San Jose Sharks Betting on Kiefer Sherwood’s Grit and Long-Term Fit
SAN JOSE - When the San Jose Sharks sent two second-round picks to the Vancouver Canucks earlier this week to acquire Kiefer Sherwood, it wasn’t a short-term rental move. General manager Mike Grier made that clear. This was about identity, about culture, and about adding a player who embodies the kind of hockey the Sharks want to play moving forward.
Sherwood, 30, might not be the flashiest name on the market, but make no mistake - this was a targeted move by Grier. The Sharks had been scouting Sherwood heavily in recent weeks, and when the opportunity came to get him, they didn’t hesitate. Now, the focus shifts to keeping him in teal beyond this season.
“He kind of fits the identity of what we want to be as a team,” Grier said. “He’s what this team needs - someone who plays with some sandpaper, some grit, some speed, some physicality.”
That’s the kind of player Sherwood has been throughout his career. He’s tough, he’s fast, and he doesn’t shy away from contact - in fact, he leads the NHL with 906 hits over the last two-plus seasons.
That’s not a typo. Despite standing just 6 feet and weighing 194 pounds, Sherwood has made a living throwing his body around, bringing a relentless edge to every shift.
He’s also produced offensively, with 90 points in his last 190 games. That combination of physicality and scoring touch made him one of the more sought-after names ahead of the trade deadline. But Grier didn’t bring him in just to flip him again in a few weeks.
The Sharks are hoping to lock Sherwood down long-term, though the numbers will need to make sense for both sides. Sherwood is in the final year of a two-year, $3 million deal he signed with Vancouver back in 2024.
He reportedly turned down a three- or four-year extension from the Canucks that would’ve paid him around $4 million annually. His next deal is expected to push closer to $5 million per year - a significant bump, and one that could test the Sharks’ cap flexibility.
While Grier didn’t get into specifics about negotiations, he acknowledged that the two sides have talked and that there’s mutual excitement about the fit.
“I don’t believe in negotiating in the media,” Grier said. “Post-trade, we had a quick conversation.
But we were just more focused on how excited we were to add Kiefer to the group. He’s excited, we’re excited, and we think it’s a great fit.
Hopefully down the road at some point, we’ll be able to work something out.”
Sherwood echoed that sentiment after getting settled in San Jose.
“I know the facility is pretty new, so I’m coming at a good time, I guess,” he said, referring to the recently renovated Sharks Ice. “But it’s been great.
I’m really excited to join this group, and I just love the energy so far. I’m looking forward to getting going.”
He’s been out since Jan. 10 with an undisclosed injury, but is hopeful he’ll be back in the lineup Tuesday when the Sharks face his former team in Vancouver to kick off a five-game road trip.
The Sharks, for their part, have the cap space to make something happen - about $55 million available for next season, according to PuckPedia. But that money will go fast. Only 11 NHL players are under contract for next year, and the team still needs to plan ahead for big-ticket extensions looming on the horizon.
Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith - two of the franchise’s cornerstone young players - will both be due new deals when their entry-level contracts expire in 2027. Celebrini is already tracking toward a contract that could put him among the league’s highest-paid players. Smith will also be due a major raise from his current $950,000 salary.
So while there’s money to work with now, Grier has to be strategic.
Still, he made it clear he’s not going to stand in the way of a player trying to maximize his value, especially one like Sherwood, who’s earned his stripes the hard way.
“I think we’ll be able to work something out, but we’ll just have to see how it goes,” Grier said Thursday during a season ticket holder event.
The Sharks paid a decent price to bring Sherwood in - second-round picks in 2026 and 2027, plus AHL defenseman Cole Clayton. That’s not the kind of package you give up unless you see a player as part of your long-term plans.
Could the Sharks still flip Sherwood before the March 6 trade deadline if an extension doesn’t materialize? Grier didn’t rule it out, but emphasized that this wasn’t a speculative move.
“If someone calls, maybe I’ll listen and see what they have to say,” he said. “But his acquisition was a targeted acquisition.”
There’s always a question when it comes to physical players like Sherwood - can they hold up over the course of a long-term deal, especially as they move into their mid-30s? Grier, who played 14 NHL seasons himself, isn’t concerned.
“I think he plays hard, but he takes really good care of himself,” Grier said. “When you play physical, there’s always the chance you get hurt or break down a little bit.
But he takes his profession seriously. He trains hard, he skates well, and we’re confident he’ll age well.”
With the trade deadline approaching and the Sharks still in the early stages of a rebuild, Grier has options. He’s got cap space, he’s got flexibility, and he’s got a clear vision.
But as he said repeatedly Thursday: “I’m not going to do anything that’s short-sighted. It’s all about continuing to grow and build the group.”
And right now, Kiefer Sherwood looks like a piece of that puzzle.