The Tampa Bay Lightning announced this afternoon that they have traded goaltender Evgeni Nabokov to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for future considerations.
Nabokov, who played 563 games with the Sharks earlier in his career, suited up in 11 games with the Lightning this season; he posted an .882 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average. He was waived by the Lightning earlier in the season, and replaced as Bolts backup goaltender by fellow Russian Andrei Vasilevskiy.
This is a classy move by Lightning GM Steve Yzerman and Sharks GM Doug Wilson, as it likely allows Nabokov, who spent the bulk of his career in San Jose, to retire as a Shark. He built himself a phenomenal career in San Jose, so it only seems fitting that he'll write his final chapter where it all began. In addition, it frees up a contract spot for the Lightning as they move towards the trade deadline.
As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter.