Sharks Ship out Ellis

[MJK]

We knew when we acquired Ryan Ellis it was likely a short term rental until we found a better fit. Ellis has never been a player we have been high on but he has exceeded NHL expectations and has turned into a good young D. That being said, we were not tied to him after acquiring him in the Doughty trade and a deal came along that makes a little more sense for us right now.

To Buffalo:
Ryan Ellis

To San Jose:
Alec Martinez
Jacob Silfverberg
Jayce Hawryluk

The timing of the trade is very good with the news that THE Rick Nash has decided to retire. It cost us nothing to acquire his services and he has played the majority of the 2018-19 season on the top line with Michael Backlund and Patrick Kane. Jacob Silfverberg will likely be given an excellent opportunity to slot right into the top line to see what he can do.

Alec Martinez is a solid D with a reasonable cap hit. His and Silfverberg's salary combined equals that of Ellis who is a RFA and may demand more in the offseason. We really like the fact that Martinez and Silfverberg are locked up with good contracts and the added forward depth with this trade is a bonus.

We also acquired some guy names Jayce Hawryluk who was drafted in the 2nd round and currently playing for the Florida Panthers.

Thanks to SportsJunky for the deal and we wish Buffalo the best of luck.

[SportsJunky]

Thanks for the deal Dave.

We've been chasing Ellis for some time now. He immediately takes over the #1 spot in a nice tandem with Nate Schmidt. I know he's going to get a little pricey this off-season but I'll deal with it then.

Martinez was great in Buffalo and he'll be missed. He's a great steady Dman and should fit in nicely in San Jose. Silfverberg did everything that we asked of him but ultimately I decided to move him out now before it got tougher to move him later.

I'm trying to stay above dead-last at the end of the year. I'm not sure if this deal makes us better or worse at the moment. We'll see.