The San Jose Sharks have signed their first two free agents, Philipp Kurashev and John Klingberg.
Kurashev has played five seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. The forward was projected to have a little more offensive upside, but wasn’t quite able to make it work. During the 23-24 season, Kurashev set a career high of 54 points (18 goals, 34 assists).
The Sharks need to spend money to get to the NHL cap floor, and it still has a long way to go. Per PuckPedia, Kurashev signed a one-year contract with a $1.2 million AAV.
NHL insider Pierre LeBrun was the first to report that the Sharks signed defenseman John Klingberg. Klingberg was out of the NHL for an extended period with an injury, but returned with the Edmonton Oilers last season.
His contract is for one year with an AAV of $4 million.
Klingberg was often paired with former San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He will bring a valuable puck-moving ability to the Sharks and fill a need as a right-handed blueliner.
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