The San Jose Sharks have traded a former first round pick. The Sharks announced on June 23 that the team traded 22-year-old Ozzy Wiesblatt to the Nashville Predators in a prospect for prospect deal. Coming the other way, 23-year-old forward Egor Afanasyev.
What we know about Afanazyev
The 6-foot-4, 211 pound Afanasyev was selected 45th overall in the 2019 NHL draft. He led the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL with 54 points in 56 games this past season. His points were evenly distributed with 27 goals and 27 assists. He had his first hat trick on Nov. 8, 2023 against Toronto and completed the season with 14 multi-point games. He wrapped up the Calder Cup Playoffs with 9 points (5 G, 4 A) in 15 games.
To date, Afanasyev has played in 19 NHL games. He played two games with the Predators last season and 17 games with the Preds in 2022-23. He has one goal and zero assists in those 19 games.
Prior to joining the Predators, he played one season in the KHL, on loan from Nashville in the 2020-21 season. Before that, he had one season with the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL and two seasons with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL.
Afanasyev becomes a restricted free agent on July 1. It’s like the Sharks want to sign him to at least a one-year deal, otherwise the team would not have traded for him. According to Puckpedia, his last contract was $789,000, so the Sharks will have to offer at least $813,750 to keep him around.
What scouts say about Afanasyev
A qualifying offer is likely all the Sharks need to give Afanasyev a shot. He had clearly fallen down the depth chart in Nashville, a team that is trying to rebuild on the fly. The forward did not make Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s top 15 prospects in Nashville’s 2023 rankings. He was 11th on the list in 2022, but even then it looked like Afanasyev was stagnating.
“After a solid first season in the AHL, establishing himself as a top-nine guy in Milwaukee and contributing regularly with his size-skill-finesse combo, Afanasyev hasn’t progressed past that this season,” Wheeler wrote about the Russian forward in 2022. “He’s got an uncharacteristic feel with the puck for a 6-foot-4 player, he’s got deceptive hands, he’s a soft passer, he can threaten off the rush, and the development of his skating over the years has helped him impact the game more through neutral ice than is typical out of a forward as big as he is. I also like his commitment and ability to lift pucks defensively.
“I still think he’s got a chance to be a complementary NHL depth winger who adds some size and decent skill to a bottom-six, but he’s going to need to find another level in the AHL in the next year and a half in order to work his way into the call-up conversation before his entry-level deal expires,” continued Wheeler. “I won’t hesitate to move him down or off this list if he’s still in the same spot next year, but I do think he’s got more to offer than his modest point totals might suggest at a glance.”
Wheeler then moved him down/off the list this past year, so that kind of tells you where Afanasyev is at in his development.
What the Sharks gave up in the deal
To get the big forward, the Sharks gave up a 5-foot-10, 183-pound Ozzy Wiesblatt. As Sharks fans know, the 22-year-old has never truly developed into a dominant force with the San Jose Barracuda despite being the 31st overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He finished the 2023-24 season with 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in 34 games. In 2022-23, he had 15 points (6 G, 9 A) in 45 games.
That said, the Predators got a first-hand look at Wiesblatt before making the trade. Midway through the 2023-24 season, the Sharks loaned Wiesblatt to the Milwaukee Admirals. During his 31 games with the Admirals, Wiesblatt scored 15 points (3 G, 12 A).
