Like a number of different pending unrestricted free brokers across the NHL, San Jose Sharks heart Nico Sturm figures he’ll be moved to a different staff earlier than the NHL commerce deadline in March if he doesn’t obtain a contract extension provide.
Sturm, now within the closing yr of a three-year, $6 million contract he signed with San Jose as a free agent in 2022, stated his agent spoke with Sharks common supervisor Mike Grier earlier than the season and in November when the staff was in New York.
Now, with the season simply previous the halfway level, the Sharks nicely out of playoff rivalry, and the March 7 commerce deadline lower than seven weeks away, Sturm figures it’s practically determination time for the staff’s entrance workplace.
“Probably now we’re about halfway done throughout the year, and I’m certain (the front office) has some sort of better picture now of where we’re at as a group, and where they how they want to move forward in the in the next few years to come,” Sturm stated.
Sturm, the Sharks’ fourth-line heart, entered Saturday’s recreation with the New York Islanders with 5 objectives and 5 assists in 39 video games, nicely forward of final season’s tempo when he had 13 factors. He leads the NHL in faceoff share (63.2) among the many 190 gamers who had taken no less than 100 attracts this season earlier than Saturday.
Sturm’s ice time is down considerably, from 14:40 per recreation final season to 9:49 earlier than Saturday’s recreation — partly as a consequence of him getting used much less on the penalty kill this season than final yr.
Nonetheless, as one of many NHL’s premier gamers within the faceoff dot with a modest $2 million cap hit, Sturm may very well be a pretty, low-risk addition to any playoff-contending staff. In 2022, Sturm gained the Stanley Cup after he was acquired by the Colorado Avalanche from the Minnesota Wild.
“I’m certainly expecting to hear what’s going on with my future. I think I also deserve that at the point that I am in my career,” Sturm stated. “Either way, regardless of how it goes, I’m going to do my job. I’m going to be nothing but a professional. Whether I do sign an extension or do get moved, I’m going to keep doing my job, not going to sulk about it.
“I haven’t sulked about my ice time. I’ve done my job, and I’m going to continue to do that, and put my best foot forward, put my faith in my game, and hope that there’s going to be a team out there that wants me in the future, whether it’s here or somewhere else.”
Earlier than Saturday, Sturm had 88 factors in 308 profession NHL regular-season video games, averaging slightly below 13 minutes an evening. Sturm, who turns 30 in Might, stated he want to signal one other contract with some time period, maybe three or 4 years.
Whether or not the rebuilding Sharks would comply with that’s unclear, as Grier additionally had a handful of different pending UFAs to think about: forwards Mikael Granlund and Luke Kunin, defensemen Cody Ceci and Jan Rutta, and goalies Alexander Georgiev and Vitek Vanecek.
However Grier and the Sharks actually know by now what Sturm would convey to the staff in the event that they wished to maintain him in San Jose.
“I’m not looking for eight times eight. Everybody knows that,” Sturm stated of the eight-year, $64 million offers often reserved for star gamers. “But I think I do have a little bit of acumen now in the league. I think when you ask coaches, scouts, and other players about the type of player I am, I think there are certain attributes that come to mind.
“I hope that there’s going to be an NHL team out there, whether it’s here or somewhere else, that wants that type of player going forward.”
BARZAL ON CELEBRINI: Islanders ahead Mathew Barzal, who gained the Calder Trophy because the NHL Rookie of the 12 months after the 2017-18 season, was impressed with Sharks heart Macklin Celebrini after he skated with him final summer time within the Vancouver space.
Barzal, a Coquitlam, British Columbia native, returns residence every offseason and skates with a bunch of gamers, together with NHLers, school athletes, those that play in Europe, and junior standouts. Celebrini, 18, was a part of that blend for the primary time final yr, and Barzal preferred what he noticed.
“He was super friendly to be around in the summer,” Barzal advised reporters Saturday. “He’s a great young kid. He’s got a lot of energy, seems happy, and loves to be at the rink, in the dressing room, or on the ice. He’s a great kid. He’s a superstar.”
Celebrini entered Saturday with 32 factors in 35 video games, along with his 13 objectives tying him with Philadelphia Flyers ahead Matvei Michkov for essentially the most amongst all rookies. Celebrini, Michkov, Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson and Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf, a Gilroy native, are thought of the main contenders for this yr’s Calder Trophy.
“He’s got all the all the tangibles,” Barzal stated of Celebrini. “He’s got every tool. But I think what separates him is his work ethic. I think even if you watch him in the NHL, the way he competes on pucks and battles — I saw that in the summer — he’s got endless potential.”
THE ROAD AHEAD: The Sharks’ street journey ends with video games towards the Boston Bruins on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday and the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
Initially Revealed: January 18, 2025 at 12:39 PM PST
