OK, we’re in the off season. Time to think about what the roster moves might be.
First up: the goalies.
This is a key position for any team. The Sharks historically have 5-6 goalies under contract for depth: 2 in NHL, 2 in AHL and 1-2 in ECHL.
Sharks/Barracuda have the following goalies under contract (in approximate depth chart order) for 2016-17 (with year(s) remaining):
- Martin Jones (2 years left)
- Troy Grosenick (1 year left)
- Mantas Armalis (1 year ELS)
- Jamie Murray (1 year, AHL)
In the depth chart (not signed):
- Frederik Bergvik (defected)
- John Kupsky (college; scheduled graduation ’19)
- Mike Robinson (college; scheduled graduation ’20)
UFAs include:
- James Reimer
- Aaron Dell (group VI)
And Joel Rumpel (RFA).UPDATE: Rumpel not QO’d
Sharks need to have one goalie (either signed through 2017-18 or pending RFA in 2018) exposed in the (anticipated) expansion draft next June, and can protect only one goalie. Armalis, Kupsky and Robinson are all exempt from expansion draft (Rumpel too if he’s re-signed); technically, on an AHL deal Murray is not exempt, but for all practical purposes is. Jones is the protected guy from my prospective.
Dell surpassed Grosenick in the depth chart this year.
There are no pending RFAs in 2018 based on the current depth chart, unless it’s exposing Rumpel or similar. (Grosenick will be a UFA after his contract expires.)
My guess is that the Sharks re-sign Dell to a two year deal as their exposed goalie for the expansion draft (at a reasonable cap hit even). He’d be pencilled in as Jones’ backup. Armalis and Grosenick would be in AHL and Murray in ECHL.
While Reimer might be an interesting re-signing, he’d probably demand near starter $$s and may prefer finding a starting role elsewhere. (The Sharks might be able to trade his rights for a pick.)