Re-Signing Lorentz Triggers 2nd Buyout Window for Sharks, Adds to Logjam Up Front

Steven Lorentz isn’t just any re-signing.

The San Jose Sharks announced today that they had agreed to a two-year contract with Lorentz. Per the Mercury News, his AAV will be $1.05 million dollars.

The Sharks received Lorentz, goaltending prospect Eetu Makiniemi, and a 2023 third-round draft pick from the Carolina Hurricanes for Brent Burns on Jul. 13. San Jose will also retain 34 percent of the remaining three years of Burns’s contract.

“He’s an everyday NHL player,” an NHL scout told San Jose Hockey Now about the fourth-line winger. “He’s big, but an excellent skater, plays with consistent power and energy.”

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“One thing I’d like to do is maybe see my offensive side start to blossom a little bit more,” the 26-year-old told local media after the trade. Lorentz has scored 12 goals in 110 NHL appearances, all with the Canes.

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So what makes the San Jose Sharks re-signing Lorentz interesting?

Lorentz’s settlement opens a second buyout window specifically for the Sharks – the first buyout window was from Jul. 1 to Jul. 12 – three days from now. This second buyout window lasts for 48 hours.

However, you can’t buy out just anybody. Per Puckpedia, “the only contracts that are eligible to be bought out in this window are for players with Cap Hits greater than $4M AND they were on the team’s roster at the last trade deadline.”

For the San Jose Sharks, that means the likes of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Kevin Labanc could be bought out. Not that it’s likely – you would think that one of these players would’ve been bought out in the first buyout window to create cap space before free agency started on Jul. 13. The Sharks have also made their feelings about Vlasic clear. But it’s an option for GM Mike Grier and something to monitor.

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By the way, Labanc was on IR at the Trade Deadline, but according to Puckpedia, that counts as being on the roster for cap purposes.

Besides the buyout window, re-signing Lorentz also adds to the logjam that the San Jose Sharks have up front.

By my count, the Sharks have 10 established NHL forwards: Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture, Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc, Luke Kunin, Oskar Lindblom, Alexander Barabanov, Nick Bonino, Nico Sturm, and Matt Nieto.

They also have 10 – ten! – younger, and/or inexperienced forwards who you can reasonably expect to challenge for an NHL spot: William Eklund, Thomas Bordeleau, Lorentz, Max Veronneau, Noah Gregor, Sasha Chmelevski, Jasper Weatherby, Scott Reedy, Jonah Gadjovich, and Jeffrey Viel.

Now quantity doesn’t mean quality, but there might a trade in the offing or a surprise prospect who starts the season in the AHL.