The San Jose Sharks already made an enormous commerce earlier within the season after they moved Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars. As many anticipated, the Sharks are sellers forward of the 2025 NHL Commerce Deadline. Nevertheless, that does not imply they cannot make strikes so as to add to their roster. And San Jose has completed simply that with their transfer involving Vincent Desharnais and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Sharks have acquired Desharnais in a commerce, the Penguins have confirmed on Wednesday night time. In change, Pittsburgh receives a fifth-round choose within the 2028 NHL Draft. There is no such thing as a retention on Desharnais’s $2 million cap hit on this deal.
This isn’t the primary time the veteran defender has been traded this season. The Penguins initially acquired Desharnais as a part of the Marcus Pettersson commerce on the finish of January. He has performed 44 video games mixed between Pittsburgh and the Vancouver Canucks. Desharnais has simply three assists in these video games this season.
Why Sharks traded for Penguins’ Vincent Desharnais
Desharnais is just not going to vary San Jose’s fortunes by any means this season. Nevertheless, he has supplied a stable defensive observe file earlier than the 2024-25 marketing campaign. He was one of many higher bottom-pairing defensive defensemen within the NHL final season with the Edmonton Oilers.
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Nevertheless, he didn’t slot in with the Canucks after signing with the group in NHL Free Company. A transfer to the Penguins gave him a recent begin. However with Pittsburgh looking for to get youthful, a commerce out of there all the time appeared doable.
The Sharks are an intriguing group for the veteran defender. San Jose additionally desires to get youthful as they’re working via a rebuild. Nevertheless, they nonetheless want gamers to eat NHL ice time at this level. Sadly, accidents have left them fairly skinny, particularly on the again finish.
Jan Rutta was positioned on injured reserve a month in the past and stays out with a lower-body damage. Furthermore, Henry Thrun was lately positioned on injured reserve in his personal proper. He’s coping with an upper-body damage.
Desharnais offers the Sharks some insurance coverage as they await Rutta and Thrun’s returns. For example, he may slot in on the third pairing over once-superstar defender Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who has been one of many worst defensemen within the league over the previous couple of seasons. It doesn’t matter what they do, Desharnais offers San Jose some flexibility as they handle accidents forward of the 2025 NHL Commerce Deadline.