After weeks of speculation, the Kiefer Sherwood sweepstakes are over.
The Vancouver Canucks announced Monday that they have dealt Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2026 2nd round pick, 2027 2nd round pick and depth defenseman Cole Clayton.
The 30-year-old winger has been one of the few bright spots in Vancouver this season, netting 17 goals and 23 points in 44 games while leading the team in hits and goals. Sherwood is in year two of a two-year contract that pays him $1.5 million per season. In 2024-25, Sherwood tallied 19 goals and a career-high 40 points while smashing the NHL single-season hit record with a massive 384 hits.
While he went undrafted, Clayton showed serious offensive upside in junior; during his final WHL season with the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2020-21, he tallied 30 points in just 23 games. Clayton, meanwhile, has spent the season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the San Jose Barracuda, tallying five points in 33 games. Clayton's best statistical season came in 2023-24 when he recorded 20 points in 59 games for the Cleveland Monsters.
The Sharks are the surprise of the West, currently clutching the final playoff spot with a 24-17-5 record. While the wheels have officially fallen off in Vancouver. Currently sitting at 15-25-4 and winless in their last 10 games, the Canucks have firmly committed to a rebuild.