After career-highs in goals and assists last season,Jason Demers was rewarded with a two-year contract.
On the heels of his best NHL season, Jason Demers was rewarded with a two-year contract with the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, General Manager Doug Wilson announced.
The deal is worth $6.8 million over two seasons, according to Elliote Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada, as the Sharks avoided an arbitration hearing with their young defenseman.
Demers, 26, had career-highs in goals (5) and assists (29) last season, finishing with 34 points. Drafted in the seventh round in 2008, Demers was once considered a long-shot to make the NHL, but has now grown into one of the Sharks’ best offensive-minded blue liners.
Said Wilson in a press release:
“Jason has been a solid, offensive defenseman and is coming off a good season. His skill set and his age mesh well within our overall group and we’re happy to have him signed for two more years.”
Demers tweeted about the news:
Excited to be part of the sharks organization for two more years! Owe a lot to all of San Jose and @SanJoseSharks #grateful #blessed
— jason demers (@jasondemers5) July 16, 2014
With the departures of Dan Boyle and Brad Stuart and Brent Burns moving back to defense, the Sharks now have six defensemen under contract for next season: Demers, Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Justin Braun, Matt Irwin, and Scott Hannan. San Jose is also likely to call up top prospect Mirco Mueller to begin the season, and use Hannan as a seventh defenseman.
In addition to the re-signing of Demers, the Sharks also brought back prospect Taylor Doherty on a one-year deal. The 23-year-old defenseman has spent the past four seasons in Worcester.
Two men and one woman are facing drug charges and police say more arrests are "imminent."
Five fires were reported at a middle school in Contra Costa County this week.
Investigators arrested three Santa Rosa men and seized methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana.
