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Panthers Acquire Veteran Forward From Sharks

The Florida Panthers and San Jose Sharks make another trade.

Jon Alfano

Dec 19, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Nico Sturm (7) waits for the puck against the Colorado Avalanche in the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Dec 19, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Nico Sturm (7) waits for the puck against the Colorado Avalanche in the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images
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The Florida Panthers have acquired forward Nico Sturm and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick, the teams announced Thursday afternoon.

Sturm, 29, has appeared in 47 games and scored 13 points (seven goals, six assists) for San Jose this season. He's averaging just over 10 minutes of ice time per game, so essentially fourth-line minutes. The German forward will likely play a similar role in Florida.

Throughout his seven-year career, Sturm has scored 91 points (45 goals, 46 assists) in 316 games with the Sharks, Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild. He also has five points (two goals, three assists) in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games, and won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022.

San Jose Sharks center Nico Sturm celebrates after scoring a goal against the Los Angeles Kings
Nov 25, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Nico Sturm (7) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period against the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Sturm's biggest strength comes in the face-off circle. He boasts a 62.7 percent face-off win rate this season, the best among all skaters with at least 250 draws. Additionally, he has a face-off win rate over 50 percent in each of the past five seasons.

The Panthers have been very active ahead of Friday's trade deadline. On Saturday, they made a huge splash by acquiring former all-star defenseman Seth Jones from Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a first-round pick and young goaltender Spencer Knight. Then on Wednesday, they acquired goaltender Vitek Vanecek from the Sharks, giving them some much-appreciated depth in net.

With Matthew Tkachuk going on long-term injured reserve, the Panthers had an extra $8.5 million in cap space to work with for the deadline, and they've clearly made the most of it.

Florida is currently in a dogfight with the Toronto Maple Leafs and in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning at the top of the Atlantic Division. The Lightning already made a big splash and the Leafs could have something in the works as well, so it makes sense why the Panthers are loading up too as they look for their second-straight Stanley Cup.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Jon is a lead writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI and contributes to other sites around the network as well. The Tampa native previously worked with sites such as ClutchPoints and GiveMeSport and earned his journalism degree at the University of Central Florida.

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