Sharks get depth at forward in deal
SAN JOSE >> The Sharks completed a minor trade Monday ahead of free agency, acquiring winger Nick Merkley from the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Christian Jaros.
Merkley, 24, had 10 points in 27 games for the Devils last season as he bounced between the NHL roster, New Jersey’s taxi squad, and the AHL. Merkley, listed at 5-foot10 and 194 pounds, was the Arizona Coyotes’ firstround draft choice in 2015 and is a pending restricted free agent.
Monday is the deadline for NHL teams to make qualifying offers to pending RFAs. Merkley made $874,125 in salary last season, so the Sharks would have to give him a qualifying offer of $917,831, or 105 percent of his 20202021 salary to retain his negotiating rights.
In a statement, Joe Will, the Sharks assistant general manager and Barracuda GM said Merkley was “a competitive and skilled forward” who has “shown good progression in his young career and adds versatility to our organization’s forward depth.”
Jaros, also a pending RFA, was acquired by the Sharks from the Ottawa Senators in January. Jaros played in seven games for the Sharks and had one assist.
The Sharks’ other pending RFAs include goalie Adin Hill and forwards Ryan Donato and Noah Gregor.
While Hill will be retained and Gregor will likely be back, there is a question about Donato, who would need a qualifying offer equal to his salary last season of $2.15 million.
Donato, acquired by the Sharks last October from the Minnesota Wild for a 2021 third-round draft pick, saw his ice time gradually reduced over the course of the season. He did not play in the Sharks’ final four games.
Any players who are not issued qualifying offers become unrestricted free agents. UFAs are free to sign with any team as of Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. (PT).
DONATO MAY BE GONE >> Donato’s time with the Sharks appears to be over and now the team will likely be back in the market for a middle-six winger when NHL free agency begins later this week.
Donato, who was a pending restricted free agent, did not receive a qualifying offer from the Sharks by Monday’s deadline and will become an unrestricted free agent if he’s not re-signed by Wednesday.
The Sharks did qualify another RFA, Gregor, to retain his negotiating rights. Hill was previously issued a qualifying offer by Arizona, thus his rights are retained by San Jose.
The Sharks are also expected to reach an agreement on a new deal with forward Merkley, who was acquired from the Devils on Monday. Merkley was a pending RFA.
Donato, 25, had six goals and 20 points in 50 games with the Sharks last season, bouncing around the lineup before eventually falling out of favor with coach Bob Boughner and his staff.
Donato had 14 goals and 23 points in 62 games with the Wild in 2019-2020 but was a healthy scratch for two of the team’s four games in the play-in round last summer.
It was hoped that a fresh start might benefit Donato, and he totaled 18 points in the Sharks’ first 25 games.