The San Jose Sharks’ rebuild is in full swing and part of that has included many veterans who have moved on to new organizations. Tomas Hertl, Erik Karlsson, and Brent Burns are all names that have been traded during the Mike Grier era in San Jose. While Grier has yet to make a major buyout as general manager (GM) of the team, the only player who’s had that fate has been Rudolfs Balcers, one name consistently pops up in rumors, Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The veteran has spent parts of 18 seasons with the team, and at one point was one of the most effective shutdown defensemen in the NHL.
Vlasic’s Contract
The contract that former GM Doug Wilson gave Vlasic is the classic case of a player being paid way too much money for way too long. The former Olympic gold medalist was already 30 years old when he was signed to an eight-year contract extension in 2017, a move which was puzzling at the time but only got even more confusing with age. His contract will expire following the 2025-26 season, meaning two more seasons remain on his deal following the current season. His $7 million cap hit is extreme as well, which takes him far outside of the trade market, meaning the only way he’ll leave the Sharks is through a buyout.
Per CapFriendly, it would save the Sharks $3.166 million over the next two seasons if they were to complete a buyout on Vlasic. With that being said, it would also give him a $1.33 million cap hit for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons, which is ideally when the Sharks are hoping to start climbing out of the league’s basement. It saves them some essentially pointless cap space for two seasons, and of course, it keeps some money in Hasso Plattner’s bank account, but it extends the contract even further to a point where it can possibly affect some of the contracts of the team’s next core group. The Sharks won’t be anywhere near the salary cap ceiling for the next two seasons, so it’s much more logical to just ride the contract out financially.
Leadership Presence
There’s another big reason why keeping Vlasic on the roster could be much more important than people think. Hertl was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights at the trade deadline, meanwhile, the status of Logan Couture is up in the air and he’s expressed doubts that he’ll ever return to the NHL. It’s not clear how much of that is just frustration on his end and how much of it is what he’s been told by medical staff, but either way, there’s not much veteran leadership in the lineup on a nightly basis moving forward.
Mike Hoffman’s likely leaving as a free agent, as is Alexander Barabanov and Kevin Labanc. Mikael Granlund and Jan Rutta will likely start the season with the Sharks but it would be surprising if they’re not moved at next year’s trade deadline. Of course, players like Luke Kunin, Nico Sturm and Mario Ferraro have been around for a while now, but they’re not ready to lead an NHL team yet. Vlasic would be a consistent locker room presence that his teammates could rely on for leadership. That’s much more valuable during a rebuild than some extra cap space. He’s not the most valuable player on the ice on a nightly basis, that much is clear. Still, he can be a mentor to the young defensemen in the organization who are working their way up, whether it’s someone like Henry Thrun who’s already on the roster or a top prospect like Shakir Mukhamadullin.
An argument can be made that management could simply acquire some veteran leadership in free agency, which is true, but as the Chicago Blackhawks’ recent signings have shown, players will expect a premium financially if they’re going to a place where they’re not going to have a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup. Management would end up spending the money they’d save on Vlasic on someone to replace him immediately, making it essentially a moot point. It’s also important to remember the players who have influenced him over the years as well. He came into the league getting a wide array of knowledge from players like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dan Boyle among quite a few others. He can continue to pass the lessons he learned on to the next generation, which can only benefit the team in the long run.
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Vlasic has been a Shark for a long time, and at this rate, it seems like they’ll be the only organization he’ll ever play for. His best years had long since passed him by, but a buyout would not only be essentially a waste of time under the current circumstances, but it would leave the team void of experienced leadership. He has a terrible contract, that goes without saying, and if he regresses any further a buyout may be necessary after the 2024-25 season, but for the time being, it’s pretty much pointless.
