San Jose Sharks Rumors: Forward Expected to be Shopped

The San Jose Sharks are expected to have a busy summer of selling. 100-point defenseman Erik Karlsson is their biggest trade target because of it, but another notable player who is emerging as a trade candidate is Alexander Barabanov.

Barabanov picked up some steam in the rumor mill as we got closer to the deadline day, but the Sharks elected to keep him. However, now that the team is going through a full-on rebuild, there certainly is a good chance that we see the winger moved. This is especially so when noting that he is entering the final year of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent following it.

Barabanov currently has a $2.5 million cap hit, and that is a bargain when looking at his production in 2022-23. In 68 games on the year, the 28-year-old scored 15 goals and recorded 47 points. Teams looking for a bit of help in their middle six should be calling the Sharks about Barabanov from here. Some clubs to pay attention to in the sweepstakes include the Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames, and New York Islanders.