SAN JOSE – Anthony Duclair and Alexander Barabanov might have played their last game of the season in a San Jose Sharks uniform.
Indications were early Thursday afternoon that Duclair and Barabanov would both be held out of the Sharks lineup for the team’s evening home game against the New York Islanders and be dealt to other teams before the NHL trade deadline on Friday at noon (PST).
Duclair, 28, and Barabanov, 29, are pending unrestricted free agents and there is enough interest in both players to hold them out of the lineup and not risk an injury to either winger.
A potential trade involving either player is more likely to occur Friday than today.
Both Duclair and Barabanov, in an unusual move, were among the last players on the ice at the team’s practice facility Thursday after an optional morning skate. Fed passes by an assistant coach, both wingers practiced one-timers from near the faceoff dots.
Sharks coach David Quinn said Thursday morning he still had to finalize his lineup for the Islanders game, saying those questions were more about the health of some players, not because some might be held out for trade-related reasons.
Duclair and Barabanov doing some extra work after the morning skate. Last practice in San Jose? pic.twitter.com/49rzt7JVuI
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) March 7, 2024
Quinn later added, though, that it was possible that some players could be held out due to the team’s asset management plans.
Duclair and Barabanov, both healthy and interviewed later, could not say for sure whether they would be in the lineup as the Sharks play the second game of a three-game homestand.
“I have no idea what’s going to happen,” Duclair said Thursday. “So, we’ll see. It’s that time of the year, so I’m just trying to enjoy the day and go from there. Honestly, I don’t have any updates right now, but we’ll see what happens.”
Quinn said goalie Magnus Chrona will start for the Sharks against the Islanders with Kaapo Kahkonen, another pending UFA who could be dealt before the deadline, backing up. Quinn said he wanted to reward Chrona after he made 36 saves in the Sharks’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on March 2.
Entering the last year of a three-year contract, Duclair was acquired by the Sharks from the Florida Panthers on July 1, 2023, for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick and forward Steven Lorentz.
Duclair entered Thursday with 16 goals and 27 points in 56 games but had been playing his most productive hockey of the season over the last three-plus weeks since the Sharks returned from their bye week on Feb. 12.
In the last 10 games before Thursday, Duclair led the Sharks with seven goals 10 points, and 26 shots on net. With Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture both unavailable, Duclair has been playing mainly on a line with Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund.
Those three combined for nine points, with Duclair collecting two goals and two assists, in the Sharks’ 7-6 overtime loss to the Stars on Tuesday. The Sharks led 6-3 before they allowed three straight third-period goals and a goal by Roope Hintz in overtime.
Barabanov has spent the last two seasons with the Sharks after he was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in April 2021 for forward Antti Suomela.
In his first two-plus seasons in San Jose, Barabanov had 93 points in 147 games as he played mostly in the Sharks’ top-six forward group. This season, though, Barabanov suffered a broken finger on Oct. 24 and missed just under six weeks, but has largely not been able to recapture that same scoring touch, as he entered Thursday with three goals and 10 points in 38 games.
Barabanov is in the second year of a two-year, $5 million contract he signed with the Sharks in May 2022.
The Sharks are on their way to missing the playoffs for a fifth straight season and entered Thursday in 31st place in the NHL’s overall standings with a 15-39-7 record.
Asked about a report that he would like to go to a contending team, Barabanov said, “Yeah, this I think is part of the business. I just work every day and we’ll see what happens.
“It’s how it works, you know? I’m fine with it. I’m ready for any option.”
Regardless of whether he’s traded or remains in San Jose, Duclair said he’d be open to signing with the rebuilding Sharks this offseason. Even if he’s traded, Duclair, or any UFA, can sign with any team on July 1.
Duclair said he does not want to talk about a new contract until after the season but hasn’t ruled anything out.
“I made it clear (general manager Mike Grier) that I’ll keep the door open, keep my options open, and then we’ll see come July 1,” Duclair said. “I’m not counting out anybody or closing doors on anybody. I think that’d be stupid of me. But for me, personally, I’ve enjoyed my time here, I think everybody knows that I enjoyed the boys, enjoyed this organization, and would definitely be open to coming back.”
A handful of former Sharks players still have homes in the area and are part of the organization, formally or informally. That appeals to Duclair, who would like to remain in a familiar area for some time after playing for seven teams in his first 10 NHL seasons.
“It’s a nice tight-knit community, and the biggest thing I like is how ex-players come back and they’re part of the organization,” Duclair said. “You don’t see that on every team or every organization. Obviously, (the Sharks have) some legends sticking around and walking the hallways, so that’s some motivation.
“You kind of see how (guys), even post-career, stick around and love the organization. That’s something that I’d like to be a part of.”