It doesn’t sound like Kiefer Sherwood is staying in San Jose. At the very least, the Sharks are considering flipping the forward ahead of the trade deadline on March 6, which might come as surprise given that the franchise is just five points out of the playoff mix.
But, the team is trending in the wrong direction, having lost four straight. Sherwood has only played in two games for the team, and a decision has to be made on his future. As a pending UFA, if a contract extension isn’t coming, the Sharks have to know that they could get something of value for him over the next couple of days. “The Sharks are open to the possibility of flipping Sherwood if they can’t get him signed,” Pierre LeBrun wrote in The Athletic on Friday. “It’s more likely than not he’s moved if the Sharks can’t extend him over the next week.”
The ask from the Sherwood camp on a new deal is about $30 million. That number apparently set the Sharks back a bit. They understood a raise was in order, but this beyond what they were expecting the number to be. LeBrun writes, “I get the sense that the first contract-extension conversation was a real wires-crossed moment as far as expectations from both sides.”
The Sharks Have Only A Few Days to Decide Sherwood’s Fate
San Jose might be better off flipping his $1.5 million AAV right now and getting a good return for him while the demand for his services are still hight. LeBrun also writes, “I do think an extension and Sherwood staying put in San Jose is the best-case scenario for everyone involved. And I think Sherwood wants to stay.”
If San Jose is going to move on, at the very least, the Sharks need to get two second-round picks in the deal. That’s what they paid for him when GM Mike Grier made a play to acquire him from the Vancouver Canucks.
Next: Boeser Sounds Like a Guy Sick of Being Trade Bait
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