The San Jose Sharks signalled that they're eyeing a berth in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after acquiring top pending UFA Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks earlier this week.
Although player and club reportedly have a sizeable gap to bridge in contract extension talks, he should be an effective piece for the team down the stretch once he returns from injury.
And it looks like general manager Mike Grier isn't done adding to the roster, either.
As The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported late Wednesday night, the Sharks have interest in multiple other players — including New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider.
“One player the Sharks have had interest in is New York Rangers blueliner Braden Schneider, who can become a restricted free agent this summer and has arbitration rights,” wrote the hockey insider. “The 24-year-old has had an off year, thus far, but that argument can apply to a good chunk of the Rangers roster.”
The Sharks have multiple veteran defensemen playing on expiring contracts, and Grier is willing to take trade calls on all of them, Pagnotta reports. He is “on the lookout for young NHL-calibre defensemen with control.”
Schneider could fit that bill, although he's been up-and-down throughout his tenure in the Big Apple. Considering the Rangers have waved the white flag on the season — in the form of a retool letter to fans — there are multiple current players in New York who could be getting a change of scenery before March 6.
Sharks turning the corner in a big way in 2025-26
After adding Sherwood from the Canucks, Pagnotta expects that trade discussions will pick up for the Sharks — although they could wait until after the Olympic freeze, which begins in two weeks.
Either way, it's got to be encouraging for Sharks fans to see management finally making moves to help the team win now, rather than look to the future.
After back-to-back miserable campaigns — San Jose won just 19 games in 2023-24 and 20 last year — this version of the team has already banked 25 victories in 49 games.
The 2025-26 Sharks are 25-21-3 and fifth place in the Pacific Division. They're tied with the Seattle Kraken for the final wildcard berth in the Western Conference, and have won five of their last eight games.
That means San Jose could be a franchise aiming to both buy and sell simultaneously at the deadline, with Grier looking to ship out some players on expiring contracts, while trying to bring others to California for the stretch run.
Once Sherwood enters the lineup, the Sharks should be, at worst, a playoff bubble team as they try to come out of the rebuild in a big way and advance to the dance for the first time since 2018-19.
