Sharks’ Roster CRUNCH Forces Tough Choices | Will Ferraro or Liljegren Be Traded?

Timothy Luligan or Mario Ferraro micers going to have to make a choice. Your Locked On Sharks, your daily podcast on the San Jose Sharks, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Hello, welcome to Locked On Sharks, the premier hockey podcast covering your favorite team in the Bay Area. My name is JD Young, caretaker at the Reef, also the co-host of Locked On NHL. Want to thank you for making Locked On Sharks your first listen. Proudly part of the Lockdown Network. We cover your team every day. If you want to be an everyday, all you have to do is just follow along wherever you get podcast. And of course, you can watch on YouTube as well. And today we’re going to be looking at uh Timothy Logan and Mario Ferraro. Both players in very similar situations. Uh both players who have been rumored in trade circulations and both players who probably want to get a new contract. So we’re going to be looking at uh what Mike Greer should do as the Sharks will probably have to make a decision uh on both these players and their long-term future in San Jose. So, we’re going to be looking at kind of why the Sharks need to make a decision, the case for both each player, and then what potential extensions would look like. And I’m going to give my two cents what I think my career should do. So, um, before we get to all that, do want to let you guys know that today’s episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code lockdown NHL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. All right, two players, defenseman Timothy Liger and Mario Ferraro, both in similar situations here uh as both players are uh in the last year of their deals. Both expected to be unre or scheduled to be unrestricted free agents uh next off season. Both players the same age at 26. This will be their age 27 season. Um, and both players with question marks about their future in San Jose. Uh, both Ferraro and Lil Dire have been tied to potential trade rumors, uh, this off seasonason as Mike Greer continues to try to, uh, revamp this defense and and, you know, uh, we saw the moves that they made this off seasonason with additions like, uh, Demetri Orof, John Clingberg, Nicki, and then, of course, the Sam Dickensson question of it all. You’re starting to run out of space. um in the on the blue line and both Ferraro and Ligren uh again players who have been circulated as potential trade targets for other teams um are kind of the two players that would potentially make the most sense um if you’re migr. So, let’s start with we’re going to kind of dig into each player a little bit more here in segment two and stuff, but um why let’s start with the why of it, right? Um and kind of what the Sharks are dealing with right now. So, um as of right now here, the Sharks defenseman under contract. Um you have Dimmitri Olaf, who signed to a two-year deal this off seasonason. Nick Ley signed a one-year deal. John Clingberg signed to a one-year deal. Ferraro signed to is going to enter in the last year of his deal at 3.25 million. Timothy Lilligrin entering the last year of his deal at three million AAV. You have Vinnie Deres’s uh Shakir Muk Madulan and Jack Thompson all also signed for this season. Muka Madan and Thompson are both RFAS after this year. We kind of figure Muk Madullan hopefully takes a big step um and gets earns himself a nice long-term contract. Uh, and then of course you have Sam Dickinson, uh, the 19-year-old rookie who’s expected to play NHL games at some point this year. Um, so that leaves you right there with nine defenseman at the moment, right? Uh, last time I checked, he usually plays six. So you have nine defenseman, um, three of which are brand new guys, right? Uh, you have Dickinson who again I think the expectation is he at least starts the season in San Jose and I think you’d have to have a pretty horrible training camp. Uh, which is very possible, but I think it’s safe to say Dickinson will be on the opening night roster. Um, the question just is, does he play nine games and goes back to the OHL or do the Sharks make a uh him, you know, kind of make it work with him? And I tend to lean in the he they make it work with him this season and he just kind of goes through, you know, his rookie ups and downs, but still, right, you you look at all those guys, three new guys this year between Lety, um, you have again, uh, Letty, Orlav, and Clingberg. All guys who are, you know, going to be on the opening night roster, guys who, uh, Mike Greer went out of his way to either sign or acquire via waiverss. Uh, in Lett’s case, you have Muka Madulan, who you feel like is, uh, you know, going to be stepping into a much bigger role this season. Jack Thompson, who, you know, maybe he’s in the AHL, maybe he’s not, and Vinnie Dear, who’s kind of a seventh defenseman type of uh, player where if you need him to play some games, it’s not the end of the world. Um but if you don’t, you don’t. So that kind of leaves these two guys here in in um LGR and Ferraro both who are again entering the last year of their their contracts both expected to be U or scheduled to be UFAS next year. Um and both again who have been potential trade targets. We know Ferraro recently just said like said he would be open to a new uh to a change of scenery. Didn’t say he asked for a trade, but that he would be open for a change of scenery. Uh, and Logan, who’s kind of always been, you know, I know the Sharks, I did trade for him last