Sharks cut ties with Nikolai Kovalenko after a rocky tenure in San Jose

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks are cutting ties with forward Nikolai Kovalenko, allowing him and a group of other players to become unrestricted free agents.

The Sharks announced on Monday that Kovalenko, along with other pending restricted free agents Noah Gregor, Klim Kostin, Carl Berglund, Nolan Burke, Mitchell Russell, and Brandon Coe, and goalie Georgi Romanov, would not be given qualifying offers. Those players will now become UFAs on Tuesday and be allowed to sign with any other team.

The Sharks issued qualifying offers to forwards Thomas Bordeleau and Danil Gushchin, as well as defenseman Jack Thompson, thereby retaining their negotiating rights.

The Sharks were hoping Kovalenko could be a part of their future when they acquired him as part of the trade that sent goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche in December.

However, Kovalenko’s time in San Jose was frustrating at best. He mentioned in April that he’d like to return to the team, but only if his usage and playing time increased.

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