What Devan Dubnyk and Ryan Donato bring to the table
Last Monday, the Sharks acquired Ryan Donato and Devan Dubnyk in two separate trades with the Wild.
Doug Wilson effectively bolstered the depth of the San Jose Sharks in impressive value trades.
In the first trade, the Sharks shipped off a 2022 fifth-round pick and received 34-year old Goalie Devan Dubnyk and a 2022 seventh-round pick.
Dubnyk’s arrival comes with the expectation that Aaron Dell will not be re-signed by San Jose this off-season. The new veteran addition will likely serve as either a back-up to Martin Jones or play in a split tandem.
The former first-round pick’s career resume is nothing short of impressive. He has a career 0.915 SV% and, along with a total of 247 wins.
His teammates revere him as an excellent locker room guy with a positive attitude. With his large frame, the Canadian can cover the net effectively while in the crease. On the negative end, the goalie is fairly inconsistent and lacks the mobility needed in today’s NHL.
Last season with the Wild, he had a bit of a down year, with a record of 12-15-2 and a 0.890 SV%.
During the Sharks media availability with Dubnyk the day of the trade, he expressed his excitement to work with Evgeni Nabokov.
"“It’s nice because I’ve known him for awhile now, their is a lot of familiarity there… [I’m excited] to have him tweek some things that need to happen to take that next step,” Dubnyk said."
With Nabokov in his corner, Dubnyk is eying to get the second wind his career needs.
In the second trade, the Sharks gave up a 2021 third-round pick and acquired 24-year old Center Ryan Donato.
Donato is a promising young forward that team teal has been connected to for a significant amount of time. The Boston native will likely play on the third-line, barring more significant changes for San Jose.
The fourth-year center has 57 points over 130 total games in his young career. Born into an NHL family, he learned the game by watching his father, Ted Donato, play in 12 full seasons.
Some of his weaknesses on the ice include his skating, his size, and his consistency. On the other end, he is imposing in one on one situations and is a creative, explosive offensive threat.
Last season, Donato saw roughly ten minutes of ice-time a game and put up a humble 14 goals and nine assists.
During the Sharks media availability with Donato, he talked about his appreciation for his new teammate Joe Thornton.
"“[I was] a fan of Joe growing up, my dad had such a respect for him… I’ve followed Joe his entire career,” Donato said."
The versatile forward is a high ceiling pick-up as he looks to command more ice time heading into the season.
All in all, kudos to the entire Sharks organization for opening up the off-season on a good note. San Jose benefits from this trade, as the front office addressed the goaltending issue and acquired promising young talent. Look for team teal to make another significant move to revamp the roster soon.