The rumor mill is heating up. With only two weeks until the NHL Draft, there’s more and more buzz circulating around the league. For the San Jose Sharks, they find themselves in a spot where they’ll more than likely be taking on a few tough contracts — but ones tied to players who can still make an impact on the roster and in the room.

With the salary cap going up, more teams will be looking to move deals they just can’t afford anymore. If the Sharks are strategic, they’d listen to those offers and try to add an asset or two in return for taking them on. And to be clear, we’re not talking about contracts like Shea Weber's. These would be deals for actual everyday NHL players, similar to how the New York Rangers traded Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks. These are players who can still contribute and help steady a young group both on and off the ice.

Here are a few names the Sharks should be open to acquiring if they become available.

Matias Maccelli – Utah Mammoth

Matias Maccelli could be a player that GM Mike Grier is more than willing to take a shot on. At just 24 years old, he’s already shown that he can produce at the NHL level. Last season wasn’t great — he played in 55 games, scoring just eight goals and adding 10 assists for 18 points. He spent long stretches as a healthy scratch in Utah and never really found his rhythm. But look back a little further, and the upside is easy to see. In his first full NHL season, he posted 49 points. The following year, he bumped that up to 57 points. 

If he can get back to that level, the Sharks could end up looking like geniuses for taking him on. Maccelli has one year left on his deal at a $3.4 million cap hit, an easy number for San Jose to absorb, considering they have approximately $53 million in cap space. The Mammoth are open to moving him to clear room for a top-end free agent. The return on a trade could potentially be for a mid- or late-round pick.

Mason Marchment – Dallas Stars

Imagine another Marchment in a Sharks jersey, how cool would that be?

It could actually happen. There’s talk that the Dallas Stars may be looking to shake up their roster, and Mason Marchment’s name has popped up in a few reports as someone who could be moved. This past season, Marchment only played in 62 games due to injury, but still put up 47 points. That’s really solid production. To put that into perspective: in 2023–24, he had 53 points in 81 games. So had he stayed healthy this year, he likely would’ve finished somewhere in the 60-65 point range — maybe even higher.

If the Stars do look to move him, the fit in San Jose is obvious. His late father, Bryan, was a beloved Shark, and seeing Mason follow that path would feel right. He was already a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, just like his dad. San Jose seems like the next natural step. He’s entering the final year of his deal at a $4.5 million cap hit. This could be the kind of move where the Sharks take on the full salary in exchange for an extra draft pick and maybe even re-sign him depending on how things go. It would definitely be cool for San Jose to sign him for a few more years after this one and allow him to play out the rest of his prime where his father played.

3 Free Agent Targets For The San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks find themselves in an interesting spot this off-season. They’re still deep into a rebuild, but this summer presents an opportunity to push that rebuild along a little faster. While GM Mike Grier seems to want the rebuild to happen somewhat naturally, you can bet he’ll be adding some fresh faces to the roster. With around $53 million in cap space, the Sharks need to at least hit the salary cap floor, but if they decide to spend more, it will likely translate into a better product on the ice.

There are a few other players who could fall into this same category for the Sharks. Players like David Kämpf and Calle Järnkrok from the Maple Leafs, Ilya Lyubushkin from Dallas, or even Connor Murphy from Chicago. They’re all names to keep an eye on as the off-season unfolds.

There are going to be a lot of teams this summer looking to clear money, especially teams who feel they are ready to battle for a playoff position, they will want to target some of the best free agents on the market. If the Sharks believe a player can help now and also serve a purpose in the room, don’t be surprised if Grier takes advantage. These are the types of moves that can quietly set a rebuilding team up for success — smart bets on players other teams can no longer afford.

And with the draft just two weeks away and free agency opening right after that, we’re about to see some fireworks. This could all kick off very soon. The Sharks have the cap space, the flexibility, and a front office that has shown it's not afraid to stick to their plan to continue their rebuild at thier own pace. So buckle up — it’s going to get busy in a hurry, and San Jose could be right in the thick of it.

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