The San Jose Sharks have signed free agent left winger Oskar Lindblom to a two-year contract with 2.5 million AAV.
SIGNED 🖊️
The #SJSharks have signed forward Oskar Lindblom to a two-year contract.
More: https://t.co/e1uZfYPtvR pic.twitter.com/AiqPyyl4Ue
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) July 13, 2022
Oskar Lindblom Signs, Becomes a San Jose Shark
The Philadelphia Flyers bought out Lindblom yesterday, making him an unrestricted free agent. Lindblom had one year left on his deal worth $3 million. He has played 263 games in his career, all with the Flyers. Over his five-year career, the 25-year-old has scored 50 goals and 47 assists for 97 points. This past season, he had 12 goals, 14 assists 26 points and a 45 Corsi for percentage in 79 games. The Flyers drafted him 138th overall in 2014. He spent four years with Brynas in the Swedish Hockey League before playing in the NHL.
Lindblom was diagnosed with cancer in December of 2019 and missed the rest of the regular season. However, after completing the treatment, he returned for Games 6 and 7 in the team’s second-round series against the New York Islanders in the 2020 playoff bubble. He won the Bill Masterton trophy that season. After buying him out, the Flyers will donate $100,000 in Lindblom’s name to a local organization which supports families dealing with cancer.
Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher called buying out Lindblom, a “very difficult decision”. He later added, “(Lindblom) is truly an inspiration to us all and he will always remain a special part of the Philadelphia Flyers family. We wish him all the best as he continues his NHL career.”
What This Means for the Sharks
Oskar Lindblom fits nicely in the middle-six for the Sharks. He’s not a big scorer, his career high is 33 points, and 26 points this year, but he can provide secondary scoring. He doesn’t have to be the top guy, with Thomas Hertl, Timo Meier and Logan Couture carrying most of the weight, but Lindblom will help offensively. His contract also fits in nicely in San Jose, $2.5 million doesn’t break the bank and is a fair value for a player who scores around 30 points yearly.
