San Jose Sharks are willing to trade all but one player
Through the first ten games of the regular season the San Jose Sharks have three wins and seven losses on the season. The Sharks don't appear to be a very competitive team this year nor are they expected to compete for a playoff spot this year. As a result, it looks to be a development year for the Sharks and new general manager Mike Grier will be looking to retool his club by acquiring future assets where he can. San Jose has missed the playoffs the last three seasons.
NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reports that San Jose Sharks are willing to part with anyone except star center Tomas Hertl. Despite San Jose's poor start, other NHL clubs must be interested in some of San Jose's talent. For example, Timo Meier, Kevin Leblanc, or Nico Sturm are all reasonably priced forwards that teams could use for depth forwards. The Sharks are also right up against the salary cap. So, look for them to try and shed some salary and give themselves some flexibility moving forward. It seems unlikely that high priced veterans Erik Karlsson and Logan Couture are less likely to move based on their age and their overpriced contracts. Unless San Jose retained significant salary, it's hard to imagine those two players being traded away.
The Sharks already traded veteran defenseman Brent Burns to Carolina. It certainly sounds that general manager Mike Grier isn't stopping there. He is willing to listen to all offers and he's notified everyone in the league just ten games into the season. This is the right move by Grier, and he should get as many future assets as he can. While they do have a few bright prospects, San Jose needs to get more talent in the system and develop some younger players.
| POLL | ||
Who is the San Jose Shark's most value trade chip? | ||
| Logan Couture | 75 | 29.1 % |
| Timo Meier | 85 | 32.9 % |
| Erik Karlsson | 60 | 23.3 % |
| Other | 38 | 14.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
