Three mock trades between the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs for a goaltender
By Conor Power
We know the San Jose Sharks are open for business. Everything has its price, and everything will be available if it is met. This has exceptions, of course, with players like William Eklund being untouchable as they are considered to be part of the next wave of the Sharks' core. It means that we have a lot of people to talk about when it comes to trade rumors and partners for the San Jose Sharks this season.
One area of the ice that the Sharks are rumored to be moving players is the blue line. The defense is open according to Elliotte Friedman with everyone available at the right price. But that is not what I want to talk about today. There will be teams that want a defenseman and we can talk about them in due time, but it is the crease and that I want to discuss right now for reasons I will explain in a moment.
San Jose's netminding situation is pretty clear. With Magnus Chrona and Eetu Makiniemi down in the minors, the organization could do with clearing a place on the roster full time for one of the two if they are to find their starter of the future. There's no point in having NHL ready netminders in the AHL. The debate is whether or not these particular netminders are NHL ready at this moment or whether they could do with more time in the junior league.
This brings us to Kaapo Kahkonen and Mackenzie Blackwood. These two goalies have been very good for the San Jose Sharks so far this season. Tasked with backstopping a rebuilding roster, these two have played very well behind a roster that has extreme flaws. Despite being exposed to things most goaltenders should never find themselves facing, this tandem has held its own against the majority of the league, very rarely costing the Sharks games.
Now, goaltending is a very valuable commodity in this league. There will be a lot of teams looking for help in their crease before the daedline, and the Toronto Maple Leafs may have the most pressing urge at this moment. With Ilya Samsonov bordering on unusable and Martin Jones being Martin Jones as Sharks fans will remember so fondly, the need for a goalie in Toronto seems urgent. Here are three deals that could help these two teams out.