The San Jose Sharks kept Shakir Mukhamadullin under team control on Monday, issuing him a qualifying offer before the deadline for pending restricted free agents. The move preserves the club’s negotiating rights to the defenseman, who played the season on a one-year, $1 million contract.
Mukhamadullin finished the season with 12 points in 50 games and averaged 15:27 per game. He now has 22 points in 83 career games and carries arbitration rights, which gives both sides a clear path into the next round of contract talks.
The Sharks also issued a qualifying offer to Collin Graf, whose entry-level deal had expired after a breakout season. Graf set career highs in points, games played and average ice time, scoring 46 points in 81 games while averaging 16:27 and finishing with 21 goals, third on the team. He spent a good chunk of the season on the top line with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith and became one of the club’s leading penalty killers.
What makes Monday notable is that the Sharks did not take the same step with Philipp Kurashev. He started the season with 15 points in his first 30 games, but San Jose still chose not to qualify him, and he will become a UFA again. The club also did not extend qualifying offers to Noah Beck or Gabriel Carriere.
Kurashev had signed a one-year, $1.2 million deal with San Jose on July 1 and finished with 20 points in 43 games. His season was interrupted by an upper-body injury on Dec. 13 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and after he returned on Jan. 31 against the Calgary Flames he played only sporadically down the stretch, including 13 straight healthy scratches from March 24 to April 15. That uneven finish helps explain the decision, even if it sits awkwardly next to the production he showed early.
The Sharks and Mukhamadullin’s camp were slated to meet sometime this week, which suggests the qualifying offer is the starting point, not the finish line. In the NHL, that is usually how these deadlines work: the team secures its rights first, then the negotiation begins. For Mukhamadullin, the next question is not whether San Jose can still talk to him. It is whether the sides can turn that leverage into a deal before arbitration becomes the pressure point.
