The San Jose Sharks made quite a few defensive additions ahead of the 2025-26 season, but one of the only returning players on the blue line was Mario Ferraro.
Ferraro played his seventh and potentially final season with the San Jose Sharks during the most recent campaign. Offensively, Ferraro set a couple of career highs and defensively, he seemed much better as well. He'll be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, unless the Sharks sign him to a new deal before then.
Statistics
Games Played - 82 - For the first time in his career, Ferraro played a full 82 games. His previous career high was 78 games played.
Goals - 7 - A new career high for Ferraro. He surpassed his previous benchmark of five goals, which came last season.
Assists - 16 - Tied for the second most in Ferraro's career. The third most by a Sharks defenseman this season.
Points - 23 - Another career high for Ferraro. His previous career high was 21 during the 2023-24 season.
Shots - 94 - The second most of his career, trailing just the 124 shots that he recorded during the 2023-24 season.
Shooting Percentage - 7.4% - The highest of Ferraro's career, nearly three percent higher than his career average.
Time on Ice - 21:02 - Outside of his rookie season, the lowest average ice time of Ferraro's career.
Plus/Minus - -1 - The best of Ferraro's career. He has never been a plus player throughout his career and is a -121 during his time with the Sharks.
Hits - 137 - The most by a Sharks defenseman, the fourth most on the team.
Giveaways - 88 - The third most on the Sharks.
Takeaways - 36 - The most amongst Sharks defensemen, the second most on the team in general, trailing just Macklin Celebrini.
NHL EDGE
Hardest Shot - 95.59 MPH - Ferraro recorded two of the three hardest shots by a member of the San Jose Sharks, Celebrini recorded the hardest shot, but Ferraro wasn't far behind. Ferraro was in the 82nd percentile.
Max Skating Speed - 21.37 MPH - Ferraro ranked below league average.
Total Miles Skated - 231.44 - Ferraro covered quite a bit of ice, finishing the season in the 80th percentile.
As a pending unrestricted free agent, it's unknown what Mario Ferraro's future has in store for him. He could potentially return to San Jose with a new contract, or he could hit free agency for the first time in his career, which seems to be the more likely option. Ferraro's departure from San Jose has been rumored for years at this point, and it is realistically on the horizon at this stage.