Sharks trade Nick Bonino to Pittsburgh Penguins, per report

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks are reportedly sending Nick Bonino back to the city where he had his greatest success as a player, moving him to the Pittsburgh Penguins just hours before the NHL’s trade deadline.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported the trade.

The trade is not yet official, but the Sharks are receiving fifth and seventh-round draft picks this year, and will be sending the fifth-rounder to a third team, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic.

Bonino, 34, was one of the Sharks’ pending unrestricted free agents, as he was in the second year of a two-year, $4.1 million contract he signed with the team in July 2021.

In 139 games with the Sharks, Bonino had 26 goals and 19 assists and averaged 16:30 of ice time per game, mostly as a middle-six forward. In that time, he also led all Sharks forwards with 175 blocks and was one of the team’s leaders in shorthanded time on ice, helping to anchor one of the NHL’s top penalty kill units.

Bonino has been in the playoffs 10 times in his previous 13 seasons in the NHL, winning Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He has 19 goals and 45 points in 105 career playoff games.

That opportunity never came with the Sharks (18-32-12), who will miss the postseason for a fourth straight season this year.

The Sharks finished 20 points out of a playoff spot last season in Bonino’s first year with the team, and entered Friday in 14th place in the Western Conference.

Bonino, drafted in the sixth round by the Sharks in 2007, has 353 points in 820 regular season games. Only 15 players in Bonino’s draft class have more points and played more games.

The Penguins entered Friday in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with a 31-21-9 record and are holding the Eastern Conference’s first wild card spot.

Pittsburgh had a need for a depth forward with Ryan Poehling dealing with an upper-body injury. Poehling missed the Penguins’ game Thursday, a 5-4 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Sharks have other pending UFAs in goalie James Reimer and forwards Andreas Johnsson and Vladislav Namestnikov.

Reimer allowed five goals on 22 shots in the Sharks’ 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night, and now has a 9-16-6 record this season with a .892 save percentage. Johnsson was acquired from the New Jersey Devils on Sunday as part of the Timo Meier trade, and Namestnikov was acquired Wednesday when the Sharks sent forward Mikey Eyssimont to the Tampa Bay Lightning.