San Jose Sharks re-sign two players
By Cory Buck
The San Jose Sharks have a lot of work to do this offseason. They got a head start on that by re-signing goalie Alex Stalock and forward Mike Brown to two-year deals, per TSN. In doing so, the Sharks will avoid potentially losing both players to unrestricted free agency on July 1.
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Alex Stalock played in 24 games last year as Antti Niemi’s backup. He went 12-5-2 with a .932 save percentage. He’ll be 27 at the beginning of the 2014-15 season. Stalock also appeared in three playoff games this past spring, and even started Game 6 of San Jose’s series against the Los Angeles Kings.
The Sharks acquired Mike Brown from the Edmonton Oilers early in the 2013-14 season for a fourth round pick in the 2014 draft. Brown tallied 2 goals and 3 assists to go with 75 penalty minutes in 48 games with San Jose. Brown also had a goal and an assist in six games against the Kings.
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While these are minor, complementary moves, they are no less necessary in the long run. Cap management is a huge part of roster building and with starter Niemi’s contract expiring next year, GM Doug Wilson had to make sure the crease was secure for another year. While Stalock has some nice numbers, his game played are far too few to make a proper judgment call on. His and Brown’s deals are likely small, palatable deals that fill roster spots in anticipation of a shake-up higher on the depth chart.