San Jose Sharks Should Stay Put At Trade Deadline
Ahead of the February 29 trade deadline, I can’t determine if the San Jose Sharks should be buyers or sellers. On one hand, their recent five-game winning streak is inspiring enough to go for the Stanley Cup. However, I know this team doesn’t have a great chance of beating the Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks or any other heavyweight in the NHL. So what should the Sharks do at the trade deadline this year?
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The Cap Situation
Before assessing any potential moves at the deadline, we must look at the Sharks’ cap situation. Currently, the Sharks have less than $1 million in cap space. But that number is expected to grow to $2 million by the trade deadline. So unless this team wants to add another depth player in the form of Dainius Zubrus, the Sharks don’t have much space to work with.
A common suggestion to this situation is the Sharks can put Raffi Torres on Long-Term Injury-Reserve (LTIR). The added $2 million in cap space will allow for more flexibility. But considering that Torres is on a conditioning stint with the San Jose Barracuda, fans shouldn’t rely on this extra cap space. So the Sharks won’t have much space to add players unless they trade players off of their roster.
About that First-Round Pick
The other factor that might influence the Sharks’ decisions at the trade deadline is the first-round pick they traded away for Martin Jones. As a result, the Sharks could consider the consequences of missing the playoffs. The top three prospects in this year’s draft are potential franchise players so the new changes to the lottery might scare the Sharks’ front office.
While sunk costs shouldn’t be taken into consideration, making the playoffs is imperative to the future of this franchise. So the Sharks should avoid being sellers and make the playoffs. Any additional success on top of that will be gravy.
Besides, we all know the Boston Bruins will draft someone ranked in the second round anyway.
Staying Put
In the end, I think the Sharks should do what Doug Wilson does best at the trade deadline and stay put. They don’t have a first-round pick to justify selling, and I would be surprised if any potential additions help the Sharks beat the Kings. Things could change in the next month and a half, but at this point I don’t see any moves being made.
Next: Martin Jones Take Center Stage For Sharks
Fans will have to settle for riding this season out while waiting for the apocalypse that is next season. Once Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns become impending free agents (along with Tommy Wingels), that is when the decisions of this organization will be most interesting. Until then, we will wait and see how the Sharks screw up this time.