San Jose Sharks rumors: Melker Karlsson, Donskoi close to multi-year extensions

Melker Karlsson and Joonas Donskoi are close to signing multi-year extensions with the San Jose Sharks. 

This upcoming offseason is likely one of the most important ones in San Jose Sharks history. They might be moving on from Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, who helped turn them into annual regular season juggernauts and a Stanley Cup run. The Sharks will be focusing on building up a long-term contender. They’re reportedly close to signing two restricted free agents, Melker Karlsson and Joonas Donskoi, to multi-year extensions.

It’s quite likely both are getting short-term deals rather than long-term. Neither of the two has proven enough to warrant a significant contract. However, both Karlsson and Donskoi have proven enough to warrant a pay raise and a longer look.

Both forwards are coming off relatively unimpressive seasons, for different reasons. Karlsson has yet to play more than 67 games in any of his three NHL seasons. During the regular season, he put up 22 points in 67 games. Karlsson scored one goal during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His future in San Jose might be a bit murky, but he still has enough upside that he’s an intriguing piece.

Donskoi also had a down year, but his is much easier to diagnose. He battled through injuries for most of the year, missing 20 games with a shoulder issue. In 61 games, Donskoi put up 17 points, a noticeable decline from his 36 points in 76 games in 2015-16. He also had 12 points in 24 postseason games during the Sharks’ Stanley Cup run last season.

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The Sharks have a lot of things to figure out this offseason. Signing both Karlsson and Donskoi to short-term deals works well for both parties. It allows the Sharks to further examine the players while the player get to potentially earn a bigger payday down the road.