The San Jose Sharks are expected to sell off multiple assets ahead of the March 8 NHL Trade deadline. General manager Mike Grier has been active with his rebuilding these past 12 months or so, and has shown a willingness to retain salary if it means the pot is sweetened for his hockey club. Expect to see the Sharks pull off a couple of deals ahead of the deadline as these four players should all be considered prime trade candidates out of San Jose:
Anthony Duclair is going to draw a ton of interest from contending teams, thanks to an impressive Stanley Cup Playoffs last season in Florida. The results haven’t necessarily been there this season, however you could essentially say that for every Shark as they continue to bottom-feed in the Western Conference.
Duclair has posted eight goals and 16 points in 40 games so far in his first season in San Jose and Grier will surely be pointing at his 11 points in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season during trade conversations. Duclair is set to earn $3 million and does not hold any trade protection. He’s already been linked to the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings. Two seasons removed from a 31-goal campaign, there’s still a lot of value in the speedy 28-year-old winger.
Alexandar Barabanov
Another pending free-agent, Alexander Barabanov is a bang-and-crash third liner who can chip in on offense, although his three goals in 25 games this season won’t necessarily scream high return for Grier. Barabanov is set to earn $2.5 million this season and the Sharks will need to retain 50% of his salary if they are going to get teams to give up at least a fourth-round pick or mid-level prospect.
Related: Canadiens: 4 Trade Candidates as GM Will Be Busy Ahead of Deadline
Barabanov has shown flashes of brilliance in his 3.5 seasons in San Jose and posted 47 points in 68 games last season, impressing many with his coming out party of sorts. This season it hasn’t been the same story and while there’s going to be some interest from contending teams, if Grier doesn’t retain any salary, good luck striking a deal.
What do you know, another pending free-agent forward for the Sharks as Mike Hoffman is the veteran of the bunch at 34 years old. He’s been an elite scorer at times and has a track record of scoring some pretty big goals, including 36 as a member of the Florida Panthers, however this season he’s managed to snipe eight times in 43 games.
Hoffman comes with some baggage as he’s defensively liable and while he’s shown he can score, he doesn’t scream third liner for a contending team, or someone who can be trusted in a top six. It’s likely Grier has to package the veteran winger to get anything in return. Hoffman is set to make $4.5 million against the cap this season and does not hold any trade protection.
The goalie market is heating up around the NHL and Kaapo Kahkonen is someone who will be on a number of team’s radar as a pure back up or depth option. The New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche are looking hard for another netminder and there’s also the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs who have been trolling the waters at different points of this season.
Kahkonen has posted a 5-13-1 record so far, along with a 3.61 GAA and .899 Sv.%. He’s making $2.75 million AAV and is also, like the three others mentioned, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Grier will have no choice but to retain salary on all of the trade candidates if he’s going to get anything substantial in return.
The Sharks also have Tomas Hertl, who has been on the radar of a few teams this season, including the Boston Bruins, but so far it doesn’t seem like this will be an in-season trade and is likely something Grier considers in the summer months.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
