As one of several additions by the San Jose Sharks last month, the team signed forward Oskar Lindblom to a two-year contract. The deal carries a $2.5 million cap hit.
Lindblom will turn 26 years old this month and had spent his entire career with the Philadelphia Flyers to this point. This past season, he scored 12 goals and 26 points in 79 games.
The forward had battled Ewing’s sarcoma, a form of bone cancer. He was bought out by the Flyers this summer.
Lindblom should get a good chance with the Sharks, given the lack of forward depth. The team really only has three legitimate top forwards in Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier, with other spots at the top of the group available to be won.
Lindblom has shown he can produce at a good rate and in the 2019-20 season, he managed 11 goals and 18 points in 30 games, a pace of 30 goals and 49 points per 82 games. It’s a small sample size but shows that perhaps Lindblom could produce at a higher level while playing alongside quality talent.
That said, it is a bit of a curious move for the Sharks, given it was made somewhat in tandem with the Rudolfs Balcers buyout. Balcers was a year younger and had actually produced at a better rate this past season. His deal was also quite a bit cheaper, with a single year remaining at a $1.55 million cap hit.
So while Lindblom is still young, it was an interesting decision for the Sharks. That said, at a $2.5 million cap hit for only two years, it’s a pretty low-risk move for the team overall. We can expect he'll be used in the middle-six and could manage to play his way up the lineup. The Sharks aren’t going to be competitive anytime soon and perhaps Lindblom could emerge as a long-term fit.
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
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