With the 2025 NHL Draft in the books, all eyes on the San Jose Sharks shift to July 1st.
Sharks GM Mike Grier will not only be busy, but he also has to be busy to reach the NHL’s salary cap floor. After the Marc-Edouard Vlasic contract buyout, San Jose has a projected $44,090,832 in cap space.
So what moves could Grier make to help the Sharks be better in the short and long term?
One option could be to explore the possibility of signing pending New York Rangers RFA Will Cuylle to an offer sheet. Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests the 23-year-old will have his fair share of options.
“Would a team, after these two seasons, come in with a six- or seven-year offer for between $6.5-and-7M per that would yield a first- and third-rounder in the 2026 draft as compensation? That kind of an offer would put the Rangers in a pickle,” Brooks writes.
In 82 games last season, Cuylle had 20 goals and 25 assists and finished third in the NHL in hits. He was often underutilized by the now-fired Rangers coach Peter Laviolette.
But how does he fit in with the San Jose Sharks?
Cuylle is 23, skates like the wind, hits like a truck, and is a responsible two-way forward who kills penalties.
That type of player fits the exact mold Sharks GM Mike Grier has attempted to bring into the organization. The 6’3, 212-pound winger could complement Macklin Celebrini or newly drafted Michael Misa nicely. He will also get an opportunity to play more minutes in San Jose.
Not to mention, Misa, Cuylle, and Sam Dickinson are all represented by the same agency.
Cuylle’s forechecking skills, speed, and blossoming offensive touch should make him a very attractive prospect to many NHL teams. At 23, Cuylle could be swayed to sign in San Jose with term. A long-term deal could be something the Sharks are willing to do for a player his age.
His progression from season to season suggests he’s got a lot of room to grow.
What could the Sharks offer to sign Cuylle without the Rangers matching?
Brooks speculates that the Rangers have offered Cuylle a contract with an AAV of $3.5 million. That doesn’t look to be enough to re-sign.
“I cannot conceive of a Cuylle offer sheet that would be so expensive and so extreme that the Rangers would not match. An offer of up to $4.681M per that would bring a second-rounder back in compensation would not only be a slam dunk to match, that probably wouldn’t entice Cuylle to accept it over a six- or seven-year term,” Brooks says.
If the Sharks sign Cuylle to a contract with an AAV over $4.681 million, there is risk involved. If they do that, the San Jose Sharks will have to send their 2026 first-round pick as compensation.
Gavin McKenna is a stud, and the Sharks aren’t quite ready to be out of the running for the draft lottery. Grier has said that he doesn’t want to be picking near the top of the NHL draft in 2026. But if the Sharks finish as the eighth-worst team in the NHL, they can still win the lottery and draft McKenna.
The Sharks also don’t own their own 2026 third-round pick, which would be needed in order to offer Cuylle the offer sheet.
The easiest route for the San Jose Sharks to acquire Cuylle might be via trade. If San Jose can package a deal to acquire the rights for Cuylle, risking a top pick is no longer an issue.
With Misa, Celebrini, and Will Smith, not being able to draft McKenna might not be the worst thing in the world. After all, Rangers GM Chris Drury might owe the San Jose Sharks a favor for taking on all of Barclay Goodrow’s contract in 2024.
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