Sharks Trade Candidate "Disappointed" He Wasn't Dealt

He was one of those players scratched for "trade-related purposes" the night before the trade deadline hit, so San Jose Sharks veteran forward Alexander Barabanov was excited he was presumably about to join a contender. A deal was seemingly in place with the New York Rangers. 

Then 3:00pm ET came and went on Friday, and no deal was struck. The Sharks weren't able to retain any of Barabanov's $2.5 million salary to make it work. Barabanov would remain a Shark. And he told San Jose Hockey Now that he was certainly disappointed.

That’s life. You can’t control that.

Barabanov hasn't made the playoffs yet in his four NHL seasons. And he made it clear how much he misses winning. 

“Oh my god, so much, so much. When I was 25, we won every year, the KHL Cup. Big games. World Championships, we didn’t win, but we have medals. I miss the playoffs and everything. It’s why I play hockey.”

Instead, Barabanov will play out the string in San Jose and hit unrestricted free agency after the season. That now becomes his raison d'etre for the rest of the campaign. 

“Just keep going right now, keep playing. That’s what I can do,” said the 29-year-old. “Keep playing for my new contract.”

And on that front, he's got some work to do; after a 15-goal, 47-point season last year, the Russian forward has slumped to just three goals and 11 points in 40 games this season. 

He's coming off a two-year, $5 million contract.

Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports