On the San Jose Sharks …
Paul Gackle of The Mercury News: With Joe Thornton out for at least six weeks, Sharks GM Doug Wilson needs to resist the urge to make a major deal before the trade, even if their playoff hopes start to fade.
Rumors will surface linking the Sharks to the likes of Max Pacioretty, Evander Kane, and Mike Hoffman.
All three would provide offense left by Thornton’s absence, but the cost to acquire is high, likely a couple of top prospects.
The Sharks have gone the draft and develop approach the past few years, and those players are starting to emerge now: Timo Meier, Kevin Lebanc, Joakim Ryan, Dylan DeMelo, and Tim Heed
The Sharks will potentially have around $23 million in cap space this offseason to chase free agents if they so choose.
It’s looking like NY Islanders center John Tavares could hit free agency, and the Sharks could be positioned nicely. Tavares will want $10 million plus and a shot at competing for the Cup. The Sharks could offer both.
On the Montreal Canadiens …
TSN: Darren Dreger was on TSN 690 and was not saying that Shea Weber is on the trade block, or that he’s going to be traded, but at $7.8 million, he would be difficult to move. Weber has been out since December 16th with a lower-body injury.
“In terms of his value, I think unfortunately, you’ve got to dissect it and you have to break in two pieces. One, is he as highly regarded from a character standpoint? One hundred per cent. There isn’t a team in the National Hockey League that wouldn’t want Shea Weberbecause of his experience, what he brings to your dressing room, just everything about him oozes professional and oozes the ultimate hockey player.
“But then, you’ve got to look at the business side of things. Given what remains on his contract, then you try to make sense of where his game is headed on the ice, it gets tough, it gets real tough. When you get into the latter stages of any player’s career like this, they’re cap killers. I still think he has a lot to contribute but when you look at the business package vs. what he brings in intangibles, it’s still a difficult sell unless he’s willing to go to a team that wants all that experience, isn’t worried about the cap hit and they need to shift the culture around their organization. But, I don’t see it happening. At least not in-season, but when we’re talking about everyone else on the Montreal Canadiens, it’s certainly fair to at least consider that long possibility.”