San Jose Sharks face a pivotal challenge: can they upgrade their blue line and accelerate their rebuild? With just Dmitry Orlov and Sam Dickinson under contract for next season, the Sharks must address four open defensive spots. The limited pool of promising internal candidates, such as Luca Cagnoni and Eric Pohlkamp, raises questions about immediate impact. At the same time, the 2026 NHL free agency market offers few top-tier defenders, forcing management to get creative.
JD Young breaks down the Sharks’ options, spotlighting trade targets such as Rasmus Andersson, Dougie Hamilton, and Owen Power—plus the massive effect a potential Quinn Hughes move could have on the entire defense market. Cap space, asset flexibility, and the urgency for long-term solutions frame San Jose’s strategic dilemma. Can GM Mike Grier leverage the Sharks’ league-leading prospect pool to land a franchise-altering star? Dive into this analysis of San Jose’s defensive future.
Timestamps:
00:00 Locked On Sharks: Defense Rebuild
05:29 Sharks’ Defensive Prospects Update
07:45 Uncertainty in Rookie Lineup Choices
15:27 Free Agency Challenges for Sharks
16:54 Rasmus Anderson Tops Free Agency
20:54 Sharks’ Trade Market Strategy
26:15 Dougie Hamilton Trade Speculation
29:59 Sharks’ Defense Rebuild Challenges
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4 Comments
They must play Dickinson 20 minutes a game and play him every game as well as put him on the first power play unit to succeed.
They have enough prospects to trade for a top-tier, stay-at-home Dman if they want to go that route
Mukamahduka! Pohlkamp! Cags!
Then either Verhoeff, Lin, or Reid!!!
Dude I like your Sharks content, but I will try to give some constructive feedback. In my humble opinion, most of your videos could be cut down by about 50%. Just be more succinct. you make great points and are really on top of the state of affairs, but everything is drawn out much longer than I want to watch in a video. Brevity my brother. keep going