In the 24th of a 32 part series leading up to the start of the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season, we will look at the key off-season transactions made by all NHL organizations with an overall grade. Here are the San Jose Sharks.
When you are among the worst teams in the NHL, you know changes are coming. The Sharks actually changed one third of their entire roster in the offseason. Here are the eight newest Sharks.
Jeff Skinner
The former Calder Trophy winner and two-time NHL All-Star is joining the Sharks after playing with the Edmonton Oilers last season. The left winger from Toronto had 16 goals and 13 assists for 29 points in 72 games. Skinner signed a one year deal worth $3 million, and is projected to be on the Sharks’s number one line with Macklin Celebini and Will Smith.
Michael Misa
The second overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft is projected to be a second line center in San Jose with William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli as his linemates. Misa of Oakville, Ontario, was offensively sensational with the Saginaw Spirit last season. He had 62 goals and 72 assists for 134 points in the Ontario Hockey League.
Philipp Kurashev
The native of Munsingen, Switzerland has played the last five seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. He had seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 54 games last season. Kurashev signed a one-year deal worth $1.2 million. He is projected to be on the third line with Alexander Wennberg and Collin Graf.
Adam Gaudette
The native of Braintree, Massachusetts had 19 goals and seven assists for 26 points with the Ottawa Senators last season in 81 games. Gaudette signed a two-year deal worth $4 million. He is projected to be on the fourth line with Barclay Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea.
Nick Leddy
The native of Eden Prairie, Minnesota had two goals and three assists for five points in 31 games with the St. Louis Blues last season. Leddy was claimed off waivers on July 3. He is projected to be on the Sharks’s second defensive pairing with John Klingberg.
John Klingberg
The native of Gothenburg, Sweden had one goal and three assists for four points with the Oilers last season in 11 games. He signed a one-year deal worth $4 million on Canada Day. Klingberg also played 19 games for the Oilers in the postseason as they reached the Stanley Cup Finals.
Dmitry Orlov
The native of Novokuznetsk, Russia signed a two-year contract worth $13 million with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 3. He had six goals and 22 assists for 28 points in 76 games last season. Orlov won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018. He is projected to be on the Capitals’s third defensive pairing with Shakir Mukhamadullin.
Alex Nedeljkovic
The native of Parma, Ohio was traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Sharks for a third round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft on Canada Day. Nedeljkovic had a record of 14-15-5 with a goals against average of 3.12, save percentage of .894 and one shutout for Pittsburgh last season. He is expected to backup Yaroslav Askarov.
Projected Offseason Grade
The Sharks needed to make changes over the last few months and General Manager Mike Grier did just that. The most notable acquisition was Misa, who could be a star. NHL experience was a priority for Grier as Orlov, Klingberg, Skinner and Leddy combined for 3656 games. The Sharks grade is a C+. Skinner and Klingberg have had defensive struggles in recent years, while Orlov and Leddy are past their prime.
