues throughout the year, including being placed in COVID protocol twice, a concussion, and a couple upper-body injuries. From February on, Dahlen scored just one goal, finishing the season with 12 goals and 10 assists in 61 games.

It appeared, however, that Dahlen had done enough in the first half to at least secure another look next year. But at the Draft, SJHN started hearing rumblings that the San Jose Sharks might look to walk away from Dahlen and the RFA’s arbitration rights.

SOURCE: Sharks May Not Qualify RFA Dahlen

While a qualifying offer for Dahlen would’ve been just five percent over the veteran’s minimum salary, an arbitrator’s award might be higher than what the Sharks would want to pay him. It’s very much worth noting too that teams cannot walk away from arbitration awards of less than $4,538,958 million dollars.

Whatever that award might’ve been, in the end, my guess is simply that the Sharks believe they can redistribute Dahlen’s potential cap hit more effectively elsewhere.

Dahlen will become a UFA on Jul. 13. He is expected to generate massive European interest, be it from his hometown SHL club Timra or the National League or the KHL, and an NHL club could certainly take a flyer on him too.

The San Jose Sharks acquired Dahlen in Feb. 2019 from the Vancouver Canucks for 2018 third-round pick Linus Karlsson. Karlsson won SHL Rookie of the Year this past season and will be joining the Canucks organization this fall.

Dahlen is represented by Claes Elefalk of CAA.

SJHN has previously learned that RFAs Brinson Pasichnuk and Zach Sawchenko will also not be qualified.

CONFIRMED: Sharks Will Not Qualify RFAs Sawchenko, Pasichnuk

SJHN has also learned that RFA Jonah Gadjovich will be qualified:

BREAKING: Sharks Will Qualify RFA Gadjovich

Here’s the full list of the RFAs that the Sharks qualified and didn’t qualify:

Per Sharks: RFAs Chmelevski, Ferraro, Gadjovich, Gregor, Kahkonen, Kunin were qualified.

Blichfeld, Dahlen, Gallant, McGrew, Meloche, Morand, Pasichnuk, Sawchenko were not. This group will become UFAs on Jul. 13

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) July 11, 2022