San Jose Sharks acquire draft picks in exchange for Brad Stuart

The San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson announced Tuesday that the franchise has acquired a second round draft selection in the 2016 NHL draft and a sixth round draft selection in the 2017 NHL draft in exchange for Brad Stuart.

It’s no secret that Stuart had a rough season this year with the Sharks. In the 2013-14 campaign, he had three goals and eight assists over the course of 61 games and had a plus-minus rating of +5. Stuart had a limited no-trade clause in the final year of his contract and agreed to move.

Although the team hasn’t made any big moves yet, this deal gives room in case something does surface where more money is needed under the cap. Stuart had a $3.6 million contract and the Sharks will not take on any of that value.

Wilson made the following statement regarding the decision to trade Stuart:

"“Brad has been a true professional on and off the ice for our organization for many years and I want to express our sincere thanks for everything he has done for our team. In the phase that our organization is in, we made a decision that is in the best interest of all parties involved. Brad understands that we have made a commitment to give our younger players the opportunity to play and it was important to us to put Brad in a position where he has a chance to be successful.”"

And again it all comes back to the youth strategy the team has at the moment. The rebuild is obviously still in the works, however it has fans concerned about the future of the franchise.

At this point, the Sharks have around $15 million in cap space so I wouldn’t be surprised if some sort of big acquisition will happen in the near future.

Two other players have no-trade clauses at the moment and have yet to agree to move. The rumors are crazy as to whether Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton will be wearing teal come fall and only time will tell if these veterans will be removed for younger players as well.