season, uh, where they gave up a a third round pick, um, and then also sent Matt Benning back, um, in in exchange for him, but like still has been a, you know, a guy who the Sharks did give up something uh, recently valuable, you know, um, in a third round 2026, uh, or sorry, a third round 2025 third round pick. Um, and then they got a uh uh and Matt Benning. Um, so like the Sharks, you know, they they have, I’d say, invested in Timothy Ligin, but hasn’t put in the sweat equity that of course that Mario Ferraro has. Um, and both these players are going to be players who I think are valuable around the NHL for what they provide. Um, and that’s probably a question of what their value brings and and what they’re kind of seen to do. Um, and we know like my career isn’t just going to give away players. Um, and I I do believe both these players would be worthy of other teams looking for him. you know, a guy like Ferraro, what he brings in the leadership and in the locker room as well as his style of play of, you know, kind of a hustle, you know, block shots, does all those type of things that teams definitely look for, you know, come playoff time. Um, and I think Ferraro is a perfectly fine four, five, six for you, um, on your team. You’re probably feeling really good. while the Sharks have him as a, you know, recently he’s been a one, two, three type of defenseman where he’s usually in the top half and um has definitely had been asked to do way too much for the Sharks in his uh time here in San Jose, you know, and I I I do think there are teams that will 100% look for that. What is it worth? That’s a great question. Um again I second third who knows type of pick. Who knows right it’s for the case of Ligan right? Um he’s a player who’s had some issues, you know, getting on the ice for a very good, right, Montreal team, right? Uh then that was kind of one of the big reasons why Montreal moved him last year was they just couldn’t get him on the ice, right? They just had six guys who they wanted to who they thought were better um than him. I thought Ligan played relatively well in his time in San Jose last year and um is a guy who maybe with an improved defense this year. Maybe we start to kind of see a little bit more from Ligrin or there’s also the other, you know, side of the coin where maybe Ligrin’s always just kind of that sixth, seventh type of defenseman for you. Um, but I still believe like teams would rather have a guy like Lilrin who can um, you know, kind of maybe be that sixth or seventh defenseman, maybe be a little bit of a backup guy where if he one of your top four guys goes down for a little bit, he can kind of come in and play for you uh, and and um, kind of hold down the fort uh, you know, with puck moving responsibility uh, compared to, you know, maybe some of their other guys on on their roster. So, Logrin kind of feels more like a a guy you don’t want in your top four, like you’re not going into the season feeling like you need Lrin in your top four, but if he needs to play top four minutes, uh given, you know, uh asking him to kind of play that like puck moving defenseman style role, he can do it for you. But it’s probably not what you want to kind of go into the season planning for. So, both these guys should have value around the NHL. what should the Sharks do here? So, we’re going to dive into deeper into each player. Um, kind of look at what they excel at, what they do, what they struggle with, and uh kind of make the case for each player, and then we’ll talk about uh what extensions would possibly look like for both of them. So, uh we’ll get to that here in just one second. Ever wish man made your money felt easier with Monarch Money? It can be. Whether you’re growing your savings or planning a big purchase, Monarch puts you in the driver’s seat. It’s like having your own personal CFO, giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch Money is more than a budgeting app. It’s a complete financial command center. Track all your accounts, investments, and spending in one place. So, in addition to managing money, you’re also building wealth. Uh great thing about it is maybe if you and your partner uh you guys have separate accounts but then also are working towards a uh shared goal maybe right trying to buy a house, trying to buy a car or maybe just planning your next adventure with Monarch Money. They make it easy to again keep control of your personal accounts but also work together uh towards a shared goal. So take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code locked on NHL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. That’s monarchmoney.com code locked on NHL for half off your first year. All right, before we continue, do of course want to thank you for making Locked on Sharks your first listen again. Proudly part of the locked on network. We cover your team every day or at least three days a week right now. Uh make sure you guys are following along. We still got plenty of great stuff coming up this week. Uh we got interview coming up that was uh planned should be uh recorded probably uh on Monday. So we’ll have that later on this week. We’ll probably also talk some more prospect stuff as well. So make sure you follow along wherever you get podcast and of course you can watch on YouTube as well. All right. Uh what do each of these players do? Uh what do they provide? So let’s talk start with uh Mario Ferraro. Ferraro 6 foot 209 pounds. Uh he’ll be 27 this year. One-year contract again at 3.25 million. He played 78 