Jets acquire Namestnikov from Sharks

The Winnipeg Jets acquired forward Vladislav Namestnikov from the San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round pick in 2025, the teams announced Friday.

Namestnikov was traded to San Jose from the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier in the week. The Lightning retained 50% of his $2.5-million cap hit in the deal.

The 30-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent who's now been traded on four separate deadline days - 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023 - which ties an NHL record, according to Sportsnet Stats.

Namestnikov has registered 15 points in 57 games this season and projects to be a depth piece for the Jets down the stretch. Winnipeg has made a notable effort to reinforce its forward corps leading up to the deadline, previously acquiring winger Nino Niederreiter from the Nashville Predators.

The Jets currently hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 72 points. They're five points clear of their closest chaser and trail the Colorado Avalanche by a single point for the third spot in the Central Division with two extra games played.