David Pollak of Mercury News has some little snippets of news from the Sharks. It appears that the team will not be bringing back Jed Ortmeyer, who is another fan favorite (there are a lot of those with the Sharks).
My sense is that the decision regarding Ortmeyer, who earned $550,000 last season, was a matter of the Sharks thinking they have other players in the system for that right wing slot.
Ortmeyer said Sunday that his agent learned during the weekend draft that the Sharks would not be offering another contract at this point.
"They said it didn’t look like there was going to be room," Ortmeyer said in a phone interview from his Omaha home. "Financially, it’s not like I’m a bit hit. I guess they’re going with younger players."
As noted in the article, Ortmeyer is coming off a double sports hernia surgery, and although he says he is on track and ahead of his recovery schedule, it probably didn't help his chances of being brought back. Many fans are wondering what is going on this offseason as each good move seems to be followed by a questionable one.
Malhotra's agent is still in talks with the Sharks. He says he's not worried about getting a deal done before July 1st; he'll likely test the market a little, but ultimately his desire to be back in San Jose seems to be legitimate. His agent and the team are reportedly not far off in negotiations.