Three Destinations Sharks Could Trade Kaapo Kahkonen
By Conor Power
New Jersey Devils
Let's start with a General Manager Grier will already know very well courtesy of the deal that sent Timo Meier to the Garden State. The New Jersey Devils have to be a team that is among the front runners for a netminder. What they have gotten from Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid this year has not been good enough to have them live up to the expectations that were placed upon them in the preseason.
As a team, the New Jersey Devils have a .884 save percentage. To put that into perspective, that is the third lowest in the NHL. San Jose has spent so many assets on trying to go for the Stanley Cup this window that they cannot really afford to wait. Getting a stopgap that will allow them to contend for the playoffs while not committing anything to the salary cap in the years after this one could be a big advantage.
It is actually in the Sharks' interest to try and help the Devils get to the Eastern Conference Finals this season. San Jose will receive the 2024 first-round pick of the Devils if they do because of the aforementioned Timo Meier deal. Kaapo Kahkonen has a better save percentage than the Devils team does, so while he may not be a great fit long term, he could certainly help them get to the playoffs.
New Jersey has assets to offer, too. This won't be a return like the Sharks got for Meier, but to suggest something like the Devils' 2024 third-round pick for the netminder? That could be used as a starting point, with the Devils adding if they need money retained on the contract of Kahkonen, or if they want to send money back to San Jose. Maybe that pick and a fourth or a fifth for the difference in cap space.