SAN JOSE >> Goalie Vitek Vanecek was dealt to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Wednesday. Now it’s a matter of how many other San Jose Sharks players will be moved to contending teams before the quickly approaching NHL trade deadline.

The Sharks traded Vanecek, one of their many pending unrestricted free agents, to the Panthers for forward Patrick Giles, a possible precursor to a San Jose selloff before the trade deadline on Friday at noon (PST).

Later Wednesday, the Sharks acquired defenseman Vincent Desharnais from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2028 fifth-round draft pick. Desharnais, 28, has played with both the Penguins and Vancouver Canucks this season, appearing in a combined 44 games with three assists and averaging 15:37 in ice time.

Desharnais, a right-shot defenseman, is in the first year of a two-year, $4 million contract that carries a $2 million cap hit. In 158 career NHL games with Edmonton, Vancouver and Pittsburgh, Desharnais has 19 points and 123 minutes.

The Panthers were looking for a backup goalie after trading Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks last week as part of the deal that brought defensemen Seth Jones to Florida. In Giles, the Sharks get a veteran AHL player signed through next season who can potentially help the Barracuda make a deep playoff run.

There are other Sharks who general manager Mike Grier could deal before midday Friday. Other pending UFAs on the Sharks roster include forwards Luke Kunin and Nico Sturm, defenseman Jan Rutta and Georgiev. The Sharks are reportedly looking for at least a second round draft pick for Kunin, and might also be asking for something similar for Sturm.

Some NHL teams are also interested in defenseman Mario Ferraro, who has one year left on a four-year contract.

With so many teams still in the mix for a playoff spot, particularly in the Eastern Conference, this could be a sellers market, allowing Grier to stay patient until his price his met.

“It’s kind of crazy, especially out east, how tight it is,” Grier said in late January. “If you lose a couple of games, and someone wins a couple, then the whole standings flip. I think there are a lot of teams that still think they’re in it, so it’ll be interesting.

“We have some good players available. I think there’s guys that can impact winning and help teams win and win rounds, or win the Stanley Cup. So, there’s a steep price to pay for that.”

Vanecek’s departure from San Jose appeared imminent after he was held out of the Sharks’ game on Tuesday in Buffalo for trade-related reasons.

Vanecek was in line to start against the Sabres, but Alexandar Georgiev played instead and made 20 saves in a 6-2 victory, as the Sharks won back-to-back games for the first time since early January. Georgiev also made 25 saves in the Sharks’ 3-2 shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.

Vanecek is in the final year of a three-year, $10.2 million contract with an average annual value of $3.4 million. The Panthers are taking on all of Vanecek’s pro-rated salary cap hit.

In 18 games with the Sharks this season, the 29-year-old Vanecek had a 3-10-3 record and a .882 save percentage. Now in his fifth NHL season, Vanecek has a career record of 94-52-20 with a .903 save percentage in 181 games with the Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals.

With Vanecek in Florida, the Sharks recalled goalie Georgi Romanov from the Barracuda to back up Georgiev. Romanov will join the team in Denver as the Sharks get ready to play the Colorado Avalanche tonight to end a season-long seven-game road trip.

Romanov was recalled instead of Yaroslav Askarov, who hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury on Feb. 19. Romanov is the only other goalie in the Sharks’ system with an NHL contract.

This season with the Barracuda, Romanov has an 11-6-3 record and a .905 save percentage in 21 games. He has two games of NHL experience, both coming with the Sharks at the end of last season.

Giles, listed at 6-foot-5 and 218 pounds, has played in nine NHL games in his career — all of which have come this season.

Giles, 25, is in his fourth full season as a professional. He has 44 points and 98 penalty minutes in 187 career AHL games, all with the Charlotte Checker.