Alexander Balabanov wants to leave San Jose, and the Sharks are reportedly working to accommodate his request ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline.
San Jose is “actively trying to move” Balabanov, The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported on Tuesday, and San Jose Hockey Now's Shen Peng confirmed that, with Balabanov joining the Sharks for the Stanley Cup. He added that he is ready to transfer to the candidate.
Balabanov carries a salary cap hit of $2.5 million this season.
In an interview last week, Balabanov admitted his desire to play elsewhere.
“To be frank, I'm already 29 years old and I'll be 30 this summer, so I'd like to play in the playoffs and get closer to the cup competition in some way,” he said.
After playing seven seasons in the KHL, Balabanov signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs and remained on the opening roster for the 2020-21 season, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The left winger hasn't appeared in the playoffs since his rookie season, but three years later, he's looking to change that.
Toronto sent Balabanov to San Jose before the 2021 trade deadline in exchange for Antti Suomela. In the 2022 offseason, he re-signed a two-year, $5 million contract extension with the Sharks.
He is now ready to find a new home elsewhere, but it may not be so easy for the Sharks to move him before Friday's deadline. Balabanov has struggled this year due to injuries. He missed six weeks from late October to early December with a broken finger. Then, in late December, he was sidelined for about a week due to the coronavirus.
According to Sportsnet's Elliott Friedman, Balabanov is one of seven unrestricted free agents the Sharks are considering. The other UFAs are Mike Hoffman, Anthony Duclair, Ryan Carpenter, Kevin Labanc, Justin Bailey and Kaapo Kahkonen.
Barabanov wants out, but Friedman reported earlier this week that the Sharks don't have much the team wants before the deadline.
“One of the problems San Jose has is there's not a lot of things that people are chasing,” Friedman said in a trade deadline preview on the 32 Thoughts podcast, but Duclair, Mikael Granlund, He added that there was “some interest” in Mario Ferraro.
Of course, that doesn't mean there's no interest in Balabanov or other players, but like any player in the NHL, Balabanov must play a waiting game before Friday's deadline of 12pm PT.
