Patrick Marleau is gone and Joe Thornton is back for one more season. Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Martin Jones will be in the fold for the foreseeable future. After maybe the busiest offseason weekend in San Jose Sharks history, and four of their biggest questions entering free agency are now answered. Now, a new question needs answering: what comes next?
San Jose currently has $10,144,150 in salary cap space, according to Cap Friendly. That approximation includes nine skaters, six defensemen, and two goaltenders, none of whom played for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda during the Calder Cup playoffs. Assuming forwards Timo Meier ($894,167 cap hit) and Kevin Labanc ($717,500) begin the season in the NHL, and that Joakim Ryan or Tim Heed ($650,000 for both) make the team as the seventh defensemen, San Jose will have $7,882,833 in salary cap space.