Marc-Edouard Vlasic announced his playing career is over after 19 NHL seasons, all spent with the San Jose Sharks. According to the source, roughly 18 months after what turned out to be his final game, Vlasic is now focused on fatherhood with girlfriend Frédérique Guay and their 10-month-old daughter, Samuelle.
“I’m loving it a lot more,” Vlasic said of fatherhood. “I’ve been with her all day, every day. It’s cool to see the evolution of it. Starting to crawl, starting to motor quite a bit now, so I’ve got my hands full. But it’s been really cool.”
Vlasic’s career ended after the 2024-25 season when Sharks general manager Mike Grier placed him on unconditional waivers for a contract buyout. The move came as the team finished last in NHL standings for a second consecutive year and sought to free up cap space and a roster spot. Vlasic was entering the final year of an eight-year, $56 million contract with a $7 million average annual value. He had played just 27 games the previous season due to an upper-body injury and healthy scratches, averaging a career-low 14:38 in ice time.
Initially, Vlasic believed he would return for a 20th year with the team following exit interviews. However, when the buyout occurred in late June 2025, he felt blindsided. Speaking at a charity event in Quebec City that August, Vlasic said, “It would have been honest of them to tell me right after the season, ‘By the way, we may (buy out your contract), so prepare your house.’ Instead, they did it (in late June).” When asked about Vlasic’s remarks at training camp, Grier said he believed he had been clear about possibilities and denied intentionally being unclear.
At a Sharks-Canadiens game in Montreal, Vlasic and Grier reconnected. Vlasic said he holds no resentment and that the matter is settled. “It’s been over a year and a half from that,” he said. “I have no hard feelings. I love the city. I love the team. I love the organization.”
With the final year of his buyout underway, Vlasic had trained hoping to play another season, but no offer materialized. He was a second-round draft pick by the Sharks in 2005 and ranks second on the team’s all-time games played list with 1,323. Vlasic won an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada in 2014 and was considered one of the NHL’s best shutdown defensemen. He helped the Sharks reach the Western Conference Finals four times and the Stanley Cup Final in 2016, where they lost to Pittsburgh in six games.
Key facts
- Vlasic ended his 19-year NHL career with the San Jose Sharks
- He was placed on unconditional waivers for contract buyout in late June 2025 after the Sharks finished last in NHL standings
- Vlasic played just 27 games in his final season due to injury and healthy scratches, averaging 14:38 in ice time
- He is now focused on raising his 10-month-old daughter, Samuelle, with girlfriend Frédérique Guay
- Vlasic is second on the Sharks’ all-time games played list with 1,323 games, behind Patrick Marleau
- He was a key member of Sharks teams that reached four Western Conference Finals and the 2016 Stanley Cup Final
- Vlasic won an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada in 2014