The Vancouver Canucks made a notable move Monday morning, sending forward Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for AHL defenseman Cole Clayton and a pair of second-round picks in the 2026 and 2027 NHL Drafts.
This deal feels like a clear signal from Vancouver: the focus is shifting toward the future. With the team mired in a seven-game losing streak and sitting at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 16-27-5 record, the Canucks are looking to retool - and Sherwood, despite a productive season, became a trade chip in that process.
Sherwood, 30, has been one of the more consistent contributors for Vancouver this season. In 44 games, he’s posted 17 goals and 23 points while averaging a career-high 17:32 of ice time per night.
That usage speaks volumes about how trusted he was in the Canucks’ lineup. He’s just two goals shy of matching his career-best mark, and his physical style of play - remember, he set an NHL record with 462 hits last season - gave Vancouver a gritty edge.
But with his $1.5 million cap hit running through the 2025-26 season, Sherwood also represented a valuable asset for a team looking to accumulate future capital. The return? Two second-round picks and a defenseman in Cole Clayton who may still have some upside to explore.
Clayton, 25, is a right-shot blueliner who’s spent this season with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, posting two goals and five points across 33 games. He went undrafted but has carved out a role in the minors, and while he’s not expected to be a game-changer right away, he adds depth to Vancouver’s organizational blue line.
For San Jose, this is a move that aligns with a team trying to make a push. The Sharks are currently in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, holding down the second wild card spot with a 24-20-3 record. It’s a crowded field - they’re tied in points with the Kings and Ducks - and adding a veteran like Sherwood gives them a proven, physical forward who can chip in offensively and bring postseason experience to a young group led by rising star Macklin Celebrini.
Sherwood’s journey to this point has been anything but linear. After going undrafted, he played his college hockey at Miami University in Ohio before turning pro with the Ducks organization in 2018.
He spent time bouncing between the NHL and AHL with Anaheim and Colorado before finding more stability in Nashville between 2022 and 2024. Vancouver picked him up as a free agent in 2024, and he quickly became a key part of their forward group.
Now, he heads to San Jose with 309 NHL games under his belt, along with 60 goals and 121 points. He’s also logged eight playoff games with a goal and an assist to his name - and that kind of experience could prove valuable for a Sharks team hoping to take the next step.
This trade doesn’t just shift Sherwood to a team on the rise - it also underscores where the Canucks are right now. They’re not just looking to salvage this season; they’re thinking longer-term, collecting picks and giving themselves more flexibility to reshape the roster. And for Sherwood, this is another chapter in a career defined by persistence, physicality, and the ability to make an impact wherever he lands.