The Sharks were caught, put on ice and sold to the market against the Rangers yesterday. No need to travel down that road today. Instead, let’s talk about the Sharks rumors from Eklund’s posts over the last few days as un-biased as possible.
Sharks/New Jersey
Rumor: "major veteran asset" to NJ for defenseman Adam Larsson and possibly a pick.
Thoughts: Assuming a major veteran asset is one of Thornton or Marleau this deal is a huge loss for San Jose. Larsson is a player on the outs right now with the Devils and him and a pick, even a first, is not proper value for a player of Thornton or Marleau’s calibre. I don’t care how old they are, they are still producing at a high rate with no signs of slowdown.
I understand there’s a rumor that the Sharks want Brent Burns back on forward but I’m not convinced that throwing away a top offensive player for a, currently, bottom pairing defender is the answer. There are serviceable bottom pair defenders around the league that could be acquired for a draft pick, and not a first. I still stand by my previous statements that I don’t think Thornton is going anywhere. He’s a big figure on the team and if you watched the Ranger game you may have noticed who went over for the discussion with the zebra’s after the St Louis goal. Yeah, Joe’s still captain, only captain starts with ‘A’ this year.
Uncle Lou knows defense. His bread and butter has been from the blueline back so if Larsson is actively being shopped it’s not because they’re doing anyone any favors. I don’t think there’s a combination of pieces from New Jersey to acquire 12 or 19 that would make any sense for San Jose.
Maybe the Devils consider John Scott a veteran and just can't overlook his offensive contribution this year. I could, reluctantly, make that deal.
Sharks/Toronto
Rumor: The Sharks have also talked to Toronto about a deal too. More on that to come...the deal would send a center to Toronto and a defenseman to San Jose.
Thoughts: A center? Thornton/Couture/Tierney/Desjardins. Those are the starting centers for the Sharks and I wouldn’t want to see any of them gone, especially not for a defender from Toronto. Thornton has long been linked to rumors heading to Toronto but gaining a mediocre defender, losing a number one center and shifting a d-man to the wing doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. If anyone hasn’t noticed, Brent Burns is over a point a game on the blueline and has been playing great at the position. The offense, save for the Rangers shutout, has played extremely well also.
So, if all logical thought is thrown out the window, who would the defender be? Gardiner? It’s going to cost more than Jake Gardiner to get a deal done and I don’t think that Gardiner can replace what Burns has been doing on defense this year. Do they dangle Nazem Kadri in front of Doug Wilson? That’s a little tempting, he has proven success at the NHL level and definitely has skill. Does Gardiner + Kadri for Thornton make sense for either team? I don’t think it does for Toronto given Thornton’s age in comparison to Gardiner/Kadri, but maybe things are desperate in TO. It could make sense for San Jose, but that wouldn't be apparent for some time until both players could prove to be 1) a top four defender and competent in his own end and; 2) a number two center that can gel with Hertl and Pavelski to the tune of 70 points/season. If those two things happened then maybe it is a good deal for San Jose, but Jake Gardiner alone isn't going to get you anything but hung up on.
I know Gardiner has been a frequent whipping boy for the Leafs over his tenure but maybe pairing Morgan Reilly and Jake Gardiner together isn’t the hottest idea. Maybe pairing Gardiner with an older, defensive defenceman would lessen the mistakes. I can’t see Toronto giving up that much talented youth for an aging star, even if the aging star is still a high production player. This scenario doesn't fix any of either teams problems when the addition/subtraction on the lineup is considered.
I don’t understand the want for Burns to return to forward right now. I was a huge critic of the move to send him back to defense, but he’s been great back there. If he went back to forward right now that leaves a major hole on defense for San Jose that the Sharks simply can’t fill.
The biggest snag, of course, in the whole idea of trading either Marleau or Thornton is the fact that they choose their own fate via NTC. Doug Wilson will have to beg and grovel to get their NTC waived and history has shown us that doesn't get him very far with the Sharks stars.
No to New Jersey, for anything.
No to Toronto for a defender/center exchange, although Gardiner + Kadri would at least make me think before I hung up after realizing the offensive production and leadership I’d lose.
While there's definitely talk around San Jose of trades, the Sharks aren't broken so don’t fix them. Minor deals to fill holes, not major shakeups is what I want to see from Doug Wilson.
Thanks for reading.
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