Do the Sharks consider moving on from two underachieving forwards?
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic: The San Jose Sharks core is aging, and the contributions they’ve been getting from their younger players haven’t been what they had hoped.
Players like Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc are being paid well and not living up to their end. Both should be entering their primes and having to be demoted in the lineup to try and motivate them shouldn’t be needed.
It may be time to move one or both of them. LaBanc has three years left at $4.725 million and would be on pace for a 43 point season over 82 games.
Meier carries a $6 million cap hit through 2022-23, with a $10 million salary in the final year of his deal. Teams may not be interested in that salary for someone struggling to score 20 goals.
The Sharks could be stuck with the large contracts of Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Erik Karlsson and Martin Jones to go along with the underachieving Labanc and Meier.
Will the Bruins look at trading DeBrusk this offseason?
Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic: The trade deadline acquisition of Taylor Hall has moved Jake DeBrusk to the third-line with Charlie Coyle. DeBrusk carries a $3.675 million cap hit through the 2021-22 season. Both DeBrusk and Coyle haven’t been producing.
If the Bruins hope to retain pending UFA Taylor Hall, there may not be room for DeBrusk, who is having a down year. Any signing of Hall would likely come after the expansion draft.
If the Bruins don’t re-sign Tuukka Rask and David Krejci, it clears over $14 million in cap space.
Forward Nick Ritchie could be looking for a raise from his $1.5 million and could be left exposed for the expansion draft.
Trading the 24-year old DeBrusk is an option if the Bruins are able to re-sign Hall and Ritchie.