BLUES, SHARKS AMONG TEAMS EYEING BYRAM

TORONTO, ON — As the San Jose Sharks reshape their blueline, GM Mike Grier has also been working the phone lines to add an impact defenceman to the roster.

This week, the Sharks have signed John Klingberg to a one-year, $4 million contract, Dmitry Orlov to a two-year, $13 million contract and claimed Nick Leddy ($4 million cap hit) off waivers.

The moves helped get the Sharks north of the cap floor, and that includes Logan Couture’s $8 million cap hit – he’s on the books for two more seasons – but the Sharks are not done tinkering with their lineup.

According to a well-placed source, the Sharks were among the teams interested in Nic Hague before the Vegas Golden Knights traded him to the Nashville Predators, and Grier has also been involved in the Bowen Byram sweepstakes.

The Sharks have also expressed interest in Byram, a restricted free agent, and join a long list of clubs vying to acquire him, including the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues, among others, with the Blues considered the most aggressive in their pursuit.

Sabres GM Kevyn Adams continues to negotiate with teams, and it is no secret he prefers NHL talent over future assets if he pulls the trigger on a Byram trade.

Byram is believed to be looking for a long-term deal worth at least $9 million per season.

Adams told reporters on Wednesday that he is “absolutely” prepared if Byram were to sign an offer sheet with another club and does not view that as a concern.

“We’ll be matching and have the opportunity to have a player under contract who we think helps our team win,” he said.

The Blues created up a good chunk of cap space by purposely losing Leddy to waivers, and have a $6.5 million cushion in Torey Krug, who will not be able to play again and can be placed on LTIR, freeing up overage space.

It is believed the Blues are among the frontrunners for Byram, and baring a change, the Sharks appear to be on the outside looking in. At least one other club is evaluating the prospect of presenting Byram with an offer sheet.

Check out the TFP Summer Trade Watch List

The Sharks, meanwhile, have also been trying to add a top-six winger to their roster but have come up empty, even with a willingness to overspend. They poked around on the bigger free agents, including Nikolaj Ehlers, but their current rebuild state isn’t overly attractive to them.

The expectation is at least one defenceman will be moved out of San Jose after this week’s adds, with both Timothy Liljegren and Henry Thrun available, per sources.

As they explore forwards options in the trade market, defenceman Mario Ferraro remains another carrot they are willing to dangle. Grier may try to move or package Ferraro for some scoring depth up front, but the Sharks may wait until later in the season to prop up his value closer to the trade deadline.

Ferraro, 26, is in the final year of his contract and would be open to a change of scenery. His name has been floating around the rumour mill for the last two trade deadlines and given the additions to the club’s defensive corps, he appears to be expendable.

HERE AND THERE

• The NHL warned teams to once again be careful with “tampering” prior to July 1. Teams were careful not to announce their deals too soon and some spread the news out.

• The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins were among the teams interested in Andrew Mangiapane, who inked a two-year deal with Edmonton.

• Also on the Leafs, they will continue to peruse the trade market for a top-six winger, preferably someone who can slot on the right side of Auston Matthews.

• It sounds like it came down to Carolina, Utah and Washington for Ehlers, who chose the ‘Canes. I believe another team presented an offer worth more than the $51 million he signed for in Carolina.

• The Vancouver Canucks didn’t come to Brock Boeser with an updated offer that included a seventh year until the final hour leading up to noon ET on July 1, when the free agent market officially opened. They finally hit his number, and he decided to stay.

• Vegas is trying to find a new home for defenceman Ben Hutton, who is in the final year of his contract.

• Speaking of Vegas, the Golden Knights have started contract negotiations with Jack Eichel on an extension.

• Also on the extension train, we know the Minnesota Wild have also started talks with Kirill Kaprizov’s camp, while the Los Angeles Kings are expected to begin talks with Adrian Kempe in the near future.

• Reminder: Just because teams call about another team’s player doesn’t mean that player is being shopped or available. But it doesn’t hurt to ask, right?