The rebuilding San Jose Sharks have 10 pending unrestricted free agents, and it’s no secret that any number of them could be shipped to another team before the NHL’s trade deadline in March.
“It’s the reality of our situation,” Sharks coach David Quinn said over the weekend. “When you’re in our situation, people are going to want to take your good players and give you future assets. That’s just the nature of the business.”
The question for members of the Sharks’ front office will be whether they also want to trade defenseman Mario Ferraro, who is signed through the 2025-26 season and is reportedly coveted by some opposing teams given his work ethic, ability to play big minutes, leadership qualities and a relatively modest salary cap hit of $3.25 million.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said earlier this month that the Sharks would consider trading several of their defensemen, noting also that Ferraro, 25, isn’t necessarily an untouchable – for the right price.
General manager Mike Grier has said before that he would be willing to listen to offers on just about anyone on the Sharks’ roster. But trading Ferraro would be one of Grier’s most crucial decisions, with the outcome saying something about how long the Sharks’ rebuild figures to last.
“This guy is such a great teammate and a good player, and he brings such energy and passion to the rink every night,” Quinn said of Ferraro on Sunday after the left-shot blueliner scored a goal and logged 23:18 of ice time in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
“People know he’s a good player, but he brings an awful lot of intangibles to an organization.”
Ferraro was a ball of energy for the Sharks when he turned professional in 2019 and made the team’s roster right out of training camp. Soon afterward, he was paired with Brent Burns, and by the time his second full professional season ended, Ferraro was already averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per game.
Shortly after he turned 23 and before the start of the 2021-2022 season, Ferraro was named an alternate captain by former Sharks coach Bob Boughner. Without stretching the imagination, it’s easy to envision Ferraro becoming the Sharks’ next captain at some point.
“I wouldn’t tell it to him, but he’s a big part of our team,” said Kyle Burroughs, who has been Ferraro’s defense partner for the majority of the season so far. “That smile, that voice in the locker room, that presence that he brings is big. At times, he’s our pulse, he’s our voice, and playing with him, it’s awesome. It’s a lot of fun.
“He can maybe use a dentist appointment,” Burroughs added of Ferraro’s jack-o-lantern grin, “but other than that, he’s great for our team.”
The Sharks’ list of pending unrestricted free agents includes forwards Mike Hoffman, Anthony Duclair, Alexander Barabanov, Kevin Labanc, and goalie Kaapo Kahkonen. Barabanov has said that he’d like to remain in San Jose, and Duclair and Kahkonen could also be players the Sharks decide to re-sign.
Few though, could bring as big a return in a trade as Ferraro, who, before Tuesday, was averaging 22:23 minutes of ice time per game, most among all Sharks defensemen. He was also third in the NHL with 80 blocked shots and is overall playing a more consistent and predictable brand of hockey than last season.
“This is the best hockey he’s played since I’ve been here,” Quinn said of Ferraro. “I know he played pretty well with Burns, but he’s on his own and he’s now the guy taking people under his wing and he’s done a hell of a job.”
The Sharks have strengthened their pipeline of prospects over the last couple of years but do not figure to be a legitimate playoff contender for at least another season or two after this one. Given that timeline, does it make sense for the Sharks to deal Ferraro – who does not have any trade protection — and add a prospect or more draft capital, or keep him to be a face of the franchise?
Asked recently about the rumors, Ferraro told San Jose Hockey Now last week that he wants to remain with the Sharks and be with the team during its possible resurgence. Now it’s a matter of whether he’ll get the chance.
“A lot of things that happen in this game are more people calling about players as opposed to us shopping players. There’s a big difference,” Quinn said. “General managers talk every day. They’re making calls to try to improve the team and if I’m a team that is going to try to win a Stanley Cup, I’m going to call the Sharks and ask about certain players. That’s just the reality of the situation.
“So to me, the player needs to take it as a compliment that people want them.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com