The San Jose Sharks have shown their commitment to Kiefer Sherwood after acquiring the 30-year-old forward in a January trade with the Vancouver Canucks.
Sharks general manager Mike Grier announced Wednesday that the team has signed Sherwood to a five-year contract extension worth $28.75 million, a cap hit of $5.75 million.
Sherwood was acquired from the Canucks for Cole Clayton and 2026 and 2027 second round draft picks.
The six-foot, 194-pound native of Columbus, Ohio told USA TODAY Sports that he’s ‘just fired up’ about the extension and the opportunity ahead to help the Sharks string together successful seasons.
‘[I’m] just super grateful and just to have this opportunity,’ Sherwood said. ‘Super hungry to continue grow, build and push the guys and learn from the guys here. That stuff now is taken care of and I can just go to work and play hockey and be free. There’s levels that I want to continue to push my game towards, and grow towards, and continue to elevate the impact that our group can have.’
New beginnings for Sherwood
It’s been a series of new chapters within the past 365 days for Sherwood.
He became a newlywed after he tied the knot with longtime girlfriend, Ariel, last summer in Carmel. He joined a new team after being traded in January. The eight-year veteran told reporters that he is expecting to be a father soon. Now, he’s signing a multiyear deal to remain with the Sharks.
Through it all, he has learned patience and how to trust the process and allow everything to take care of itself.
Since arriving in San Jose in January, Sherwood has taken the time to get to know his new teammates. He understands the importance of a fun culture and locker room, and how it translates to winning hockey.
Sherwood has been learning inside jokes to go along with different personalities on the team and said he’s ‘thrilled to be here’ in San Jose, especially as the team looks to carve out a winning season.
His physical style of play and timely scoring ability has conveniently added to San Jose’s tenacity as the Sharks look to make a postseason push in the final months of the 2025-26 NHL regular season. Along the way, Sherwood said he’s looking to ‘ruffle some feathers’.
‘At the end of the day, all you can do is control what you can,’ Sherwood said. ‘Focus on coming to the rink every day with a good attitude and good work ethic, and hopefully those things will fall into place.’
Reaping benefits of Sherwood acquisition
The trade for Sherwood has been paying off.
Since his Feb. 4 debut, Sherwood has led the team with 28 hits, including tying for team-high for hits in a game with nine against the Winnipeg Jets on March 1.
He scored his first goal with the Sharks against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, March 3. His lone goal would end up being the game-winner with 3:26 left in the third period, as San Jose won 7-5 in a back and forth contest. He finished the game tallying his first assist and multipoint game as a Shark.
“We are very excited to have Kiefer remain in San Jose and be part of the group that we are building,” Grier said in a news release. “The ingredients he brings to our lineup on a nightly basis blend extremely well with the skillsets of his teammates and we look forward to his contributions in the years to come.”
The Sharks, now on a three-game winning streak, improved their record to 30-25-4 after they defeated the Canadiens in front of a sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center in San Jose.
The win was San Jose’s 30th of the season, the first time they’ve reached that mark since the 2021-22 season. It’s their second 30-win season since the 2018-19 season, the Sharks’ last playoff appearance.
Many have started to take notice of the team’s bounceback season.
‘Super exciting,’ Sherwood told USA TODAY Sports. ‘There’s a lot of special things brewing and a lot of things on the rise, and I’m just super blessed to be alongside them now, the path that we’re on. So we’ll continue to push, push each and every day and push each other, and see how far we can take it.’
He added: ‘Ultimately, it’s a huge challenge for us. And that’s what you want, right? Just competing each and every day. The stakes get higher, and push comes to shove, you kind of see who’s built for it and if we’re ready for it. But it’s just super motivating and fueling for us too.’