When talking about the San Jose Sharks offseason, the first thing that jumps to the forefront of most people's mind is simply how much money they've committed toward the salary cap this summer.
While it is true that the Sharks committed a total of $55.3 million of cap space to eight players with varying contract lengths, it's just as important to take a look at the cap space that will be cleared up in the near future.
Even though he's eligible to go on the long-term injured reserve if necessary, Logan Couture's $8-million cap hit will officially come off of the books next summer. Barclay Goodrow, Adam Gaudette, and Dmitry Orlov are all set to become unrestricted free agents as well. While there's a chance Mike Grier brings one of them back, he's going to clear up a substantial amount of space regardless. If all three are to depart the organization along with Couture, then the Sharks will clear just over $20.1 million off of their payroll on July 1, 2027.
While the majority of that cap space will likely be taken up by pending restricted free agents Yaroslav Askarov and Will Smith, it would take a massive step forward from both players for them to take up the entirety of that total. Add in the fact that the salary cap is expected to rise substantially, possibly up to eight figures, as well as the Sharks' $4.7 million of dead cap coming off the books, and the Sharks will easily have upwards of $30 million to work with next summer, even if all eligible bonuses are hit.
The Sharks made a number of strong additions this summer, all of which helped push them closer to their goal of competing for a playoff spot this fall and through the spring. Even with Macklin Celebrini being the highest-paid player in the NHL currently on the books for the 2027-28 season, they have a considerable amount of time before the salary cap becomes a major issue.
Of course, with that being said, not every player who takes the ice this fall will be with the team for the long-haul. Eventually cap space will play a role in making decisions on whether or not to keep a player, but for the time being, there's nothing to worry about.
