I’m taking a break from my draft series for right now to discuss a few topics that have surrounded the Sharks in recent days.

The Sharks aren’t Finn-ished with European signings yet

It all started last Wednesday when it was announced that the Sharks had signed a one-year entry-level contract with Finnish center Antti Suomela of JYP in Liiga. In 59 games with JYP last season, Suomela was the league’s leading scorer with 60 points (21 goals, 39 assists.

Obviously, the closest comparison, at least for Sharks fans, is fellow Finn Joonas Donskoi of the Sharks. After all, both players came from the Finnish league before being signed by the Sharks in their early 20’s and won major awards in Finland before moving across the Atlantic (Donskoi was Playoff MVP).

But Suomela is interesting because he wasn’t well-regarded when he was draft-eligible (he was undrafted while Donskoi was drafted by the Panthers), but after a couple years playing with U-20 teams, he has done quite well in his three professional seasons in Finland. While he somewhat struggled in his first year, scoring only 26 points, his play saw a 19-point increase in 2016-17. And then, of course, were his league-leading 60 points in 59 games last season.

According to Rob Vollman, one point in the Finnish league is equivalent to .452 NHL points, giving Suomela roughly 27 points over the course of an 82-game NHL season. However, Ian Tulloch’s Wilson Method is much more generous towards the SM-Liiga, meaning that each point is worth .60 NHL points. Tulloch’s calculations would give Suomela 36 points.

For JYP, Suomela played mostly third-line minutes, so his deployment likely won’t change much with the Sharks. With Eric Fehr likely leaving, there is an opening on the fourth line that could be filled by Suomela. Out of all of the recent European signings that the Sharks have made, only Melker Karlsson was given a contract for only one year, and he played with the Sharks that same season after some time in the AHL. Suomela could end up doing the same thing.

The only concerning part about Suomela is his size or lack thereof. At 6’0″, 172 pounds, Suomela doesn’t quite have the size of the stereotypical bottom-six NHL center. With the smaller ice in North America, that could be a problem, though Melker Karlsson came from Sweden with roughly the same build as well.

Despite that, considering how well the Sharks have done with their European signings in recent years with Karlsson, Tim Heed, Marcus Sorensen, and Donskoi, it is easy to give the Sharks’ scouting staff the benefit of the doubt. Whether or not Suomela will make an impact with the Sharks is yet to be seen, but at first glance, this looks like a good, low-risk signing for the Sharks that could pay some dividends for the team.

Another reunion for Peter DeBoer?

Last year, with Ilya Kovalchuk eying a return to the NHL, it was rumored that the Sharks were one of the teams interested in making a move for the former NHL star. But since the Devils still held his rights, no move was ever made, and Kovalchuk stayed in Russia.

But with Kovalchuk’s deal with the Devils expiring on July 1st, it is no surprise that the Sharks are once again interested in bringing the Russian forward to the Bay Area. Darren Dreger reported that Kovalchuk visited the Sharks on Monday.

Kovalchuk actually met with the Sharks today. San Jose among the 8-9 teams with interest. https://t.co/9u2Zq3NXAP — Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 12, 2018

Considering that the Sharks finished 17th in goals scored at 5v5 last season after struggling in that department for much of the season, signing Kovalchuk could be a good move for the Sharks if he is given a reasonable amount of money and term.

Keep in mind, despite him being 34 for much of the season, Kovalchuk still led the KHL in scoring with 63 points. According to Vollman’s translation factors, that would put Kovalchuk on pace to score about 51 points. If given a short-term contract, it could be a deal that works out for the Sharks, especially if John Tavares re-signs with the Islanders. It would obviously be preferable for the Sharks to target a younger player with the same skill, but Kovalchuk can still be an effective player at the NHL level. The only question is for how long.

And it wouldn’t be Kovalchuk’s first time playing for Peter DeBoer, either. Kovalchuk spent two seasons playing with DeBoer back when DeBoer was still the coach of the Devils. This is certainly a rumor to keep an eye on as July 1st approaches.

Logan Couture extension?

Heading into the offseason, it was expected that an extension for Logan Couture would likely be on the table for general manager Doug Wilson. After a season where Couture scored a career-high 34 goals and surpassed the 30-goal mark for the first time since 2011-12, Couture is expected to be a pivotal piece for the Sharks in the post-Thornton/Marleau era.

In his column, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun mentioned that the Sharks are expected to meet with Logan Couture and come to an agreement on an extension to keep him in San Jose for the long-term future.

Dating back to 2016, Doug Wilson has been busy with handing out multi-year extensions to the Sharks’ stars. Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Martin Jones, and Evander Kane have all received lengthy extensions to stay with the Sharks. With Logan Couture possibly in the fold as well, Wilson will have secured a core that the Sharks can effectively move forward with long after Joe Thornton finally leaves or retires.

Between his 30-point playoff run that led the Sharks to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance and his career year last season, Logan Couture has proven himself to be a large reason why the Sharks have been such a good team in recent years. And between Couture’s 30-game absence in 2015-16 and his devastating mouth injury at the end of the 2016-17 season, the Sharks know that they simply aren’t the same team without Couture in the lineup.

But if Couture is given an extension that is along the lines of Burns’, it will possibly be the safest contract extension that Wilson will have signed over the last two years. Couture doesn’t carry the same injury history that Kane has, though as mentioned earlier, that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been injured in the past, nor does he play a heavy style like Kane’s that would depreciate as time goes on. Like Burns and Vlasic, he would still be in his 30’s over the course of the contract, but Couture’s play is one that can be sustained through his 30’s. Couture has been a consistent scorer for the Sharks ever since his actual rookie season in 2010-11, when he was a candidate for the Calder Trophy.

It’s clear that Wilson is trying to keep this group together to keep this team’s window open, and he has been successful at it so far. Considering that the farm system is lacking any sort of high-end talent, Wilson relies on keeping veterans like Couture to keep this team competitive year in, year out.

But in order to make this team truly a contender for the Stanley Cup, Wilson still needs to acquire one more piece to put this team over the top. This team can easily make the playoffs and do some damage, as evidenced by this year’s playoffs. But as also evidenced by this year’s playoffs, the Sharks still need one more high-end piece to put them in contention to hoist the Stanley Cup. Whether that is a John Carlson, a John Tavares, an Erik Karlsson, or some other trade candidate that hasn’t been heavily rumored yet, Wilson probably still needs to land one more big fish.

But keeping Logan Couture would be a good start.

Bonus point: No need for a Jumbo Watch?

In the same column as the Couture information, LeBrun also mentioned that there is “mutual interest to get a deal done when the time is right.” LeBrun also notes that Thornton does not appear to be interested in testing the free agent market again after going through it last offseason. As long as the money is still there, expect Joe Thornton to still be wearing teal next season.

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