Sharks lock up Zack Ostapchuk, reinforcing Barracuda depth and development
San Jose gave Zack Ostapchuk four more years, betting his two-way game can support both the Sharks’ bottom six and the Barracuda’s center spine.
San Jose locked up Zack Ostapchuk on a four-year extension, giving the Sharks a young center whose value comes from trustable minutes, not highlight-reel scoring. The deal, announced June 27, pays $2.35 million per season for a total of $9.4 million and keeps the 22-year-old in a role the organization clearly views as part of the long-term depth chart.
That matters in San Jose because Ostapchuk has already shown he can help in both buildings. He opened the 2025-26 season with the San Jose Barracuda, skating in 11 games and producing four points, including a short-handed goal. Across 95 combined AHL games with San Jose and Belleville, he has 43 points, enough production to suggest he is more than a fill-in and sturdy enough to handle a meaningful AHL workload when the Sharks need one.
His NHL season pushed the case even further. Ostapchuk finished 2025-26 with career highs in 59 games, scoring four goals and seven points while matching his personal best with three assists. He also posted a 51.6 percent faceoff rate and delivered 140 hits, two numbers that tell the same story: he can survive at center, win enough draws to matter, and bring the physical edge coaches want from a lower-lineup forward.
The Sharks are making a specific bet here. A four-year commitment is not the kind of move teams make for a player they expect to bounce in and out of the lineup as an emergency call-up. It looks more like a controlled investment in a middle-six or bottom-six center who can stabilize the NHL roster when needed and still carry real responsibility for the Barracuda if the development path calls for more time in the American Hockey League.
San Jose acquired Ostapchuk from the Ottawa Senators on March 7, 2025, in a trade that sent Fabian Zetterlund, Tristen Robins and San Jose’s 2025 fourth-round pick to Ottawa in exchange for Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor and a 2025 second-round pick. Ottawa had drafted him 39th overall in 2021, and his resume already includes gold medals for Canada at the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championships. The Sharks have now turned that pedigree into a longer runway, and the Barracuda stand to benefit from a forward who can either anchor their middle six or graduate into a steadier NHL checking role.
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