The San Jose Sharks are not trying to be a competitive NHL team next season. There is no way around that fact. They have $19.7 million in cap space, according to Puckpedia, that they could have used to improve their team. The future is on the roster with a lot of great young forwards on their team. But for the Sharks to compete early in Macklin Celebrini's career , they needed to add defense this offseason.

The Sharks did pick up Nick Leddy, Dmitry Orlov , and John Klingberg this offseason. But Leddy and Klingberg have one year left on their deals, while Orlov has two. Their top defensemen are all in their mid-30s and not on the team for extended periods. They do have younger defensemen, Shakir Mukhamadullin and Mario Ferraro included, but they need new contracts, too. There were op

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