Jonathan Dahlén’s future in the NHL is uncertain.
That after an unexpected decision from the San Jose Sharks.
“It’s not logical,” writes San Jose Hockey Now.
Jonathan Dahlén gained a lot of confidence at the beginning of the last NHL season, with a lot of ice time. He also thanked for the confidence by scoring seven goals in his first 15 games, and he was directly involved in the conversation about a candidate for the Calder Trophy, the award for this year’s newcomer to the league.
The nightmare message
But then things got worse. In a jerky NHL season, where several covid breaks were forced, there were only five goals and eight assists in Dahlén’s last 46 games of the season. Not a brilliant result, and now comes the next message that Dahlén absolutely did not want.
According to the Sharks site San Jose Hockey Now, the Sharks have not decided to offer Dahlén a new contract. Dahlén is actually a restricted free agent, which means that other clubs are not allowed to give him offers, as the Sharks own the rights. But if the Sharks do not offer a contract over a certain amount, then he is no longer qualified as a restricted free agent, and he is then free to negotiate with other clubs.
“Is not logical”
But no astronomical sums are required to keep the player as “RFA”, which makes many people think: How little does Sharks Dahlén really value? And how little do you see the Swede’s future in San Jose?
“At first glance, this is not logical,” writes San Jose Hockey Now.
The site writes that a logical solution would have been for the Sharks to qualify Dahlén as a restricted free agent, and thus keep him, only to remove him to a new club. But according to the site, there should not be enough interest in it from other clubs.
“Let’s just say this: Do not expect other clubs to see great value in him.”
If the information is correct, then it is not entirely impossible that Dahlén needs to look around for a new club – and maybe even in Europe, and the SHL.
READ MORE: The Swedish team’s great joy after the NHL draft – became the first team from Sweden ever to succeed: “Is completely unique”