San Jose Sharks
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.
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:
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
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There must be an alternate plan and they are trying to clear money??
They are trying to use his cap space more wisely (in their opinion) for sure
Maybe he wanted to return to europe?
He may end up going back, but he wanted to return to the Sharks first, as I previously reported https://sanjosehockeynow.com/jonathan-dahlen-san-jose-sharks-free-agent/
he didn’t like what they offered him and will head back to Europe. prob why they won’t trade his rights.
NA hockey is too rough for him anyway.
They didn’t offer him anything
we thought it was a Sharks trade win getting Dahlen, but look whose VAN’s #1 center prospect and 1-time Sharks asset…none other than Linus Karlsson. Karlsson put up a smooth 26 goals and 46 points in 52 GP in the SHL last season.
Fisher, like Karlsson, was taken in the 3rd round in this summer’s entry draft. let’s hope he too can reach his talent ceiling in a handful of years.
Speaking of the draft just heard DW Jr is gone. Don’t know if he initiated it? Maybe he didn’t like the passing up on Lambert. Either way not surprised it happened just sooner than expected. With Dahlen not qualified makes me wonder if Eklund would be used as trade bait.
wow, no more Wilsii in teal! wonder who else will be on the chopping block? i expect Will and Burke might be next.
If they trade Eklund I’m not gonna follow the Sharks for a while
Just a guess but in the past there was chatter about Dhalen wanting a guarantee of NHL ice time. With that in mind seeing all of the comparable talent that he has not separated himself from, this may be a favor to the player. Doug Sr. was known to do things like this in the past. It’s too bad it didn’t work out here I wish him luck in the future as long as it’s not against the Sharks! 😉
That’s not why San Jose let him go
Couldn’t the Sharks have Qualified him, and if it went to arbitration and they didnt like the price walked away then?
on a player initiated arbitration the club can walk away from a 1-yr arbiter decided award. whether or not a player is entitled/eligible for a 2-yr award depends on when he signed his ELC and how many years of eligibility remain (based on age of signing ELC and years of pro service). i do believe Dahlen is eligible for a 2-yr award in arbitration. in that case, the club can only walk away from the final year of the award, so the Sharks would be on the hook for a min. of 1 year salary/cap hit if that is the… Read more »
Teams cannot walk away from arbitration awards of less than $4.5 mil
good move. too one-dimensional and overall, not good enough to take up a top 6 role and doesn’t have the attributes to provide what you need on a 3rd line role..just didn’t fit.