The San Jose Sharks will likely be near the bottom of the NHL standings again. With that in mind, they will likely sell off pieces at the trade deadline to continue their rebuild. It's been a dark few seasons in the Bay Area, but the bright horizon is almost here for Team Teal. As the Sharks' prospects continue to develop and get closer to the NHL, they must make room for those they want to see at the top level.
This leads us to the blue paint. Right now, the goaltending market is high. Many teams are disgruntled regarding what's happening in their crease right now, and the Sharks could be the beneficiaries of teams wanting to rearrange the deck chairs in their blue paint. Where San Jose's issues lay are in which netminder to move. Both Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek are unrestricted free agents, leaving the Sharks with a choice to make in the crease.
Both former New Jersey Devils netminders will be looking to get a fresh move to a team that needs a new netminder. Teams like Colorado, Carolina, New Jersey, and Toronto are always on the goaltending market due to instability in the crease. Whether that is due to injury or performance, they could be looking for cheap alternatives, but it brings the question of which netminder the Sharks should be looking to trade?
Vanecek was a cap dump from the Devils; turning him into an asset to a team like Colorado would be an incredible feat. He's been average this year, but the Avalanche would snap your arm off for average netminding. Blackwood was acquired when Jones left, and the Sharks have leaned on him extensively during his tenure. He's been one of the most underrated shot-stoppers in the league to this point in his career.
Of the two, which one should move? For me, it should be Vanecek if you can. He's not as good as Blackwood, which would be great asset management. Blackwood is also cheaper until the end of this season when his contract expires. Whichever one leaves could be replaced by Yaroslav Askarov until the conclusion of the season as the Sharks look to continue to build for the future.