The NHL on Monday released its official order of selection for this year’s draft at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The Sharks currently hold nine draft picks, with seven of their selections acquired from other teams through trades.
The Sharks are slated to pick second and 30th overall (from Dallas) in the first round, 33rd and 53rd (from Ottawa) in the second round, 95th (from Edmonton) in the third round, 115th (from St. Louis via Columbus) and 124th (from Winnipeg via Dallas) in the fifth round, 150th (from Colorado) in the fifth round and 210th (from New Jersey) in the seventh round.
The first round of the draft will be held on Friday, starting at 4 p.m., and rounds two through seven will be held on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.
Assuming the draft lottery-winning New York Islanders take defenseman Matthew Schaefer first overall, the Sharks, if they keep the pick, are projected to take Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa at No. 2. Fellow forwards Anton Frondell, Caleb Desnoyers, and Porter Martone could also be in the mix at that spot for San Jose.
Beyond that, the Sharks could be tempted to trade their other picks, either packaging some to move up in the draft or to acquire an NHL player from a team that wants to create salary cap space.
Last week, the Seattle Kraken acquired forward Mason Marchment from the cap-strapped Dallas Stars for a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick.
The 30-year-old Marchment, who scored 22 goals each of the last two years, is entering the final year of a four-year, $18 million contract that carries a $4.5 million average annual value.
Sharks eying Frondell?
Whether it’s true or just a smokescreen to throw off other teams, a feeling seems to be growing that the Sharks are interested in taking center Frondell with the second overall pick.
Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned on the “32 Thoughts” podcast, which was published Monday, that he keeps hearing the Sharks might opt to take Frondell instead of Misa. Sportsnet draft analyst Sam Cosentino told Bay Area News Group this month he didn’t think that Misa going to the Sharks was a foregone conclusion.
The Swedish-born Frondell, listed at 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, was the top-ranked international skater by NHL Central Scouting in April, following a season in which he had 25 points in 29 games with Djurgardens of HockeyAllsvenskan.
Frondell, 18, is perceived as more physical than some other players near the top of the draft, while also possessing a terrific shot and better-than-average playmaking ability.
Whether Frondell to the Sharks at No. 2 materializes is unclear. But there figures to be a ton of action around the draft, with more trade activity and surprises than in recent years.
Leveraging cap space?
The Sharks are not expected to come close to spending to the upper limit of the $95.5 million cap for next season. So, is there potentially a way for general manager Mike Grier to leverage his cap space and pick up an asset along the way?
Suppose the Montreal Canadiens want to free up salary cap space in their bid to take the next step as a franchise after making the playoffs this past season. Would they consider trading injured goalie Carey Price and his $10.5 million cap hit to another team that has room to spare? Such as San Jose?
We’re guessing yes.
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Price, 37, has not played since April 2022, as a debilitating knee injury has all but ended his remarkable career, which could culminate in his election to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday. He is entering the final year of an eight-year, $84 million deal he signed in July 2017, but he has been on long-term injured reserve each of the last three seasons.
With Price’s contract on their books, the Canadiens, per PuckPedia, have just over $6 million in cap space available for next season. The Sharks could use Price’s contract to help hit next season’s cap floor of $70.6 million.
According to PuckPedia, Price is due a $5.5 million signing bonus on September 1, and is owed just $2 million in salary after that, which insurance likely covers. If the Sharks acquire Price, they could potentially receive an asset in return, such as a mid-round draft pick, for their efforts. It’s an attractive proposition, and a potential win-win for both the Canadiens and Sharks.
One more Warsofsky coach
The South Carolina Stingrays, ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, announced Monday that 35-year-old David Warsofsky, younger brother of Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky, has been hired as the team’s new head coach and director of hockey operations.
Ryan Warsofsky, 37, was South Carolina’s head coach from 2016 to 2018. David Warsofsky was drafted 95th overall in the fourth round by the St Louis Blues in 2008 and went on to play 476 games in the AHL. He also played 55 games in the NHL. In his last season of professional hockey in 2023-24, Warsofsky was named captain of the Augsburger Panthers of the DEL in Germany.