6 defensemen the Sharks should consider as a free agent

The San Jose Sharks appear to have their forward group lined up, with the exception of a veteran forward and perhaps an insurance center in Logan Couture. We assume younger players like Will Smith and (fingers crossed) Macklin Celebrini will be asked to play a bigger role in the offense this season.

General manager Mike Grier and the rest of his staff will have to focus on defense as the free agency window opens tomorrow. The team needs a defenseman who can distribute the puck, preferably on the right side, and unfortunately, those are in high demand.

This list isn’t about some of the big fish because, let’s be honest, most of them are looking for teams in playoff contention. We’re looking for defenders who might be a good fit for San Jose, especially if they’re looking for a little more money than they could get from cash-strapped competing teams.

Brandon Montour – Florida Panthers

Fresh off the Stanley Cup, the Florida Panthers can’t afford to keep Montour on their squadron. He is expected to become a free agent and many teams are looking for him. However, the Sharks have something that some contenders can’t offer, space under the salary cap. The team can afford to offer some term (Grier said he’s looking to stay for four years at most) and a considerable amount of money to get the player the Sharks want. Montour has never been paid more than $3.85 million in a season.

Montour is a right-handed defenseman with 33 points in 66 games last season. He averaged 23:26 of ice time, allowing him to play tough minutes. He’s 30 years old, so Grier can dangle a futures contract and a higher price to try to lure the unrestricted free agent while not handcuffing the Sharks to a contract that’s aging poorly.

Matt Roy – Los Angeles Kings

It appears the Kings will let Matt Roy enter free agency. Earlier this week, LA traded for Kyle Burroughs, who we assume should fill Roy’s role for a fraction of the price. If the Sharks could replace Roy, that would be an improvement.

Roy is another right defenseman. He is considered a stay-at-home defenseman who can log top-four minutes. He will block shots and play penalty kill. He had 25 points in 81 games last season. Natural Stat Trick lists his expected goals percentage at even strength as 55.17 percent.

While Roy isn’t the puck-moving defenseman the Sharks are looking for, the right side of the defense is light and Roy would be a great complement to a player like Shakir Mukhamadullin or Henry Thrun, allowing either young defenseman the chance to make mistakes while using his offensive game to make plays.

At 29, Roy is still in his prime. His next contract is expected to be in the $6 million range. If Grier can cap his term at four years, or between $6 million and $6.5 million, he could be a good signing for a team looking to take the next step.

Alexandre Carrier – Nashville Predators

If Roy’s price is too high, The Athletic suggests Carrier as a good replacement. Like every defenseman on this list so far, Carrier is a right-handed defender. He has a high hockey IQ and good positional play in both directions of the ice.

Rob Couch of Hockey News reported: “At 5-on-5 during the regular season, Carrier had a Fenwick for %, Corsi for %, shots for %, goals for %, expected goals for % and high danger chances for % of at least 51% and a scoring chance for % and high danger goals for % of at least 50%.

He can move the puck, which is what the Sharks need.

The downside for Carrier, 27, is that he doesn’t have the size that Grier and company were leaning toward. At 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds, Carrier would be considered undersized, especially for a defenseman. That said, Grier understands that sometimes size trumps skill.

In 73 games last season, Carrier collected 20 points (4 goals, 16 assists). He collected 3 points in 6 games in the playoffs.

If the Sharks were to consider Carrier, The Athletic projects his contract would be in the $4.4 million range over four years.

John Klingberg – Toronto Maple Leafs

If the Sharks want to take a gamble, then John Klingberg could be a good bet. The defenseman signed a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs last offseason, only to find out he needed season-ending bilateral hip surgery. It’s not an easy surgery to recover from, but some teams could take a chance on Klingberg given his age, 31.

His surgery took place in December and although we haven’t heard anything about his condition lately, he has had time to recover.

There was a time when Klingberg was a reliable defenseman with some offensive power. In his 2017-18 season in Dallas, he scored 67 points in 82 games. He then scored 45 points in 64 games the following season.

The Sharks could sign him to a short, one-year contract at a reasonable price with the promise of turning him into a contender if he performs well. Klingberg would solve the immediate problem of lack of depth on the right side while giving San Jose a potential trade chip at the deadline.

Matt Dumba – Tampa Bay Lightning

Dumba is another player the Sharks could gamble on in hopes of turning him into a trade asset at the deadline. The 29-year-old should likely have plenty of room left in his game. We’ll pretend his year in Arizona last season was an exception and say the time spent with San Jose’s youth will rejuvenate Dumba and his game.

However, he would have to take a pay cut to make the money work. San Jose can’t afford to retain if it has to trade Dumba at the deadline, so the $3.9 million paid by Arizona and Utah last season won’t be enough.

Dumba has a lot of quality on the Sharks. He plays on the right side. He has/had good scoring dynamics. He knows how to move the puck.

A low-cost one- or two-year deal with the promise of a trade gives the Sharks plenty of room to move on if they think Dumba doesn’t fit the team’s plans moving forward.

Brenden Dillon – Winnipeg Jets

There has been talk of a possible reunion between Dillon and the Sharks. Really, it’s just Sharks fans who either love or hate the idea. But hey, it’s worth thinking about. Dillon is a capable defender, even if he crowds out an already crowded left side.

That said, he has the grit and tenacity that Grier is looking for more. Dillon isn’t afraid to drop the gloves and is happy to give a player a good check to protect the goalie.

Even if Dillon doesn’t meet all of the Sharks’ needs, a team reunion wouldn’t be a bad idea, especially if injuries start to take their toll.

Conclusion

There are other options. Kevin Shattenkirk could play the role of a veteran defenseman who plays on the right side, but I just can’t imagine him in a Sharks jersey. Tony DeAngelo is another right-shooting defender, but again, the thought of seeing him in teal is nauseating.

Some have suggested that Mark Giordano would be a “perfect” fit for the Sharks, but our defense is already a little slow. A 40-year-old defenseman is not what the Sharks need. The same goes for Ryan Suter, who was just acquired by the Dallas Stars. I also don’t need to see a 39-year-old defenseman in teal.

Ultimately, the Sharks will have to overpay and possibly offer a longer tenure than other general managers are willing to accept if they want to sign a quality defenseman in this free agency. The other option is to postpone the decision for a year or two, when the competitive window begins to open and the team begins to seriously consider a potential playoff spot.

The good news is that Grier seems to be aware that rushing things will only lead to heartbreak, so he’s trying to make measured, intelligent decisions instead of jumping the gun.