games last year. Had five goals, 12 assists with 79 shots on goal. Playing 2142 at night. Uh Corsy for when he was on the ice, the Sharks took 47.1 uh 47.11% of the shot attempts. And when he was on the ice, the Sharks scored 40.77% of the goals at five on five. Um, Loinrren’s evolving hockey card was uh actually very surprising um given kind of or Ferrar sorry his his evolving hockey card very surprising kind of given what you expect with Ferraro but uh this year playing first pair of minutes 22nd overall rating 81st percentile offensively fourth percentile defensively not what I envisioned uh he’s a very good job of uh kind creating goals above replacement. You saw him be more aggressive jumping into the play this year. Um the defense though, not really kind of what you would expect. Uh again, right, you kind of expect Ferrar when you think of Mario Ferrari, you think of more of a stay at home defenseman. Uh Ferraro though definitely played much more of a two-way game this year. Um plays a ton on the P PK we know, like not getting power play minutes as he shouldn’t. Um, but again, a little surprising when I saw this one. Um, looking at his advanced hockey sack card from JFresh Hockey. Um, they have him as an 18% war player over the past three years, but this last year it jumped up to nearly 50%. Like this was easily Ferraro’s best season. Uh, and the offense really was the kind of key for that as he really started to drive offense this year. um and just maybe just didn’t get the finishing that you would potentially expect uh from a player like him. He played tough competition, not the best teammates. Uh but the defense did take a bit of a slide this year as he was asked to try to generate a little bit more offense. You looking at his player usage chart from Dober Prospects, uh Ferraro faced tough competition with not a lot of offensive zone starts and he did a good job with it. Uh he’s considered an average top four two-way defenseman. Uh while he would generate a good Corsy for a guy who again not given a lot of offensive zone starts and faces a ton of t you know easily face the toughest competition among Sharks players u especially among the defenseman like he’s always out there for the top pair against the top he’s always out there playing uh the t the other team’s top opponents. So, um, what Ferraro did really well this year was and where a lot of his offense came from was rebounds created per 60. So, Ferraro getting the puck to the net um and creating offensive rebounds for other players. Um, the other offense not too bad and his passing wasn’t too bad as well when you’re looking at his all three zone charts. Um, zone entries okayish. did a good job with the puck retrievalss. Um, a lot of botched and stuff like that, but that’s mostly because Ferraro is has to do it a bajillion. There’s right Ferrer is asked to do a lot in in the defensive zone, but usually for the most part like solid defensive zone retrievalss. Um, not the greatest maybe zone entry defense, but uh like not not the worst card I think we’ve seen from in terms of all three zones from from him. So, um, a a guy who, right, I think took a step this year, especially in the offensive zone, um, on a team that needed a defenseman to make some more offensive zone plays and probably just got actually got a little bit unlock lucky when it came to the actual production um, this year and maybe as if he continues to do it again um, and the Sharks forwards get a little bit stronger between the growth of CBrini and Smith and Ekin in year three and the addition of Jeff Skinner and uh, you know, our revamped third line, you know, you could see that point production really kind of take a jump. As for Timothy Lilligrin, so Lilligrin, uh, 6’1, 21 pounds, uh, 26, one year, $3 million, right-handed shot, uh, played 67 games between the Sharks and the Maple Leafs, but only one game with the Maple, like it was a handful of games with the Maple Leafs. Similar production, six goals, 11 assists, 102 shots on goal while playing 1916 a night. Corsy4, 47.36%. So when he’s on the ice, the Sharks took 47% of the shots. Goals for uh 40.63. So pretty again similar numbers to uh Mario Ferraro in that regard. Looking at his evolving hockey card, uh, playing first pairing minutes, 23 percentile player, so similar to Ferraro, but 33 percentile offense, 45th percentile defensively. So, um, Ligrin again, you kind of think more of the offensive side from him, but his defense was much better than Ferraros this year. And the offense maybe not as as um what you would expect. doesn’t play much on the you know on the PK but got some power play minutes and again maybe got a little bit unlucky there as he provided positive expected goals for but the actual goals above replacement were negative so uh again maybe a little bit unlucky in that department looking at his evolving hockey card uh over the past three years 71 percentile war uh which last year with Toronto was up to 75 percentile this year kind of bumped down to the 50th percentile range Um but the offense uh and defense have both been above 50% the past three years. Um you know like his card is much bluer uh blue tends to be good uh than Mario Ferraris. The goals very nice 69% goals finishing. He’s gets a little bit luckier there. Um faces you know average competition but usually has better teammates. I think you can definitely point to his time with Toronto for that uh aspect of it. Um, so and then looking at his usage, uh, got more offensive zone starts and not as way more