Sharks trade Anthony Duclair to Tampa Bay Lightning for prospect, third-rounder

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks on Thursday made their first significant move before the NHL trade deadline, dealing forward Anthony Duclair and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2024 third-round selection and minor league defenseman Jack Thompson.

Duclair was one of a handful of pending unrestricted free agents on the Sharks roster and figured to be one of general manager Mike Grier’s most attractive trade pieces.

Duclair entered Thursday with 16 goals and 27 points in 56 games but had been playing his most productive hockey of the season over the last three-plus weeks since the Sharks returned from their bye week on Feb. 12.

In the last 10 games before Thursday, Duclair led the Sharks with seven goals, 10 points, and 26 shots on net. With Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture both unavailable, Duclair has been playing mainly on a line with Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund.

Those three combined for nine points, with Duclair collecting two goals and two assists, in the Sharks’ 7-6 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. The Sharks led 6-3 before they allowed three third-period goals.

Thompson, 21, has appeared in 46 American Hockey League games this season for the Syracuse Crunch, recording 32 points and 12 penalty minutes.

Thompson will report to the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, to start his tenure with the organization.

Thompson was a third-round draft choice by the Lightning in 2020 and made his NHL debut with Tampa Bay earlier this year on Jan. 6 in his lone game for the team. He has one year left on his entry-level contract and is set to become a restricted free agent in 2025.

Thompson ranked second on Syracuse’s in both points and assists, and led the team’s defensemen in both categories. Over two AHL seasons, he played in 118 games, scoring 56 points (13 goals, 43 assists).

The NHL trade deadline is Friday at noon (PST), and a handful of other Sharks players could also be on the move to contending teams.

Alexander Barabanov could be the next Sharks player to be traded, as he was set to be held out of Thursday’s game with the New York Islanders as a precaution against injury.

Other Sharks’ pending unrestricted free agents include forwards Matt Hoffman, Kevin Labanc, Justin Bailey, Ryan Carpenter, Radim Simek and Oskar Lindblom. Simek and Lindblom were assigned to the Barracuda in October.

Barabanov has spent the last three-plus seasons with the Sharks after he was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in April 2021 for forward Antti Suomela.

In his first two-plus seasons in San Jose, Barabanov had 93 points in 147 games as he played mostly in the Sharks’ top-six forward group.

This season, though, Barabanov suffered a broken finger on Oct. 24 and missed just under six weeks, and has largely not been able to recapture that same scoring touch with just three goals and 10 points in 38 games.

Barabanov is in the second year of a two-year, $5 million contract he signed with the Sharks in May 2022.

Asked about a report that he would like to go to a contending team, Barabanov said, “Yeah, this I think is part of the business. I just work every day and we’ll see what happens.”

The Sharks are on their way to missing the playoffs for a fifth straight season and entered Thursday in 31st place in the NHL’s overall standings with a 15-39-7 record.

“It’s how it works, you know? I’m fine with it,” Barabanov said of players in his contractual position. I’m ready for any option.”

Before Thursday’s trade, Duclair said he’d be open to signing with the rebuilding Sharks this offseason. On July 1, Duclair, or any UFA, can sign with any team.

Duclair, who does not want to talk about a new contract until after the season, hasn’t ruled anything out.

“I made it clear to (general manager Mike Grier) that I’ll keep the door open, keep my options open, and then we’ll see come July 1,” Duclair said. “I’m not counting out anybody or closing doors on anybody. I think that’d be stupid of me. But I’ve enjoyed my time here, I think everybody knows that I enjoyed the boys, enjoyed this organization, and would definitely be open to coming back.”

A handful of former Sharks players still have homes in the area and are part of the organization, formally or informally. That appeals to Duclair, who would like to remain in a familiar area for some time after playing for seven teams in his first 10 NHL seasons.

“It’s a nice tight-knit community, and the biggest thing I like is how ex-players come back and they’re part of the organization,” Duclair said. “You don’t see that on every team or every organization. Obviously, (the Sharks have) some legends sticking around and walking the hallways, so that’s some motivation.

“You kind of see how (guys), even post-career, stick around and love the organization. That’s something that I’d like to be a part of.”

Magnus Chrona started in net for the Sharks against the Islanders with Kaapo Kahkonen, another pending UFA who could be dealt before the deadline, backing up. Quinn said he wanted to reward Chrona after he made 36 saves in the Sharks’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on March 2.

The 27-year-old Kahkonen, now in his fourth full NHL season, is 6-20-3 in 31 games this year with a .895 save percentage. He’s in the second and final season of a two-year, $5.5 million contract he signed with the Sharks in 2022.

Please check back for updates on this developing story.