San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) General Manager Mike Grier announced today that the club has acquired forward Klim Kostin from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for defenseman Radim Simek and a seventh-round pick originally belonging to the New Jersey Devils in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Kostin, 24, has registered four points (three goals, one assist) in 33 games with the Red Wings this season. He set career highs in 2022-23 with 21 points, 11 goals, 10 assists, two game-winning goals and a plus-12 rating and logged a career-long, three-game goal streak (four goals) from Jan. 11-14 as a member of the Edmonton Oilers.
The six-foot-four, 232-pound forward has 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists) in 136 career NHL games, split between Detroit, Edmonton and the St. Louis Blues. Additionally, he has 92 points (34 goals, 58 assists) in 207 career games at the American Hockey League (AHL) level with the Bakersfield Condors, Springfield Thunderbirds and San Antonio Rampage.
Internationally, the native of Penza, Russia won the Gagarin Cup, awarded to the KHL champion, as a member of Avangard Omsk in 2020-21, finishing tied for third on the club in playoff goals with five and fifth in postseason scoring with nine points. He also represented Russia at the 2019 World Junior Championships, winning a Bronze Medal and tallying six points, tied for fourth-most on the club, in seven games.
Kostin was originally selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 2017 NHL Draft (first round, 31st overall).
Simek, 31, has appeared in 40 games this season for the San Jose Barracuda in the American Hockey League (AHL), recording 16 points (four goals, 12 assists), a plus-four rating and 29 penalty minutes. Simek ranks fourth among team defensemen in assists and points.
Originally signed by San Jose as a free agent on May 23, 2017, Simek appeared in 209 NHL games with the San Jose Sharks, scoring 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists), and logged 109 AHL games with the Barracuda, collecting 45 points (11 goals, 34 assists). He was named captain for the team on Feb. 2, 2024. He was named the Sharks Rookie of the Year in the 2018-19 season, leading all Sharks rookies in assists, points, and games played.
