According to Pierre LeBrun, the San Jose Sharks are the frontrunners to sign 21-year-old KHL goaltender Alexei Melnichuk.
Though the 2019-20 NHL season is currently in a hiatus, teams are still getting work done with free agents. International free agents are beginning to sign, and one of the biggest dominos could be the next one to fall. The San Jose Sharks are reportedly close to agreeing to a deal with 21-year-old KHL goaltender Alexei Melnichuk.
While no deal has been reached yet, TSN insider Pierre LeBrun has the Sharks as the “frontrunners” to sign him, though there are still numerous NHL teams interested in the young goalie.
Melnichuk is one of the most sought after international free agents because of his age and his eye-popping numbers with SKA St. Petersburg. In 16 games with them during the 2019-20 season, he posted a 1.68 GAA with a .930% save percentage. Melnichuk had the highest save percentage and lowest GAA on his team.
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Additionally, he played eight games in the VHL with SKA-Neva St. Petersburg, posting a 1.95 GAA with a .925% save percentage. In the playoffs with them, he had a .937% save percentage while allowing just 2.17 goals against per game in 10 games.
Furthermore, among KHL goalies under the age of 22 who played in at least five games, Melnichuk had the second-best save percentage, trailing only Dmitri Shugayev of the Severstal Cherepovets (.931% save percentage).
Why The Sharks Make Sense
The Sharks goaltending woes are no secret. Martin Jones has proven to be inconsistent at best and backup goalie Aaron Dell will likely be leaving as a free agent. But even if the latter returns, having Melnichuk in the system would give them some much needed depth.
Also, Evgeni Nabokov is their goaltending coach. As a Russian, he would be a perfect coach and mentor for the young Melnichuk. Also, Nabokov is someone who a lot of Russian goalies deeply respect, as he’s widely regarded as one of the best Russian goalies of all-time. Nabokov understands the differences between the KHL and the NHL and would be able to help Melnichuk make the adjustment.
Melnichuk could be interested in the Sharks because of their uncertain future in goal. They don’t really have any top goaltending prospects, so if he signs with them, he’ll likely be able to jump straight to the AHL and maybe even compete for a backup spot in the NHL, though the Sharks would likely want him to be getting consistent starts.