At the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, the Sharks were left wondering what to do next after a first round exit. Losing a close series without star Tyler Seguin in the lineup, management knew the team was OK. But going into 18-19, the Sharks ranked close to last in the CPHl for assets and found themselves as one of the teams who participated in the "leftover draft".
This didn't sit well with GM MJK and he started making trades to acquire good assets while keeping a solid team together. Guys like Casey Mittelstadt and Brett Howden were acquired while the Sharks continued to stock the 1st round cupboard obtaining multiple picks in 2018 and 2019.
Fast forward to the end of the season where the Sharks once again saw a first round exit after making waves and sneaking into the playoffs after being near the bottom of the standing all season. Another very close series vs the #1 seed but once again we just couldn't manage to get the job done. The biggest difference between last season and this one is that the Sharks had a very similar roster to last year but have a very good assets with younger players and many 1st round picks.
The Sharks were busy Saturday trading away the last two 1st round draft picks they had in the 2018 entry draft. The first deal was made with Doug early Saturday morning.
Deal #1:
To Carolina:
11th Overall
To San Jose:
Mark Jankowski
MJK made the offer to Doug late Friday evening in a bit of a drunken state. Knowing we had to make a big offer right out of the gate to get his attention would be important. You see, Doug had a personal connection to Jankowski and was very hesitant to make the deal. He finally came back Saturday AM and the deal was done. We are very high on Jankowski and were impressed by what he did in the NHL. We are rooting for him to continue his development and think he will become a very good player.
That left the Sharks with just the 8th round pick to trade. A pick that has been in many trade talks for a couple of weeks now and one that MJK was very reluctant to trade. It would take a special player to move that pick and it just so happens that happened today.
Deal #2:
To Wild:
8th overall pick
To Sharks:
Drew Doughty
The trade for Doughty sends a message to the fans that management is very much interested in beefing up the D. Last season we allowed far too many shots against Rask who needed to stand on his head all season. The Sharks top 4 now look like this:
Byf - Doughty
Trouba - OEL
We think this top 4 will rival any D core in the CPHL. It will put us in a difficult position and it will be very difficult to manage our cap but we are hoping to be able to make it work. With UFA's Crosby, Wheeler and Rask all needing to be signed, things could get interesting in San Jose.
So with all 2018 1st round picks traded, the Sharks will now shift the focus to 2019 where they currently own 4 1st rounders. Lots of options exist with those and who knows, maybe we trade one for just $$$ to make sure we can make a big run for it this season.
Thanks to Doug and Grant for the deals.
Sharks Continue to Add - No Doughty About It
