In an article from Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, he passes along a note from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who claims that the San Jose Sharks are receiving trade interest in Kaapo Kahkonen. Although he was unable to directly link any team to Kahkonen, Freidman points out that the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils are all actively looking for goaltending help.
With a 9-28-3 record into January and the overarching narrative that the Sharks are firmly locked in on a lengthy rebuild, there is no doubt they will be sellers at this year’s trade deadline. Keeping this in mind, with teams having rumored interest in Kahkonen, and with an expiring contract, it is reasonable to assume that the Sharks would entertain the thought of moving him for the right price.
It has been the tale of two seasons up to this point for both of San Jose’s goaltenders, as Mackenzie Blackwood held down the fort for much of October and November, with Kahkonen taking back the net in December. Through the end of November, Blackwood held a .903 save percentage through 17 games, compared to a .889 save percentage from Kahkonen in only nine games. For whatever reason, once the calendar switched over to December, things completely flipped, as Blackwood only mustered a .847 save percentage through six games, and Kahkonen bounced back with a .914 save percentage in nine games.
Even with Kahkonen’s hot streak of late, at least for the team’s currently scouting for goaltending help, questions would certainly arise as to how much of an upgrade Kahkonen would be in net. With Stuart Skinner playing much better in Edmonton, and Pyotr Kochetkov giving the Hurricanes some stability, New Jersey may be the only realistic option for the Sharks. If they are unable to artificially create something resembling a bidding war, then San Jose may be better served by signing Kahkonen to an extension and trying to move him again next season.