With 25 games remaining in the 2024-25 NHL season, the San Jose Sharks are poised to miss the playoffs yet again.
The team has been in a full-scale rebuild since Mike Grier took over as general manager in 2022. The sell-off has seen the team move key pieces, such as Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl.
This year, we also saw the Sharks ship Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars, collecting a 2025 first-round pick in the process. At least in terms of other pending free agents though, the Sharks don’t have many players who’d be capable of bringing back a big return.
However, one name with a bit of term remaining who could be moved is defenseman Mario Ferraro.
Ferraro is 26-years-old and was originally selected by San Jose in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He’s played almost 400 career games with the Sharks and has been a pillar of the team’s blue line during the rebuild. However, Ferraro’s name has come up in trade speculation.
The Sharks certainly don’t have to trade Ferraro, given he’s still young enough to be a long-term fit. The defenseman also has another year left on his contract, at a cap-friendly $3.25 million.
But at the same time, San Jose does have other options to build around on the left side. Jake Walman is proving to be an excellent fit, while Sam Dickinson and Shakir Mukhamadullin will be pushing for spots soon.
So below, we take a look at possible landing spots for Ferraro, if he’s moved by the Sharks.
Avalanche land Mario Ferraro
The group of Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Samuel Girard leave the Colorado Avalanche looking really strong at the top of their forward group. However, their blue line isn’t without flaws.
The first issue is Josh Manson’s lackluster year. The defender holds a minus-nine rating, which is tied for second worst on the team.
The defense has also been rounded out by the combination of Calvin de Haan, Sam Malinski and Keaton Middleton. But none of the three have even averaged 16 minutes per game this year.
Acquiring Ferraro would be a cap-friendly upgrade, who could also play in the top-four. With another year remaining on his deal and only in his mid-2os, Ferraro could be a longer-term fit.
A potential issue is that the Avalanche don’t have a ton of future assets to trade. As a result, it’s debatable as to whether they could actually pull of this move. At least in terms of a fit though, Ferraro makes sense for Colorado.
Ferraro gets traded to Rangers
The New York Rangers have seen a bit of turnover within their blue line this season. Jacob Trouba was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks, before the Rangers acquired Will Borgen from the Seattle Kraken.
However, New York could still use boost on the left side of their group. Both K’Andre Miller and Ryan Lindgren have struggled at times this season, with Urho Vaakanainen on the third pairing. Ferraro could play up or down the group, and provide a bit more stability.
The term on Ferraro’s contract is also a big plus. Considering New York is on the playoff bubble, adding a rental isn’t necessarily ideal. Spending assets just to miss the playoffs and have their acquisition walk away this summer would be a nightmare scenario.
But with Ferraro under contract until 2026, there’s a bit less risk involved. Especially with Ryan Lindgren set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, adding Ferraro gives the team a bit more of a plan on their blue line going forward.
Jets swing Ferraro trade
As is the case in Colorado, the top of the Winnipeg Jets’ defense is well-established. The combination of Josh Morrissey and Dylan DeMelo, along with Dylan Samberg and Neal Pionk leaves the Jets with two very strong pairings.
However, the team’s third pairing is a pretty big step down. Using Logan Stanley, Colin Miller and Haydn Fleury through most of the season, the team has kept anyone outside the top-four to a pretty small role. Each member of the top-four is averaging at least 21 minutes per game – meanwhile, none of Stanley, Miller or Fleury have even averaged 17 minutes.
Adding Ferraro would be a big boost to the team’s defensive depth. Ferraro has term remaining and with Winnipeg not at a loss for cap space, the fit makes sense.
Meanwhile, it also provides a bit of a backup plan, in case of injury. If any member of the top-four was to be unavailable long-term, all of a sudden, Winnipeg’s defense looks much weaker. But Ferraro can easily slot into a top-four role, averaging over 20 minutes per game this season.
The one thing that makes a deal with Winnipeg less likely is that they may have other priorities. It’s a safe bet the team could be looking to upgrade down the middle, and if they do, trading for a defenseman as well is a lot less likely.
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