The San Jose Sharks will be reshaping their roster in the near future.
General Manager Mike Grier will be “active” this summer, trying to fill many team needs. One main point of restructuring is the defensemen. The Sharks are loaded with left-handed blue liners.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix will reportedly hit the open market on July 1, according to multiple reports.
The 27-year-old right-handed defenseman is a solid third-pairing d-man. He’s a good puck mover and has put up good offensive numbers in a limited role. In 220 career regular-season games, Perbix has 15 goals and 50 assists while averaging 15:45 minutes a game.
At 27, the San Jose Sharks likely won’t view Perbix as a long-term player on the blue line. That said, the Sharks have the cap space and timeline to sign him to a short-term contract with a slightly raised AAV.
Unlike if the Sharks were to trade for New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson, Perbix can be used as a stopgap for top prospects like Sam Dickinson and Luca Cagnoni to develop.
Perbix will be coming from one of the most successful franchises in recent history. The values that Jon Cooper has set for his team created a culture of winning. If the Sharks can land Perbix, he can bring those values to San Jose.
The Lightning had signed Perbix to a two-year contract with a $1,125,000 AAV. With the rising salary cap, Perbix might look to capitalize on two short-term paydays to maximize his value.
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