The San Jose Sharks’ excessive roster makeover continued Thursday evening with one other main commerce, as they despatched top-pair defenseman Jake Walman to the Edmonton Oilers for a conditional 2026 first-round draft decide and minor league ahead Carl Berglund.
The commerce, extensively reported earlier Thursday, grew to become official greater than an hour after the Sharks’ recreation in opposition to the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Enviornment. With out Walman and others, the Sharks misplaced 7-3 to the Avalanche within the closing recreation of a seven-game highway journey.
The situations on the 2026 first-round draft choice are as follows: The choice is top-12 protected; whether it is within the top-12, Edmonton might select to switch its 2027 first-round choice to San Jose as a substitute.
Ought to Edmonton select to commerce its 2027 first-round decide earlier than the 2026 NHL commerce deadline, its 2026 first-round choice will switch to San Jose, unconditionally.
Berglund, 25, is in his second full season within the minor leagues. With the Bakersfield Condors this season, the 6-foot-2, 207-pound Swedish-born heart has 12 factors in 45 video games. He additionally performed at UMass-Lowell from 2019 to 2023 earlier than turning professional.
Nevertheless, the first-round draft decide was the important thing to the deal from the Sharks’ perspective. If that choice does land in 2026, the Sharks can have seven picks that 12 months, together with 4 within the first two rounds. Proper now, the Sharks have 4 picks for 2027.
The Sharks might additionally use that first-rounder from the Oilers in a commerce that may convey extra speedy assist.
On the 2024 NHL commerce deadline, the Sharks traded Tomas Hertl to the Vegas Golden Knights and obtained heart prospect David Edstrom and a 2025 first-round choice. The Sharks then dealt that first-round decide and Edstrom final August to the Nashville Predators for extremely touted goalie Yaroslav Askarov, who’s now within the AHL however has performed nicely in 13 NHL video games this season.
Walman, 29, was with the Sharks in Denver earlier Thursday, participating within the crew’s morning skate hours earlier than its recreation in opposition to the Avalanche. Walman, although, was reportedly knowledgeable of the commerce shortly earlier than the sport.
Each Walman and Luke Kunin have been held out of the Sharks’ lineup in opposition to the Avalanche. Kunin, a pending unrestricted free agent, may very well be on the transfer earlier than the NHL commerce deadline on Friday at midday (PST).
Mario Ferraro, one other defenseman signed by way of subsequent season, has additionally been the topic of commerce rumors.
Contemplating Walman’s worth, Thursday’s transfer was maybe the Sharks’ most shocking of this NHL commerce deadline season.
The Sharks acquired Walman and a 2024 second spherical draft decide from the Detroit Pink Wings final June for future concerns. Walman had been San Jose’s high offensive defenseman this season with 32 factors in 50 video games.
As a member of the Sharks’ high protection pair, Walman, who performed in all conditions, additionally led the crew’s skaters with a median of 23:11 in ice time per recreation.
Walman is within the second 12 months of a three-year, $10.2 million contract he signed with Detroit in Feb. 2023.
Earlier than Thursday evening’s recreation, the Sharks had already traded goalie Vitek Vanecek and heart Nico Sturm to the Florida Panthers in separate offers. In February, San Jose despatched ahead Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars, and goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to the Avalanche in December.
Walman, although, noticed himself as a Shark long-term, and was desperate to be part of issues when he felt the crew, now in thirty second and final place, would have the ability to flip it round.
“Just seeing the building blocks, I want to be somebody that grows with these growing pains.”
Finally, the Sharks turned the preliminary Walman commerce with the Pink Wings, wherein they gave up nothing, into prospect defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius, who they used with the second-rounder they obtained from Detroit and a conditional first-round decide subsequent 12 months.
That doesn’t make it simpler on the Sharks who stay. Six veteran gamers who have been with the crew in early December — Blackwood, Granlund, Ceci, Vanecek, Sturm and Walman — are not round, making the ultimate 18 video games of the season all that more difficult.
“it’s expected. It’s the position that we’re in as a team,” Sharks ahead Tyler Toffoli stated after Thursday’s recreation. “It’s one of those things that it obviously (stinks), but it’s part of the business.
“The guys who are here, we have to perform. We can’t just wait around and sit on our butts for 18 games and get our butts kicked every night.”
Please examine again for updates to this growing story.
Initially Revealed: March 6, 2025 at 11:14 PM PST
