LAS VEGAS – The San Jose Sharks continued their busy offseason and alleviated some of the logjam that had built up on their blue line, trading defenseman Kyle Burroughs to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday for forward Carl Grundstrom.
The Sharks acquired defenseman Jake Walman on Tuesday, and are now back to having six defensemen on one-way contracts. Henry Thrun and Ty Emberson are pending restricted free agents in need of new deals.
By dealing Burroughs, the Sharks now have Jan Rutta, Matt Benning, Thrun, and Ty Emberson on the right side, and left-shot defensemen Walman, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Mario Ferraro. Fellow left-shot defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Nikolai Knyzhov will also be in the mix for roster spots this upcoming season.
Burroughs signed a three-year, $3.3 million deal with the Sharks as a free agent last year. After Thursday’s trade, the Sharks now have just over $30 million in salary cap space, per CapFriendly, with several pending RFAs still unsigned.
Grundstrom, 26, is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Known more for his work ethic, skating, and hockey IQ than his scoring touch, Grundstrom had 12 points in 50 games with the Kings last season. The year before, he set career highs with 19 points, including 12 goals, in 57 games.
Grundstrom, who is listed at 6 feet and 200 pounds, has 67 points in 236 NHL games. He represented Sweden at the 2022, 2023, and 2024 World Championships, most recently winning a Bronze Medal earlier this year. The Toronto Maple Leafs originally selected him in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Grundstrom and Walman are just the latest new faces on the Sharks, as general manager Mike Grier has made notable changes to his roster in the last few weeks.
Last week, the Sharks claimed forward Barclay Goodrow off of waivers and acquired forward Ty Dellandrea from the Dallas Stars.
San Jose also signed top prospect Will Smith to an entry-level contract in May, and Grier also stated earlier this week that he would not be bringing back pending restricted free-agent defenseman Calen Addison.
What Grundstrom’s acquisition means for other pending RFAs on the Sharks roster is unclear, as Filip Zadina and Jack Studnicka’s futures with the team appear to be murky at best. NHL teams have until Sunday to issue qualifying offers to their RFAs. If they don’t, those players become unrestricted free agents.
Burroughs, 28, played in 73 games with the Sharks in 2023-24 and had eight points. He ranked eighth among San Jose defensemen in scoring, led the group with 71 penalty minutes, and was fifth among team blue-liners with 19:09 time on ice per game.
At 6-foot and 198 pounds, Burroughs can hardly be considered an enforcer, but he also filled a certain role with the Sharks with three fighting majors this past season.