offensive zone starts than Mario Ferrar, which you would expect. Um, and not as bad when it came to quality of competition. Like it’s it’s still pretty high tough competition, but um, also ranked in the average top four-way defenseman category for via uh, Dber Hockey. um his zone, all three zones, so much better in the offensive, like more blue stuff there. Uh did a really good job with uh whenever he did do zone entries, um his own entries usually led to quality chances. So something that like when he’s carries the puck in the zone, um usually good things happen from him. Defensive zone though, like his retrievalss are nowhere near as good as like Ferraris, I think, were a little bit better at actually getting the puck. Um and then Timothy Luligrin uh the zone entry defense was was not great at all especially compared to Mario Ferraro. So, um, you have two players here who, um, right, they they’re kind of a little bit of a ying and yang, right? Where Ferraro known more for his defense, did a little bit better job at providing defense um, in the actual defensive zone and or getting the puck out of the zone and kind of the retrievalss with it. Um, but like it doesn’t feel like Ferraro, while the numbers say Ferraro drove offense betterly better than Lil Grim, that’s one where like watching the games, yes, Ferraro is much more engaged in the offense, but um I think overall in the sample size over the past couple years, I think Ligrin is still a better offensive defenseman. Um, though like definitely is a player who again known for his offense. Um, struggles with some of the zone entry defense that I think Ferrar is a little bit better at. Um, and with some of the puck getting the puck out of the zone did still struggle in that area, but during the transition was a much better player and when he had the puck in transition usually led to good things offensively. So, right, similar like similar, you know, in a lot of ways, but also both these players do things much differently, right? And I I think that’s going to kind of be a big thing for my career in kind of whatever decision he makes is what do I have now? What do I expect to have soon? And do I have something like that on the roster right now? So, um, both these parties are right entering the last year of their deals. What would an extension look like for either one of them? And what do I think the Shark should do? So, that’s what we’re going to get to here uh, in just one second. All right, before we finish up, do of course want to thank you for making Locked on Sharks your first listen. if you haven’t yet. Uh, actually, sorry for your second listen. Perfect time to go check out the Lockown HL podcast. Uh, there’s no offse. We’re bringing you the daily leaguewide stories that matter the most with local coverage from Locked On that you love. Find Locked On YouTube, wherever you listen to podcast. All right. So, what does an extension look like for both these players? Right. Both players entering the last year of their current deals. both scheduled to be UFAS next uh off season. Um what would an extension look like? So assuming the Sharks would assign this extension um during the season, right? Um what would an extension potentially look like? So let’s start with Mario Ferraro. Um Ferraro is uh from Evolving Hockey. Uh he’s expected to sign a six-year deal at 4.8 829 million. 20% likelihood of that. Uh the next closest like kind of likelihood deal would be a 4-year deal at about $4.7 million. So um little bit of a raise as you would expect and some long-term um you know commitment for both these players or for Ferrar who’s again longest tenure shark um currently on the roster. Uh has been with the Sharks basically since the moment he got there. here is basically when the Sharks uh kind of the dynasty crumbled and he’s been through this rebuild uh through since the beginning, right? Um and with Ferraro like maybe you look to reward a guy who has been here um has played a lot of tough minutes on some very horrible Sharks teams. Um and you know figure he will probably fit in in the future. He’ll probably fit in more as your kind of again fourth, fifth type of defenseman. For Timothy Ligerrren, the con projected contract, uh he’s projected to sign a three-year deal at just a hair under five, we’ll just say $5 million at 26% likelihood or a 4-year deal at $4.8 uh million at 24%. So, um, Logan kind of projected to sign a shorter term deal, but probably for a little bit more AAV and I do think you need to make a decision on one of them. Like, I would try to sign one. And you’re probably thinking, well, just go out and sign, right? Everybody’s going to be gone other than Orlov, um, Muk Madullan, and Dickinson for next year, right? So, just go sign on some free agents. Well, looking at the free agency class from next year, you’re in a lot of this kind of same situation of just guys who are past their prime or just not good or you’re going to be again signing guys to massive contracts uh for a long term. I know starting next year, right, the highest uh term you can sign for a a player um will be six years as a free agent and as a uh you know, as one of your own guys, seven years. But just some of the names in next year’s defenseman uh UFA class, John Carlson who’s 35, Jake Walman um who’ll be 29. You have Cam Fowler, Darren Radish, Matias Akol was 35, Mike Mat, Ryan McDoug, like Rasmus Anderson, Brent Burns, Brett Kulock, you know, Nick Jensen, Trevor Ran Van Rey, Conor Murphy, Tony D’Angelo, who’s just going to continually