The Sharks also claimed defenseman Nick Leddy off waivers from the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. The 34-year-old has one season remaining on the four-year, $16 million contract ($4 million AAV) he signed with the Blues on July 13, 2022.
Leddy had five points (two goals, three assists) in 31 regular-season games and one assist in seven playoff games last season.
"It became a numbers game," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said about placing Leddy on waivers. "Nick's an experienced player, has had a very good career, will go to San Jose and do very well, but you have to create space if you want to give ice time away and that was one way to do that.
"We did [try to work out a trade]. Not just St. Louis, but no player is put on waivers without everyone knowing. ... We have our inner circle, and you probably have a good feel of where everyone's at. I contacted the teams that were his preferred destination to go to and at the end of the day, the best course of action was waivers."
Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the first round (No. 16) of the 2009 draft, Leddy has 416 points (75 goals, 341 assists) in 1,042 regular-season games with the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings and Blues, and 39 points (eight goals, 31 assists) in 137 playoff games.
He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013.
"That was kind of a surprise," Grier said of claiming Leddy. "He's a good veteran 'D.' St. Louis is trying to do things, [and] are up against the cap a little bit. Sometimes, those are the consequences of that, and we lucked out. We really liked the player."
Orlov and Leddy are the latest veteran additions to Sharks' defense corps. They signed John Klingberg to a one-year, $4 million contract Tuesday.
Grier was asked how the new additions might affect the arrival of young defenseman prospects, most notably Sam Dickinson, 19, selected by the Sharks with the No. 11 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
"If the young guys are ready, I don't think we'll block them," Grier said. "We've just got to make sure they're ready.
"When you're a young team, sometimes you've got to get older before you get younger. You've got to have some of these older vets around the League, who have had success, are professionals, and can handle the daily grind of the NHL. It's important to have those guys around and we'll balance it with those young guys."
NHL.com independent correspondents Max Miller and Lou Korac contributed to this report
