The Sharks add effective bottom-six forward depth.
The San Jose Sharks didn’t begin the NHL free agency period with a bang per se, but they did make a series of under-the-radar moves, the first of which being signing former Dallas Stars forward Andrew Cogliano to a one-year contract. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic previously reported yesterday that Cogliano could join the Sharks when free agency began. Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the contract is worth $1 million.
Cogliano, 34, is a 15-year NHL veteran, also having played for the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks in his NHL career. Cogliano also holds the fourth longest “iron man” consecutive games played streak in NHL history at 830 games, a record that may very well have been longer if he was not suspended for two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety for a hit on Adrian Kempe of the Los Angeles Kings back in January 2018.
Cogliano played fourth-line minutes for the Dallas Stars last season, not really scoring a whole lot with five goals and six assists in 54 games. However, Cogliano is an excellent defensive forward and penalty-killer, an archetype of player that the Sharks have been needing in their ranks for a while. JFresh of Elite Prospects Rinkside describes him the same way:
Andrew Cogliano, signed 1x$1M by SJ, is a bottom six forward who’s still an excellent defensive player at even strength and on the PK. Doesn’t score goals. #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/lvtlUPOrf3
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 28, 2021
What Cogliano may lack in his finishing ability this far in his career, he more than makes up for on the defensive side of play. Cogliano is what the Sharks thought they had in Melker Karlsson.
“Andrew is a durable, versatile player who brings an element of speed and excels as a penalty killer,” said Sharks general manager Doug Wilson in a press release. “His addition gives our coaching staff flexibility with an additional, trusted veteran presence on our forward lines.”
Considering the revolving door of players that were called up from the San Jose Barracuda to play on the bottom-six, the stability Cogliano brings should be very useful for a Sharks team in a “reset” mode.