get signed to one-year deals apparently. Um, Andrew P. It’s not like there isn’t a even like going into this year like at least there was more like kind of sexier names and granted you know Eblad stayed home in Florida and you know most of the top guys kind of stayed home but there’s not like like Walman’s probably the best maybe the best guy in next year’s free agency class like this feels like a a like if the Sharks do really want to try to upgrade long term it feels feels like it’s going to have to come via trade route, but um in that case, right, you’re still going to have to try to fill out a roster for next year. And I do think keeping one of Lilren or Ferraro makes a lot of sense. The problem is which one do you keep? And I am more in the boat of I think I would rather try to keep Lilrid. Um, Ferraro I I believe is going to get you a better return via trade because I think his skill set is more valued around the NHL of right playing PK, shot blocking, all that stuff that Ferraro does. I think that skill set is more valued uh compared to what Lilren is and I think he would uh fetch you a better return. I’m not saying it’s going to be a great return, but I I think a probably somewhere around a second round pick, uh late second, early third round pick, I think is a fair return for Mario Ferraro. Um and in the case of Lil Grant, and I don’t think he has the same miles on him that Ferraro does, right? Ferraro has played a lot of awful hockey and a lot of minutes um in his time in San Jose. And while the injuries have usually been stuff from blocking shots, etc., etc., he’s not going to stop blocking shots and put himself in way of getting hurt. And I worry about signing Mario Ferraro to a long-term contract. I also if the money is close enough, right, and Ligin might be getting a little bit more higher AAV than Ferraro, but uh the Sharks really don’t have to worry about the actual AAV because um they’re going to have a bajillion dollars again next off season. Uh I think as of right now, they’re scheduled to have $62 million in cap space. Um granted, the roster’s got nine players on it, so they’re going to have to resign a bunch of players or sign a bunch of players, etc., etc. Um, but still like the cap money, like the money doesn’t really matter as much. And I think signing a guy like for like Lil to a threeyear $5 million deal. Um, which kind of feels in line with some of the other contracts we’ve seen this off season. I think that one would I would rather just do that for three years and kind of use Lilligrin as a bridge or a stop gap while you go out and try to upgrade the defense and other means via the draft, via trade, etc., etc. Um, I think I would rather do that and just go with more of a short-term deal. even though I have to overpay Ligrin for the three years um just to get him to sign maybe a shorter deal. I would rather do that than I would with Ferraro, who again I I think Ferraro, yes, we saw more offensive production or jump from him this year, and again, maybe felt a little bit uh unlucky at times, but I’m not going to take a one-year bump in potential offensive production from Ferraru compared to what we’ve seen the last five years from him. And uh I think we have enough sample size from Ferraro. And I I would rather utilize that money elsewhere. And like I said, I worry about Ferraro as he continues to age a little bit here and with those injuries maybe starting to mount up a little bit here. So, uh what I would do if I was my career, clearly I’m not my career. Um keep both heading into training camp, right? see where you’re at with Dickinson. If you feel like Dickinson is going to be a guy who sticks around for the season, I’m working on trying to move Furough outs as soon as possible. And maybe it’s one of those things like where you get to kind of Thanksgiving. Dickinson’s been playing well. He hangs around like he he’s passed his nine games, right? He hangs around. Um and then you just decide we’re going to keep Dickinson this year. Like we’re going to go, you know, we’re not winning anything. we might as well get our lumps out with Dickinson now. Let’s move Ferraro around that thing. Kind of the the Blackwood timeline, right? Let’s get to the beginning of the season. If if Dickinson sticks, Mario Ferraro, we’ll trade you, you know, kind of uh early part of the season and then Lil Digrin sticks around. Um, and then if Dickinson doesn’t stick, right, you just keep Ferraro until the trade deadline and or until somebody makes an offer that you, you know, that you feel like meets your your price for him. Uh, and then Lilin um, you know, kind of see how it goes with this season. If if Bigrin has a similar season to last year, then I think you start having the trade the uh contract negotiations next off seasonason and um you know look to sign him to like I said about that three-year max is what I’d want to sign for Ligin. Gives you enough time I think to try to go out and and find some other longterm defensive uh pieces that you can kind of build around with San Jose. Um so that’s what I would do. Uh again, what do I know? So, uh, we’ll be back though later this week. Uh, like I said, we’ll probably talk some more prospect stuff. Uh, we have an interview coming up as well. So, make sure you guys follow along wherever you get podcast. And of course, you can watch on YouTube as well. Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Lockdown Sharks. Follow me on Twitter and Blue Sky Fryhole. Uh, until later this week. Bye, friends.

