SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks acquired defenseman Vincent Desharnais from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday in exchange for a 2028 fifth-round draft pick.
Desharnais, 28, has played with both the Penguins and Vancouver Canucks this season, appearing in a combined 44 games with three assists and averaging 15:37 in ice time.
Desharnais, a right-shot defenseman, is in the first year of a two-year, $4 million contract that carries a $2 million cap hit. In 158 career NHL games with Edmonton, Vancouver and Pittsburgh, Desharnais has 19 points and 123 minutes.
Earlier Wednesday, the Sharks traded Vitek Vanecek to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers for forward Patrick Giles.
The Sharks play the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Thursday night to end a seven-game road trip. Desharnais’s arrival gives the Sharks seven defensemen on their active roster with Henry Thrun on injured reserve at least until Saturday when the team hosts the New York Islanders.
