Report: Could San Jose Sharks Be Interested In Evgeni Malkin?
Mar 29, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) skates with the puck around San Jose Sharks right wing Ben Smith (21) during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Evgeni Malkin? To the San Jose Sharks? Could it happen…well, maybe.
Kevin Kurz of Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area notes that the Sharks could be a potential destination for Malkin should the Penguins decide to move Malkin this offseason.
Now, why would Pittsburgh deal Malkin? Well, according to Kurz, there have been some reports that Malkin might want a change of venue because he is frustrated by the losing in Pittsburgh.
In any event, Malkin to San Jose would definitely be intriguing. He would represent a dominant center who would give the Sharks tremendous depth down the middle. Also, Malkin might be able to help Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau by taking some of the spotlight away from them, if they weren’t involved in the trade.
According to generalfanager.com, the Sharks has more than $14 million in cap space, but they do need to sign a couple of defensemen and a goaltender. Bringing in Malkin, and his hefty $9.5M cap hit, would limit some of San Jose’s flexibility, but he would also add to the puck possession style that new head coach Peter DeBoer wants to play.
General manager Doug Wilson has never been afraid to make a big trade splash, and he’s indicated this offseason that San Jose is well-positioned to do so. Now, bringing in a player of Malkin’s caliber would qualify as making a splash, and it would also change the dynamic in that dressing room (now whether that’s a positive or negative would have to be seen).
Regardless of whether this comes to fruition or not, expect the Sharks to be tied with many different names as they look to make the necessary improvements to get back to the playoffs.