SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks have tens of millions of dollars in cap space to play with and a bunch of roster holes to fill.
Now it’s a matter of who the Sharks can sign once unrestricted free agency begins today at 9 a.m. (PDT). It’s not a star-studded class, but there are players available who could help make San Jose a more competitive team after they finished at the bottom of the NHL standings this past season for a second straight year.
The Sharks, per PuckPedia, have over $44 million in cap space with just 15 players set to be on the 23-man NHL roster next season. By the time the Sharks begin the regular season in October, their total cap hit has to rise from its present total of $51.4 million to the cap floor of $70.6 million.
The Sharks are not interested in signing players in their late 20s or early 30s to seven-year contracts. However, ideally, they would like to add a goalie who can compete with Yaroslav Askarov for playing time and bolster their defense corps, particularly on the right side.
With that in mind, here are five players the Sharks could target in free agency.
Mikey Eyssimont, winger
INFO: The Sharks need to add depth wingers after parting ways with pending restricted free agents Klim Kostin, Noah Gregor, and Nikolai Kovalenko, and Eyssimont’s no-nonsense style fits in with the identity the Sharks want to create.
Eyssimont, who turns 29 in September, played with the Sharks briefly during the 2022-23 season and had eight points in 20 games before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Besides that familiarity, Eyssimont also played for Ryan Warsofsky on Team USA’s gold medal-winning World Championship team, and having that prior relationship shouldn’t be discounted.
Playing between Tampa Bay and Seattle last season, Eyssimont had 16 points in 77 games and averaged 10:37 in ice time. A two-year contract with an AAV between $1.5 and $2 million could get this done for San Jose.
Mikael Granlund, forward
INFO: Granlund, 33, was the Sharks’ leading scorer this past season before he was traded to the Dallas Stars in February. The Sharks know what he’s about and how valuable his leadership is, and could easily slide him into their top-six forward group.
The Sharks will have competition for Granlund’s services. Being in a rebuild, San Jose might need to significantly outbid other teams for Granlund’s services, going above the $5 million AAV his next contract is expected to carry
Ryan Lindgren, left defense
INFO: The Sharks need to upgrade their defense corps and could have interest in Lindgren, given the familiarity that general manager Mike Grier and assistant GM Ryane Clowe have with the left-shot defenseman, who spent seven seasons with the Rangers.
Lindgren, 27, isn’t flashy and will not provide much offense. However, the Sharks need veteran minute munchers after trading Cody Ceci and Jake Walman last season, and Lindgren has averaged nearly 20 minutes per game in 2024-25. He isn’t the biggest defenseman available, but he plays a steady game and can move pucks. He made $4.5 million last season, and the Sharks might need to go a bit above that to sign him.
Nick Perbix, right defense
INFO: After letting Jan Rutta become a UFA, the Sharks have two right-shot defensemen on their NHL roster right now in Timothy Liljegren and Vincent Desharnais, so it’s fair to say they’ll want to add to that group. Perbix, 27, could be a nice fit at an economical price.
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Perbix has averaged just under 16 minutes of ice time per game in his three-year NHL career but could be ready for a bigger role. His 19 points last season would have made him the Sharks’ highest-scoring defenseman after Walman was traded. At 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds, he adds some size to the mix. A two-year deal with a $3 million AAV could get this done for the Sharks.
Dan Vladar, goalie
INFO: The Sharks need to come out of the offseason with an experienced goalie, and Vladar, who turns 28 in August, could be an attractive option. Playing behind Dustin Wolf with the Flames last season, Vladar had a .898 save percentage in 30 games. In his last 11 games, he went 6-4-1 with a .916 save percentage.
Vladar has the requisite size at 6-foot-5 and pounds wouldn’t break the bank, as he’s coming off a two-year deal that carried a $2.2 million AAV.
