Burning Questions For the 2025-26 Season: Vincent Desharnais

With the 2025-26 season now in sight, the plan is to address the burning questions surrounding every player on the roster (or competing for a roster spot). These questions are focused on how the player is expected to contribute to the Sharks this season and what their role will be.

Vincent Desharnais
6'7" 226lbs
29 years old
2016 7th round pick

Last Season

51 games (34 with Vancouver, 10 with Pittsburgh, 7 with San Jose) 3 assists, 15:55 TOI

It was an adventurous season for Desharnais, who started the year with the Vancouver Canucks, was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 31 as part of the Marcus Pettersson trade. The Sharks sent a 2028 fifth-round pick for Desharnais right before the trade deadline. Desharnais played seven games for the Sharks before being shut down with an undisclosed upper-body injury.

Before the injury, Desharnais was playing third-pairing minutes for San Jose, and his most common partners were Jummy Schuldt and Luca Cagnoni.

Burning Question

Can Desharnais find a spot?

With all the additions to the defensive group that General Manager Mike Grier made this offseason, Vincent Desharnais will be fighting for his spot. John Klingberg, Dmitry Orlov, and Nick Leddy all have clear roles for San Jose. Returning players Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, and Shakir Mukhamadullin have all been here and put in more sweat equity, plus youngsters Sam Dickinson, Cagnoni, and Thompson are all competing for a roster spot.

Olrov, Klingberg, Leddy, Lilhegren, Ferraro, and Mukhamadullin are all locks to make the roster. If Sam Dickinson makes the roster, he is expected to get playing time because he is a massive piece of the Sharks' core going forward. Where does Desharnais fit in? He is a perfectly cromulent seventh defenseman for a team where, if he needs to slide in, he won't do anything spectacular, but he also won't be an issue.

Desharnais could be a candidate to be waived and have part of his salary buried in the AHL. He played AHL games for the Bakersfield Condors as recently as the 2022-23 season and would provide another veteran for the Barracuda blueline.

Expectations

Desharnais is entering the final year of his deal at $2 million AAV. Don't be surprised if Desharnais is waived during training camp to try and give the Sharks more flexibility. If he is in the AHL, Desharnais will still carry a $850,000 cap hit. This could also make a team more enticed to trade for Desharnais if he passes through waivers.

Desharnais will most likely be the seventh defenseman for the Sharks and slot into the lineup whenever someone gets injured, traded, or needs a night off. He provides enough reliable plays that Warsofsky and staff will keep him around, but don't expect anything special when he's on the ice.