Overview
- The deal sends San Jose’s 2026 and 2027 second-round picks plus 25-year-old defenseman Cole Clayton to Vancouver, with Clayton reporting to Abbotsford.
- San Jose moves to bolster a playoff push after holding a Western Conference wild-card spot, marking a shift from stockpiling assets to buying.
- Kiefer Sherwood leads Vancouver with 17 goals in 44 games and brings heavy physical play, but he has been out since Jan. 10 with a coach-indicated 1–3 week timeline.
- Sherwood is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $1.5 million cap hit this season, and no extension was in place at the time of the trade.
- Initial reaction widely judged the return as lighter than earlier expectations of a first-rounder, as the Sharks retain cap flexibility to seek an extension or consider flipping Sherwood before March 6.