The San Jose Sharks face a defensive logjam, sparking trade rumors around Mario Ferraro and Timothy Liljegren. JD Young dissects the crowded blue line, examining recent additions like Dimitri Orlov and John Klingberg. Ferraro’s surprising offensive leap last season, ranking in the 81st percentile, is contrasted with Liljegren’s effectiveness in zone entries and improved defensive metrics.

Potential contract extensions are explored, with Evolving Hockey projecting a six-year, $4.829 million deal for Ferraro. The host analyzes various trade scenarios, considering the impact of rookie Sam Dickinson’s emergence on the team’s defensive strategy. Young leans towards retaining Liljegren and potentially moving Ferraro, noting the latter’s higher trade value in the current market.

This episode offers an in-depth look at the Sharks’ defensive dilemma and the potential roster moves that could shape their blue line for years to come. Listeners will gain insights into the team’s options, the players’ strengths and weaknesses, and the factors influencing management’s decisions. The analysis provides a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities facing the Sharks as they navigate this crucial period of roster management.

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-sharks/

Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Gametime
Today’s episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.
Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at monarchmoney.com/lockedonnhl for 50% off your first year.
FanDuel
Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get $150 in Bonus Bets if your first $5 bet wins!
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#NHL #Sharks #SanJoseSharks

10 comments
  1. Wasn't Liljegen with the leafs before we got him? Just saying because Toronto had a better defense prior to last year than Montreal and speaks more to his talent struggling to Crack that roster instead of the Habs 2 years ago

  2. trade 'em both.

