San Jose Sharks place Nathan Todd on unconditional waivers

According to CapFriendly, the San Jose Sharks have placed forward Nathan Todd on unconditional waivers, with the purpose to terminate his contract.

Todd, 28, is an undrafted centre who signed with the Sharks back in July of 2023. Sharks general manager Mike Grier inked Todd to a two-year two-way contract which paid Todd $775,000 at the NHL level and a $200,000 salary in the minors. After one season with the organization, Grier has decided to move on. Terminating Todd’s contract frees up a contract slot for the Sharks and now San Jose sits with 32 contracts, 18 away from the maximum.

Once Todd’s contract is off the Sharks books, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team he chooses this summer. Given his production at the American Hockey League (AHL) and ECHL level, it’s likely Todd will land on his feet and secure a professional contract for next season.

Todd spent all of last season with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, scoring 19 goals and adding 36 assists for 55 points in 69 appearances. It was by far his best offensive output at the AHL level.

The Kemptville, ON native has played a number of professional teams throughout his career, including stops with the Barracudas, Springfield Thunderbirds, Belleville Senators and Manitoba Moose of the AHL, along with the Brampton Beast and Quad City Mallards of the ECHL.

After cutting ties with Todd, Grier and the Sharks head into the 2024 offseason with a projected $36.3 million in cap space and are selecting first in the upcoming NHL Draft. The Sharks are expected to draft Macklin Celebrini first overall and he’ll join the likes of Will Smith, Kasper Halttunen and several other high-end prospects in San Jose’s organization.

The Sharks finished the 2023-24 campaign 19-54-9, dead last in the NHL.