SAN JOSE – Sharks general manager Doug Wilson was noncommittal Saturday about bringing back any of his pending unrestricted free agents, including franchise icon Patrick Marleau, as several roster changes for the team appear imminent.
After a weekend in which the Sharks welcomed nine new players to the organization through the draft, several others are likely to be let go as the team turns the page on a forgettable 2020-2021 season.
NHL free agency begins Wednesday and right now little stands in the way of Marleau, Marcus Sorensen, Kurtis Gabriel, Max Letunov and Greg Pateryn — all pending UFAs — going to market.
The Sharks also have to decide soon whether to buy out the three remaining years on goalie Martin Jones’ contract or issue a qualifying offer to winger Ryan Donato, who is a pending restricted free agent.
Monday is the deadline for NHL teams to issue qualifying offers to pending RFAs, and the first window for teams to buy out contracts ends Tuesday.
“You had to be prepared for the expansion draft and then you’re looking at whether you qualify people, whether you keep them, whether you look to add,” Wilson said. “Those are things that obviously are all coming to a head in the next few days.”
Marleau became the NHL’s all-time leader in games played in April when he skated in his 1,768th game, passing a mark set by Gordie Howe after a 26-year career in the league. Marleau, 41, is now at 1,779 games, and said in May that he would like to continue to play in the NHL.
An attempt to reach Marleau Saturday afternoon was unsuccessful. His agent, Pat Brisson, said in an email that he would be speaking with Marleau this week.
Marleau is the Sharks’ all-time career leader in games played (1,607), goals (522) and points (1,111), marks that may never be surpassed. Marleau was signed to a one-year deal by the Sharks in October of last year.
“To me, to see Patty break Gordie Howe’s record, it had to be in a Sharks jersey. It had to be,” Wilson said. “Iconic players, when they wind down and wrap up their careers, whether it be in any sport, is a really difficult thing to see.
“But I know our young players and the guys on our team that have been around Patty or (Joe Thornton) have learned so much about being a teammate, being a player, loving the game, treating the fans with great respect. I’m not sure you can really put it into words.”
Marleau wasn’t happy with his statistics this past year, though, as he finished with just nine points in 56 games in his 23rd NHL season.
“I think we should enjoy and celebrate what they brought to us in this organization,” Wilson said of Marleau and Thornton, who is also 41. “And at some point, it ends for everybody.”
Wilson was also asked about reports last month of friction between Evander Kane and his Sharks teammates within the Sharks’ locker room. Kane led the Sharks with 22 goals and 49 points in 56 games last season.
“I don’t know if there’s locker room issues,” Wilson said. “I’m OK when guys are frustrated. When we don’t make the playoffs, none of us should be happy, and you’ve got highly competitive guys.
“One thing people have to be very cautious of is evaluating a lot of things during a pandemic, the pressures and stresses that it puts on everybody.”
Kane was one of multiple Sharks players who said in May they didn’t want to go through a rebuild. Wilson said he will add “quality veterans” in free agency, as the Sharks hope to rebound from consecutive playoff-less seasons.
After selecting Swedish forward William Eklund in Friday’s first round, the Sharks added eight more players Saturday, starting with goalie Ben Gaudreau in the third round.
Gaudreau led Team Canada to gold at the Under-18 World Championships in Texas earlier this year, as he was named the tournament’s best goalie. In five games, he had a .919 save percentage and 2.20 goals-against average.
The Sharks used their two fourth-round selections on defenseman Gannon Laroque of the WHL’s Victoria Royals and forward Ethan Cardwell of the OHL’s Barrie Colts.
In the fifth round, the Sharks picked Russian defenseman Artem Guryev, who moved to Ontario three years ago, and center Max McCue of the OHL’s London Knights.
With their two sixth-round picks, the Sharks chose forwards Liam Gilmartin of the U.S. and Theo Jacobsson of Sweden. The Sharks used their last pick at No. 199 in the seventh round on defenseman Evgenii Kashnikov of Gatineau in the QMJHL.
The Sharks have now drafted 23 players in the last three years.
“The pool now over the last few years is really blended, where we have defensemen, goalies, high upside forwards, depth character forwards,” Sharks’ director of scouting Doug Wilson Sr. said. “It’s a really good overall, balanced group.”
