10 Thoughts: Pre-Trade Deadline Edition

The Sharks head toward a week of uncertainty as the March 8 Trade Deadline looms

The San Jose Sharks have a lot going on behind the scenes as we near the NHL’s Trade Deadline on March 8. We’re just over a week away, and there’s a lot to talk about when it comes to Bay Area hockey as well, some trade-related and some not. Let’s get into it.

Difficulty Moving Rentals

Earlier this week, I put out an article discussing how a few pending unrestricted free agents have had their value plummet this season due to substandard play and massive cap hits that teams are unable to accommodate. There’s a legitimate chance that the Sharks are fairly quiet at the trade deadline, despite expectations to be a major seller. 

Players like Mike Hoffman and Kevin Labanc are less likely to be moved than many think, as the Sharks really are unable to retain salary and their salaries are too high for most contending players to fit into their roster. The players that the Sharks are likely to move such as Anthony Duclair and Alexander Barabanov don’t have much value either, so they’ll walk away with some assets but it doesn’t seem like it’ll be anything game-changing for the rebuild.

Ferraro and Kunin Should Stay

There had been trade rumors floating around about the Sharks trading Mario Ferraro and Luke Kunin. While it’s impossible to say it won’t happen with 100% certainty, the offer would have to blow Mike Grier out of the water. Ferraro has term left on his contract, so there’s no reason to rush moving him out of town. They still need a few strong players on the team as the Sharks move through their rebuild. With players like Ty Emberson and Nikita Okhotiuk in the lineup who focus more on the defensive side of the game, Ferraro can be a perfect mentor for the young defensemen as they further their development. 

Keeping Kunin is less of a priority, but he’s still a great player to have during a rebuild. While he hasn’t become the high-end player he was expected to become during his draft year, he’s a useful bottom-six option who is a restricted free agent at the end of the season. If the Sharks move on from him this season, they’ll enter the summer looking for a player to fill his role for next season and they’ll likely have to overpay in free agency. Keeping Kunin for the time being is going to be a wise move for the next year or two.