Sharks re-sign Ferraro, who gets 4-year pact
The San Jose Sharks’ blue line will look different without Brent Burns, but they took a step Thursday to fortify its future.
The Sharks re-signed restricted free-agent defenseman Mario Ferraro, who received a four-year, $13 million deal. The 23-year-old played top-four minutes last season.
“I’m ecstatic,” Ferraro said over Zoom. “I’m just very appreciative of all the opportunities I’ve gotten to this point. It feels really good to be a part of an organization for another four years, the organization that trusted me out of college and drafted me.”
Without Burns, Ferraro is likely to take on at least as large of a role, and potentially join Erik Karlsson on the top pairing.
“Mario has shown that he is a dynamic and reliable defenseman for our club, skating toplevel minutes against the best competition every night and delivering solid results,” general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. “His energy and work ethic are the reason why he has achieved so much in his early part of his career, and we look forward to watching him continue to grow and elevate his role on the team.”
In three years with the Sharks, Ferraro, who was an alternate captain last season, has carved out a role as a reliable defenseman, averaging 23 minutes per game last season with two goals and 12 assists in 63 games. The 2017 secondround pick led the Sharks with 151 blocked shots, and was behind just Burns and Karlsson in ice time.
“It’s very difficult shoes to fill, if you can fill them,” Ferraro said of Burns’ role. “It’s never easy to see someone like that go, a mentor for me and somebody I looked up to. It’s hard to live up to what Brent has done for this organization ... but I think I’ve been very privileged to have learned alongside someone like that over the last three years.”
Ferraro said he has been in San Jose for three weeks after he went home to see family. He has been skating in the Bay Area preparing for the season, even while waiting to get under contract.
It was expected the Sharks would retain Ferraro, but given their cap situation, there was some apprehension.
“There’s always some anxiety and a little bit of stress, because it is my job and this is what I do and what I’m very passionate about,” Ferraro said. “But these things take time and I understand that. Just very happy to be where I’m at and excited for the year to come.”
The Sharks had just $2 million left in cap space prior to the re-signing, so they will have to make another move to stay cap compliant. The Sharks’ last remaining restricted free agents are forwards Noah Gregor and Jonah Gadjovich.