    The blue line to start 2026-27 projects to Mukh, Dickinson, Thompson, Pohlkamp, Cagnoni, Orlov — or whoever GMMG trades for or signs. I'd be a bit worried about injuries trading both, but its a risk I'd live with. If Nick Leddy stays healthy and his game hasn't fallen off a cliff, he'd be a good player to retain another season.

    I'm just not seeing either player being worth anywhere close to the numbers evolving hockey has for them.

  3. Really solid argument about what to do with the players at the end. My heart wants Ferraro around to be a mentor, but also think a change of scenery would be good for him. He's been an absolute trooper during these dog days, and hope he can be a key depth guy for a contender out there

  4. Both are good. But if one wants more money, most likely Ferraro. I wouldnt mind losing him. But has he done enough for his trade value for the price to go up? I say no. Its a hard strecth , but my gut tells me Feraro will go.

  5. If the Sharks do trade either Liljegren or Ferraro and everyone comes out of camp healthy including Dickinson, they would still have to expose Thompson to waivers to assign to the Cuda. If the Sharks traded both Ferraro and Liljegren it might have more to do with their opinion of Thompson… but I think this is unlikely. Ferraro and just Ferraro going might be most likely.

  6. I personally think for now they keep both and to start out season we are going 8 D for sure. If Dickinson can show he belongs by mid season trade deadline one might be traded but not now.. there are also injuries

  7. Excellent assessment and I agree with your thoughts. I would rather Liljegren as the prospect pool is LD heavy with two (Dickinson and Muk) pushing for playing time this season and another prospect (Cagnoni) seemingly one season behind them.

    Add Furlong and Noah Beckon who will both be playing on the Cuda this season and it is deeper still. Behind them is the oncoming Leo Sahlin Wallenius who is expected to join the Cuda at the end of next season and it is obvious there needs to be room made.

    Not that GMMG had ever said he must have a balanced defensive corps. Much the opposite as he has stated multiple times that it would be nice but not a necessity.

    Diving into the prospect pool the Sharks have just two more LDs than RDs. That is after adding three LDs in the 2025 draft and no RDs.

    It is not the number of LDs vs RDs that is of import to me, it is when they were drafted. Most all the high defensive draft picks were LDs (Dickinson, Wallenius, Wang) while almost no RD was drafted earlier than the 4th round (the exception being Havelid currently on the Cuda roster for next season).

    Why? Because it is how the draft fell in relationship to the Sharks draft board. GMMG is a BPA kind of GM so whoever was there when they picked and was the BPA in his eyes he took. On the bright side the Sharks have four picks in the first two rounds of the next draft.

    That draft just happens to currently have five RDs projected to go in the first round with the majority going in the top 20. The weakest position in the Sharks prospect pool just happens to be the strong suite of the next draft.

    So, when GMMG did not pick the RDs I was hoping for (like Fiddler and brzustewicz) he may already knew what the 2026 draft was looking like. As his head of scouting has stated in an interview, they scout players years before the draft, so I have a sneaking suspicion he already had this all planned out.

    And let us not forget, GMMG might not be done adding draft picks for the 2026 draft where they have six picks (two in rounds 1, 2 and 4 and one in the seventh).

    That is good management and scouting. Understanding what your needs are and taking advantage of the draft's strong points and not reaching for players while keeping an eye on future drafts strengths and how it fits into the present prospect pool.

    I might be wrong and they do not draft a single RD in the 2026 draft, but I have a suspicion they will take two within the first two rounds. Then we might all look at what is the best prospect pool in the NHL and add to it the most balanced prospect pool in the NHL.

    The Future is Teal Baby!

Leave a Reply