The San Jose Sharks signed forward Nico Sturm to a three-year deal as part of a busy July for the organization. The transaction will have a $2 million cap impact.
Sturm won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Wild. Last season, he had nine goals and 20 points in 74 regular-season games.
The 27-year-old center doesn’t have much NHL experience, having played only 132 NHL games and two complete seasons in the league. Nonetheless, he’s established himself as a capable depth forward who can help steady the Sharks’ bottom six.
After cycling through a number of marginal NHLers to flesh out their forward group over the previous several years, San Jose did a fantastic job acquiring components this summer. Sturm will most likely center the team’s fourth line, behind Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture, and Nick Bonino.
A $2 million cap hit is a reasonable price to pay for Sturm. He won’t generate much, but if he can manage 10 goals and 20-25 points while being strong defensively and in the faceoff circle, the transaction will be profitable. Even if you give some term, at $2 million per year, there isn’t much danger.