Sharks Solidify Blue Line

The San Jose Sharks announced that Sharks’ Rookie of the Year defenseman Jason Demers has signed a two-year contract with the team.

While the team did not announce terms, the deal has been listed on capgeek.com as being $1.25 million per year.

Demers scored 21 points (4-17=21) for San Jose last season in 51 games, and added 17 more points playing for AHL affiliate Worcester. The 21 points tied him for fourth-highest scoring among rookie defensemen in the NHL, and also for fourth among San Jose blueliners.

Demers is a puck-moving defenseman. “Jason’s puck-moving capabilities and competitive nature fit well with where our team is trending,” said Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson. “He is very capable of executing the up-tempo style of game we want to play and we see him as an important part of our team.”

The signing gives San Jose 19 players under contract, with Restricted Free Agent Devon Setoguchi still in negotiations with the team. The team reportedly has $5,537,500 of cap space remaining to sign four players, at least three of whom will likely be forwards.

The Sharks have a bit less than the entire $59.4 million of cap space available this season; the $715,000 in performance bonuses earned by players last year pushed the team $327.500 over last year’s cap, thus reducing this year’s available total by the same amount. Stanley Cup Champion Chicago will pay dearly for their title, having lost more than $4.15 million in cap space due to earned performance bonuses from their title run.

Posted by MikeDuca on Jul 30 2010. Filed under Bits & Pieces, San Jose Sharks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry