San Jose Sharks trade Artemi Kniazev to Winnipeg Jets for Leon Gawanke

There was a minor trade early on Sunday afternoon, with the Winnipeg Jets acquiring defenseman Artemi Kniazev from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Leon Gawanke.

Both players spent the past season in the American Hockey League, with Knyazev recording 28 points in each of the past two seasons with the San Jose Barracuda. The Russian blueliner made his NHL debut in 2021-22, playing 11:59 against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 4, 2021. Knyazev has 56 points in 121 AHL games, all with the Barracuda, and also has extensive experience with Russia internationally at various junior levels.

Gawanke, 24, was drafted 136th overall by the Jets in 2017. He has already signed a deal to play for Adler Mannheim in Germany next year, so the deal is simply for his RFA rights at this point. Gawanke had 20 goals and 45 points in 68 games with the AHL’s Mantiboa Moose last year and finished the year off with three assists in eight games. Gawanke has 114 points in 207 games over four seasons, all with the Moose.

With Gawanke gone, and Knyazev expected to stay in the AHL, this was just a minor deal for a change of scenery. Knyazev gives the Jets some extra defensive depth, but likely won’t get anything more than spot duty in the NHL. He has one year left on his deal worth $789,167, with the 22-year-old set to become an RFA at the end of the season.