3 early Sharks trade targets after 2025 playoff elimination

Are the Boston Bruins regretting signing Jeremy Swayman to his long-term contract extension? Because of his contract demands, Swayman held out until the beginning of the regular season, leading to a below-average season for the American goaltender. It isn’t easy to sit out the preseason and get up to speed, and Swayman has been playing catch-up all season. The question for the Bruins is whether they’ll let this season slide or if it’s a more significant issue.

Swayman could quickly return to his form from seasons past in 2025-26. An entire offseason without uncertainty and an actual training camp will help. The Bruins might have no doubts about their future with Swayman, but if they do, they must decide soon.

Swayman’s no movement clause will kick in on July 1, 2026. The Bruins have one more season to decide if they made the right move before they are stuck with Swayman for the next six seasons (unless he waives his no-move). Swayman’s 3.12 goals-against average and .892 save percentage should raise some red flags for a team paying him $8.25 million a year in a rebuild.

Swayman has shown he is a much better goaltender in a tandem situation. With Askarov uncertain as a bona fide No. 1 starter after some shoddy play at times this season, both could benefit from a tandem situation. The Sharks’ rebuild would look quite good with a goaltending duo of Askarov and Swayman.

The Bruins had some good years with Swayman and Ullmark as a duo, but offensive production was their downfall in the postseason. It doesn’t look like the Sharks will worry about offense with their exciting crop of players. Putting Swayman in this position is a home run.

John Gibson is a shorter-term option for Sharks

Maybe the Sharks won’t want to tie up their crease for the next seven years if they believe Askarov is their future. It could be beneficial to bring in Gibson to pair with Askarov for the remainder of his contract. San Jose would have Gibson mentor Askarov for two seasons and put him in a spot to be No. 1 when the contract ends.

It might also be a good fit for Gibson, who won’t have to move far from his long-time home in Anaheim. Gibson has been on the trade block for years as the Ducks entered the rebuild, but he stayed the course and tried to make it to the other side. Lukas Dostal is now up for a contract extension, and he looks like the Ducks’ future in the crease. It’s unlikely that Anahim will want to tie up over $12 million in annual salary on two goalies.

Gibson is in the middle of his best season in years with the Ducks. He has a .921 save percentage and a 2.72 goals-against average. It’s the first time his goals-against average is below three since the 2020-21 season, and the first time it’s above .900 since 2021-22.

The Sharks want more defense depth

The Sharks will likely prioritize defensemen at this year’s draft. They are likely hoping Matthew Schaefer, who could be the first overall pick, will be the answer. However, if the Sharks don’t win the lottery or Schaefer doesn’t fall, they’ll likely be stuck acquiring a forward, as Schaefer is the only good defense option in the top five. Another option for the Sharks would be to trade down somehow to acquire more assets.

Trading down to acquire Simon Nemec wouldn’t make sense, as the Devils will finish with too low of a pick to make that work. However, a deal can be made where they trade down and use some of the assets in that deal to get Nemec in a separate trade. Nemec is unhappy with the Devils’ organization, and adding him to this prospect pool would fit with the Sharks’ competitive window and give them a much more well-rounded group.