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Free agent defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic
When the San Jose Sharks announced the buyout of Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s contract, it wasn’t just the end of a business agreement. It was a hard stop to a nearly two-decade chapter in teal and black.
Perhaps it opens a new chapter helping the Edmonton Oilers reach their Stanley Cup goals.
Selected by the Sharks in the second round of the 2005 draft, Vlasic has never worn another jersey in his 19-year NHL career. The 38-year-old defenseman is second in franchise history in games played (1,323), sixth in assists (295), and eighth in points (379). He is also the NHL’s career leader in blocked shots with 2,184 since the league began keeping track of that statistic in the 2005-06 season.
Once regarded as one of the league’s premier shutdown defensemen—logging more than 20 minutes per night for over a decade—Vlasic’s game inevitably slowed in recent seasons.
Durable almost to the point of ironman status, he suited up for 70 or more games in 13 of his 18 non-COVID seasons, reaching the 80-game plateau seven times. But last year told a different story: limited to just 27 appearances, he missed time with an upper-body injury in the first half and later found himself a healthy scratch on multiple occasions down the stretch.
Still, after the season ended, Vlasic had every reason to believe that season 20 in his long career would be with the only franchise that he had ever known.
“They told me that I played well, especially defensively, and that they liked that I was a mentor to the young guys,” Vlasic said. “They told me they wanted me to do that next year, so when I left, I thought I’d come back.”
Marc-Edouard Vlasic Stunned by Sharks’ Decision to Buyout the Final Year of his Contract
Needless to say, Vlasic was stunned when general manager Mike Grier informed him of the team’s decision to place him on unconditional waivers for the purpose of buying out the final year of his eight-year, $56 million contract. And adding insult to injury, Vlasic was not made aware of the decision until the end of June, which did not leave him much time to figure out his next steps.
“I still have a residence in San Jose,” Vlasic said. “It would have been honest of them to tell me right after the season, ‘By the way, we may [buy out your contract], so prepare your house.’ Instead, they did it on June 30.
It wasn’t a cap-driven maneuver for the Sharks. Grier made the call not to clear significant salary, but because San Jose’s blueline was suddenly bursting with new faces — Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, Nick Leddy — and the emergence of rookies like Sam Dickinson and Shakir Mukhamadullin.
The result? A cap hit that barely budged — $2.3 million saved this season, but a lingering $1.17 million penalty next season.
And for Vlasic, an unexpected plunge into unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career.
“Now, I have a lot of things to think about,” he said.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic Could be a Valuable Depth Piece for Edmonton
So what’s next? Word out of NHL Trade Talk suggests that perhaps the Edmonton Oilers could offer Vlasic a professional tryout (PTO) — a low-risk audition in a high-stakes setting.
Imagine it: a veteran defenseman with something to prove, facing off against his former colleagues in the same division. That bitterness, that fire, that drive to show them exactly what they lost — it’s ripe for redemption. And it wouldn’t be the first time a once-solid defender finds new purpose in familiar territory.
Here’s the thesis: Vlasic on a PTO with Edmonton makes sense. The Oilers are built for a Cup run; their defense has depth and youth, but there’s room — and need — for a calming, experienced presence on the third pairing. A locker-room vet who knows playoff hockey, who can kill penalties, who can read plays before they happen.
Sounds a lot like Vlasic.
Even if his performance has dipped — he mustered just three points in 27 games last season, averaging a career-low 14:38 of ice time — his instincts haven’t vanished. In a sheltered role, on a team that’s healthy and hungry, he could still deliver where it counts.
The Oilers have leaned into youth and speed, but depth matters in playoff hockey. If Vlasic still has that nosing ability in the corners, that quiet reliability in his own zone, he could be the kind of third-pair anchor every Cup-ready team craves.
Dave Benson is a veteran writer with over three decades of journalism experience covering sports primarily in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent several years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson
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