Alex Stalock has burst onto the scene this season, breaking San Jose’s franchise shutout streak while emerging as a quality No. 2 behind Antti Niemi -- which makes this tidbit from CSN Bay Area all the more interesting...
The 26-year-old would have to play at least 30 minutes in 14 more regular season or playoff games in order to qualify as a restricted free agent, thereby giving the Sharks more flexibility in contract negotiations. If he does not, he will be unrestricted, and could command a larger paycheck.
The Sharks have not yet had any conversations with Stalock about an extension, a source told CSNCalifornia.com.
The Sharks have 26 games remaining in the regular season, including tonight’s game versus Philadelphia.
As mentioned, Stalock would become a Group 6 RFA (for more on that, read here) if he plays the required amount of games, and that designation could prove financially beneficial for the Sharks, who head into next season carrying some pretty large cap hits while still needing to reach new deals for defensemen Dan Boyle and Jason Demers.
Stalock has given San Jose some quality games in recent weeks and has been the goalie of record in three of the Sharks’ last six outings. He’s 7-4-0 with a 1.69 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in 14 games overall, which is great production given he’s only making $625,000 this year.
Last week, Stalock broke Evgeni Nabokov’s shutout streak record by going 178:55 without allowing a single tally.