Kiefer Sherwood, who was of interest to the CH, may be traded (again) this week.

Félix Forget
Kiefer Sherwood, who was of interest to the CH, may be traded (again) this week.
Credit: Capture d'écran/NHL.com

Earlier this year, the CH was linked to Kiefer Sherwood. The forward, who played for the Canucks, is a tough guy… who discovered his scoring talents this year.

And since the Canucks weren't going anywhere and Sherwood was an up-and-coming free agent, it made sense for the club to try to cash in on him.

But in the end, Sherwood was sent to San Jose instead, with the Sharks offering two second-round picks in return.

Except that since then, the Sharks have been struggling. The club is tumbling down the standings, and Sherwood, who was injured at the time of the trade, has played only two games with his new team.

And Sheng Peng, who covers the Sharks for San Jose Hockey Now, reported that it should come as no surprise if the Sharks are ready totrade him again later this week. This would be in the event that the two sides cannot agree on a long-term contract.

Remember that Sherwood, who is earning $1.5 million this season, is hoping to get $30 million on his next NHL contract. The Sharks may not necessarily be willing to pay that amount (although things can change quickly in the NHL), and we know that a player like him would be in high demand if the Sharks put him on the market.

The club shouldn't have too much trouble finding an offer that would allow it to get two second-round picks, which is what it paid to get him in the first place. And we can imagine that the price could be even higher if the club plays its cards right.

The question is whether the Habs, who have shown interest in Sherwood over the past three months, are still interested today. If so, we can wonder what the club's offer would look like… and, more importantly, whether Kent Hughes would be willing to give him the $30 million contract he is looking for.
Nothing is stopping the Habs from signing him purely as a rental player, in fact. But one would think that a team willing to sign him long term would be more willing to pay the Sharks a hefty price to get him than a team that only sees him as a rental player.

To be continued in the coming days, then.


In brief

– Good point.

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