After a lengthy courting process, the San Jose Sharks are finally ready to sign Scott Gomez.
Terms of the deal, courtesy CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz -- one year, $700,000 -- will be made official on Wednesday.
The salary is a slight haircut from Gomez’s last deal (in case you hadn’t heard, he was making $7.36 million annually) but does provide an opportunity to play hockey again after Montreal severed ties with him via contract buyout.
Gomez has spent much of the past week meeting and skating with the Sharks. Where he fits into the lineup remains to be seen.
ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports he’s slated to center the third line -- possibly between wingers Tommy Wingels and T.J. Galiardi -- and could see some time on San Jose’s second power play unit as well.
Sharks head coach Todd McLellan likes what he’s seen from Gomez in terms of desire to resurrect his career.
“My interaction with him so far, he’s coming across as a very hungry player, a guy that would love to prove himself right before he proves everybody else wrong,” McLellan told the San Jose Mercury News. “And that’s a pretty strong motivator.”
If there’s one area Gomez can really help San Jose with, it’s playoff experience. He’s appeared in 140 postseason conference, been to three Stanley Cup finals (winning twice) and, most recently, scored 14 points in 19 games during Montreal’s surprising run to the 2010 Eastern Conference finals.
Of note, Gomez’s coach during one of his Stanley Cup victories in New Jersey was Larry Robinson -- currently serving as one of McLellan’s assistants in San Jose.
Update: Gomez will wear No. 23 with the Sharks.