With the trade deadline getting closer every hockey fan is waiting to see what will pan out and whether the deals made by fan’s favorite teams will help or hinder a Stanley Cup run.
With the San Jose Sharks they have been buyers at the deadline for years now and part of being a fan is getting to express your opinion. Here is a chance for hockeybuzzers to share their thoughts.
The general consensus with San Jose is that they need some depth up front, a second or third line winger who can kill penalties and perhaps help on the powerplay. That is all true, this team needs all that but whoever they pick up, if anybody needs to have some grit to their game.
The Sharks are big up front yes, but that doesn’t necessarily make them tough and as we saw last year toughness alongside skill was the recipe for success. Thornton, Marleau, and Handzus are all big boys in stature but they aren’t the toughest hombres in the league.
This team needs more Clowe like players to jam in front of the net. They need some more attitude and nasty to their game. Brad Winchester has grit but he is a fourth line player.
The Sharks perfect fit will be somebody who can handle big minutes in case of injury, or if Havlat’s return is stalled but ideally a second or third line player with some scoring ability to go with that sandpaper. This is what I figure to be the most likely move for San Jose keeping in mind that they don’t want to give up any part of their nucleus. That group consists of the Joes (Thornton and Pavelski,) Patrick Marleau, Ryane Clowe, Logan Couture, Dan Boyle, Brent Burns, Antti Niemi, Douglas Murray, and Marc Eduoard Vlasic.
With the right player in return I believe anybody else is tradable. I am a big Douglas Murray fan and would hate to see him go, but you have to give to get. The problem is that the window for this crew is closing and pulling the trigger on the right player isn’t easy but nothing ventured nothing gained. Murray’s toughness would be missed but Vandermeer and White both bring a physical element to the point. Among those in the nucleus I believe he would be the first go, unless a major trade for skilled players is done.
With Jason Demers sidelined and not skating with contact yet he there would be no takers for him which makes Justin Braun that much more valuable to the club. Not knowing how Demers will respond from his lower body injury is hindering the club by holding back on two defensemen.
Antero Niittymaki is another player that could be going somewhere at the deadline but the return for him will be minimal. The Sharks have always been a classy organization and if a team made an offer for him of any kind you would have to think that GM Wilson would not hold him back from continuing his NHL career. In the past this team has displayed great consideration for their players under contract and what’s best for them as well as the team.
One player who comes to mind that would fit the bill for San Jose is Travis Moen. I know he was a Shark in the past but his circumstances are quite different now than his last time around. He is healthy and is a UFA at the end of the season which means he shouldn’t cost much in return. He has 9g 7a and 41 pims on a bad Montreal team. He will drop the gloves when needed and kills penalties. He has won a cup before and won’t be pushed around in front of the net. I know he doesn’t have the flash that fans want with a trade deadline deal but I wouldn’t expect any big names coming or going.
Martin Havlat is scheduled to return mid-march ish but nothing that he has shown before his injury makes me think he can come back and make the big contribution that we all hoped would before the season started. In the playoffs everything becomes more difficult and more physical. The referees have already begun to loosen up on the physicality in the game which doesn’t favor Havlat. So far his game has lacked intensity and commitment, and to think anything will change after coming back from his hamstring injury would be naïve.
One thing the Sharks have always been very good at is keeping their cards close to them and what I have stated above is speculation from being at the games and following this team throughout the last three seasons.
I am anxious to read what you the fans think of the Sharks as they are, and what they need to do to improve and get to the next level.
Keep your sticks on the ice,
Cam Gore
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
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