Olausson, 22, was a first round pick (No.28 overall) in 2021 and has appeared in just four NHL games since then. In 2024-25, he spent most of the season in AHL, where he had 11 goals and 15 assists (26 points) in 61 games. He'll likely see some NHL action at some point during the 2025-26 season, but will likely start the year back in the AHL.
Skinner signed with the Oilers last summer but struggled in 2024-25, recording 29 points (16G / 13) while averaging just 13:00 TOI/gm. In San Jose he should have a larger role, likely in the top-6 and will look to get back to 20-plus goals for the 11th time in his career.
San Jose acquired some grit and toughness late Thursday night when they announced they had traded 24-year-old defenseman Henry Thrun to Toronto for forward Ryan Reaves. Reaves is a 38-year-old enforcer entering his 16th NHL season and should find a spot in San Jose's bottom-six. He struggled to stick with Toronto last season, collecting just two assists and 28 PIMs in 35 games played.
San Jose added to their goaltending depth on Thursday after adding 25-year-old netminder Jakub Skarek on a one-year, two-way contract. The Czech goaltender made his NHL debut in 2024-25 with the Islanders, but struggled with a 0-1-0 record, .872 SV% and 3.94 GAA. He is expected to start the 2025-26 season with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
After four seasons in St. Louis, Nick Leddy was placed on waivers by St. Louis and claimed by San Jose on Thursday. The 34-year-old smooth-skating defenseman is in the final year of a four-year, $16 million contract ($4 million AAV). He will add another veteran presence to San Jose's blueline after they signed Dmitry Orlov earlier in the afternoon.
After two seasons in Carolina, Orlov inks a two-year pact with a young Sharks term. Orlov brings 13-years of NHL experience and is coming off of a 28-point season (6G / 22A) in 76 games. The veteran is a solid two-way blueliner, who will join other veterans like Mario Ferraro, John Klingberg and Nick Leddy in San Jose.
Bowers was a first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft but the 25-year-old has not been able to establish himself at the NHL level, limited to only 13 career games. He had 17 points (3G / 14A) in 65 games with the Utica Comets (AHL) last season.
Regenda spent 2024-25 split between San Diego (AHL) and San Jose (AHL), but has found a home in the Barracuda after signing a one-year, two-way contract to remain in San Jose on Wednesday. The 25-year-old is expected to return to San Jose (AHL) for the start of the 2025-26 season, where he had 13 goals and 41 points in 72 games played last season.
After four successful seasons in Cleveland (AHL), Cole Clayton will join his second NHL organization after signing a one-year, two-way contract with San Jose. The 25-year-old defenseman appeared in 63 games with Cleveland last season, picking up a goal, 15 points and 37 PIMs. He will start 2025-26 with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
San Jose added another depth piece for the Barracuda (AHL) on Tuesday after signing Samuel Laberge to a one-year, two-way contract. The 28-year-old forward struggled to find any sort of offensive touch in Utica (AHL) last season, scoring just three goals, four points and 76 PIMs in 38 games played.
San Jose added to their depth in the minors by signing 26-year-old forward Jimmy Huntington to a one-year, two-way contract. The Quebec native was limited to only four games in 2024-25 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) due to injury, but still has 17 goals and 37 points across 71 games in the AHL in the last two seasons.
The Sharks are heading in a different direction between the pipes in the 2025-26 season, now with Alex Nedeljkovic and Yaroslav Askarov battling for the crease. The 29-year-old Nedeljkovic posted a subpar 3.12 GAA and .894 SV% in 38 appearances last season (14-15-5) on a Pittsburgh Penguins team that struggled defensively.
Gaudette played a career-high 81 games last season and scored a career-high 19 goals with the Ottawa Senators. The 28-year-old has split most of his career alternating between the AHL and NHL and will hope to continue a trend from last year, playing as an NHL regular in the 2025-26 season.
After not playing professional hockey for over a year due to injuries, Klingberg signed with the Edmonton Oilers late in the 2024-25 campaign. He recorded four points (1G / 3A) in 11 games with the Oilers and four points (1G / 3A) in 19 postseason games. The 32-year-old Klingberg isn't far removed from being one of the league's elite powerplay quarterbacks. He scored a career-high 67 points (8G / 59A) in 82 games with the Dallas Stars in the 2017-18 season.
After five seasons in Chicago, Philipp Kurashev has joined the San Jose Sharks on a one-year, $1.2 million contract. The 25-year-old Swish center broke out in 2023-24 with 18 goals and 54 points but regressed to his career norms in 2024-25 with only seven goals and 14 points in 51 games played.
Fresh off a successful 2nd full campaign that saw him post career highs in goals (17), assists (41), points (58), and SOG (151), William Eklund has earned himself a three-year, $16.8 million extension ($5,600,000 AAV) to remain with San Jose. The 22-year-old was San Jose's 2021 1st round pick (7th overall) and has produced admirably since making his NHL debut in 2021-22. He is expected to return to his regular top-six and top power-play role for the 2025-26 season.
San Jose shored up their minor league goaltending on Sunday after signing Gariel Carriere to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The 24-year-old undrafted goaltender appeared in 47 games combined between the AHL and ECHL last season and will hope to remain with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) this upcoming season.
After 1323 games played and 19 seasons in San Jose, it appears Marc-Edouard Vlasic's time as a Shark will come to an end after it was announced on Thursday that the team planned on waiving the veteran for the purpose of a contract buyout. The 38-year-old was set to start the final season of an eight-year, $56 million contract ($8 million AAV). He appeared in 27 games in 2024-25, picking up a goal, and three points to go along with a -10 plus/minus.
