Sharks Should Avoid Kaprizov Trade Talk Right Now

Just because the NHL offseason is almost over doesn’t mean we don’t have time for a few more plot twists. The newest development came when Minnesota Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov rejected an extension that would have given him the largest contract in NHL history, leaving his future with his current team uncertain. Naturally, people have begun speculating on which teams he could go to if the Wild decide to trade him. While some theories have linked him to the San Jose Sharks, their front office should tread very, very carefully in any pursuit of him. The idea of snagging Kaprizov to accelerate their rebuild is exciting, but it would come with a lot of massive risks that might not be worth taking right now.

Sharks Would Have to Give Up Crucial Assets

Over the last few seasons, the Sharks have built up one of the best pools of young players in the NHL and still have most of their upcoming early-round draft picks. Their promising future isn’t just about how many great players they could have at the top, it’s about how deep they could be. Trading for Kaprizov would require them to give up a large portion of these assets, and that’s not something they should be thinking about doing right now.

The Wild would presumably be willing to negotiate with the Sharks given how many appealing prospects and picks they have, and they’d likely demand multiple of each. But the Sharks shouldn’t give up all that for one player, even one as good as Kaprizov. A deep, well-rounded team is more likely to win the Stanley Cup than one that gets too top-heavy, something we’ve seen plenty of times, including in the last two years. Adding Kaprizov right now would push the Sharks too close towards the latter and risk undoing a lot of the positive work they’ve put together.

Kaprizov Contract Would Alter Sharks’ Cap Situation

In addition to their roster building, the Sharks have been very careful and deliberate financially. They’ve shedded big contracts and avoided adding any new ones, apart from deliberately taking them on in their efforts to reach the salary cap floor. They don’t want to strap themselves right now, making sure they leave enough room for when their young stars earn major pay raises.

We don’t know the size of Kaprizov’s next contract yet, but given the numbers thrown around in his current negotiations, it will likely be massive, whether in terms of length, money or both. The Sharks are better served to focus on signing young players already on the team. A new deal with Kaprizov — assuming he’d want to stay in San Jose after being sent there — could be divided into contracts for two or three current Sharks instead. Much in the same way that acquiring Kaprizov would hamper San Jose’s roster building due to harming their depth, it would harm their finances for many of the same reasons.

Sharks Not Ready For Win-Now Trades

Too often, we see teams get impatient with rebuilds, whether via pressure from fans or ownership, or simply an opportunity that the front office becomes convinced is too good to turn down. These situations sometimes lead to a rebuilding effort where certain pieces of the puzzle are much further along than others, or the team is trying to complete their rebuild without the assets necessary to do so.

The Sharks are certainly taking their time enacting their plan, but pretty much everyone involved seems to be on board with the pace. Perhaps in a season or two, when the Sharks have a clearer plan of where all of their exciting young players stand and a better sense of how close their rebuild is to being finished, this would be a great trade to make. Maybe Kaprizov will become disgruntled again at that time, in which case the Sharks should at least explore the option of bringing in a player of his caliber. But in the current moment, the Sharks are better off sticking to the types of moves they’ve made to earn their rebuild so much praise.