Hurricanes acquire Kyle Masters from Sharks in deal involving draft picks

A small trade to free up some contract space for a team out west.

On Friday, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired defenseman Kyle Masters and a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks. In exchange, the Sharks are receiving a 2027 fifth-round selection.

The fourth-round pick belonged to the Sharks, but they will still have a pick in the fourth round this coming June. They received a pick from the Florida Panthers as part of the deal that sent Nico Sturm and a 2027 seventh-rounder to the Cats last March.

After trading their fifth-round pick in 2027 to the Colorado Avalanche as part of the Mackenzie Blackwood trade, San Jose will have a pick in the fifth round next year. That pick originally belonged to the Chicago Blackhawks, which Carolina received in a picks-only trade during the 2025 NHL Draft.

Masters is in his third year of pro hockey, having spent his entire career in the minors. He has played just 10 games with the Sharks’ ECHL affiliate, the Wichita Thunder, posting three assists and a plus/minus of -8.

The 22-year-old was acquired by the Sharks this past October in a one-for-one deal with the Minnesota Wild, where San Jose sent Oskar Olausson to Minnesota in return for Masters.

The former Red Deer Rebel has split his first two years of pro between the Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Wild, and their secondary farm team, the Iowa Heartlanders. In 35 games with the Wild, he posted a goal and five assists for six points.

In 76 career games in the ECHL, both regular-season and playoffs, Masters has notched nine goals and 28 assists for 37 points.