There are quite a few former members of the San Jose Sharks still waiting to find their new home as unrestricted free agents. Many were with the team as recently as last season, while others departed the Bay Area a few years ago. Let’s take a look at those still awaiting their next contract.
First, there are five former Sharks forwards still on the market. Klim Kostin and Noah Gregor weren’t tendered a qualifying offer by general manager Mike Grier and were forced to test their luck on the open market.
Nikolai Kovalenko was also in that predicament, but ultimately ended up signing with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League. It wouldn’t surprise me if the same ends up happening for Kostin, who was never able to live up to his potential as a former first-round draft selection of the St. Louis Blues.
Gregor, on the other hand, will likely end up with either a two-way contract or an American Hockey League deal to start the season; however, it would be surprising if he’s not back in the NHL as a fourth-liner in the near future.
Luke Kunin was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets ahead of the trade deadline this past March, but after 12 games without a point, their general manager, Don Waddell, opted to let him hit free agency. While it’s not surprising that he wasn’t the first target on many teams’ radar, it would be surprising not to see Kunin on an NHL roster this October, despite his bad stretch in Columbus.
Kevin Labanc was also in Columbus, signing there following a strong preseason performance with the New Jersey Devils; however, he suffered the same fate. He didn’t see much action under their head coach, Dean Evason, recording 12 points in 34 games.
The final former Sharks forward sitting in free agency is Matt Nieto, who finished the 2024-25 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins but spent quite a bit of time with their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, over the course of the season. At this stage, it seems most likely that he signs a professional try-out closer to pre-season; however, it’s possible a team offers him a deal between now and then as well.
Defensively, there are two former members of the Sharks still available. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who was bought out after 19 seasons and 1323 games in teal, is hitting the open market. He struggled in his last few seasons with the Sharks; however, he is still a serviceable player in limited minutes.
Ultimately, the size of his contract and Grier’s plans for the offseason made him expendable a season before his contract expires. He’s no longer an elite shutdown defenseman like he was in his prime, but there should be a team that opts to take a flyer on him at some point this summer at a low cost to see if he’ll perform better in a different system.
Jan Rutta also finds himself still on the open market. As a right-handed, defensive-minded defenseman, there will certainly be a market for him as a bottom-pairing or depth option as teams begin to circle back after missing out on their top targets.
Lastly, there are a few goaltenders who spent time between the pipes in San Jose, still looking for a new home. Alexandar Georgiev struggled mightily during his time in teal. Grier acquired him as part of the return for MacKenzie Blackwood, hoping he’d find his form and play like he did years ago with the New York Rangers.
Ultimately, that didn’t happen, and the 2024-25 season ended up being the worst of his NHL career. In 31 games with the Sharks, he had a .875 save percentage and a goals against average of 3.88. It will be interesting to see if another team takes a chance on him, but at this stage, it seems his path forward likely includes a stint in the American Hockey League if he wants to return to the NHL.
Georgi Romanov surprisingly didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Sharks this summer. Although he wasn’t phenomenal at the NHL level, he seemed serviceable for the San Jose Barracuda. Especially with Yaroslav Askarov graduating from the AHL, it’ll be interesting to see what comes next for Romanov and whether or not management made the right call going with Jakub Skarek instead.
James Reimer, who spent two seasons in the net for the Sharks, is also still available. After finishing the 2024-25 season with the Buffalo Sabres, the 37-year-old appears to be interested in continuing his career for at least one more season, but it’s not guaranteed as according to the Olean Times Herald’s Buffalo Hockey Beat, he’s contemplating retirement and has been taking his career one year at a time.
While it seems clear some of the names listed are likely to end up in the NHL again next season, some of the aforementioned former Sharks may head overseas, or some may decide retirement is their best option at this stage of their career. Although July 1 is past, there are still quite a few Sharks storylines to follow with the current free agency pool.
Photo Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
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