The Marc-Édouard Vlasic era in San Jose is over.
The Sharks waived Vlasic on Thursday for the purposes of a contract buyout. If no other team claims Vlasic, he will become a free agent on Friday.
The 38-year-old defenseman had one season left on an eight-year, $56 million contract, which he signed in July of 2017.
Split over two years, because of the buyout, Vlasic’s AAV now is $4.67 million in 2025-26 and $1.17 million in 2026-27. The cap savings in 2025-26 is just $2.33 million.
Per Puckpedia, the Sharks have over $40 million in cap space, even before the buyout. On the surface, it doesn’t appear that they really need to clear cap space. They already have plenty of it for anything that they might have planned in free agency.
“This was a difficult decision to make today, with how much Marc has meant to the San Jose organization for 19 years,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said in a team press release. “I was fortunate enough to be here with Marc for his first season with the Sharks and knew he would become a great defenseman. Over the course of his career in the NHL, Vlasic was one of the premier shutdown defensemen, earning tough defensive assignments on the ice against the best players in the world and doing it with effectiveness.”
Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast