San Jose Sharks sign Noah Gregor to one-year, $950K contract

The San Jose Sharks have signed forward Noah Gregor to a one-year contract with a $950K cap hit.

Gregor was a restricted free agent after finishing a one-year deal with a $750K cap hit. His new contract is one-way, and will give him arbitration rights when it expires at the end of the 2022-23 season. His average annual value of $950K will be the most he has made in his career.

Gregor is coming off a career year in the NHL, where he scored eight goals, 15 assists, and 23 points in 63 games. He also played eight games in the AHL, where he proved he was past that level of play with four goals, eight assists, and 12 points in that time.

Gregor has struggled when it comes to driving play in the NHL up to this point, with a 44.12% shot attempt share and 44.79% expected goal share at even strength so far in his career. However, this has all been while playing on uncompetitive Sharks teams in his first three seasons, with the team missing the playoffs by large margins during that span, so that has likely played a role in his struggles.

The Sharks currently find themselves over the salary cap, with one more RFA to sign in forward Jonah Gadjovich. They’ve made plenty of moves this season, trading longtime defenseman Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes, acquiring Luke Kunin from the Nashville Predators, and bringing in several free agents, including Oskar Lindblom, Nico Sturm, Markus Nutivaara, and Matt Benning. They also made some moves off the ice, hiring Mike Grier as their general manager, and David Quinn as the head coach.

The Sharks also have some future concerns with their cap situation, particularly with Timo Meier, who will be a restricted free agent with a $10 million qualifying offer.