|
|
Deadline deals grab our
attention
That doesn't always equate to
success
2/27/11 - By Mike Lee
The
NHL’s version of musical chairs on steroids ends on Monday afternoon with
the arrival of the NHL trade deadline. Teams that wish to acquire new players
have until noon (Pacific Time) to finalize moves they hope will improve their
chances at winning a Stanley Cup. The spring ritual makes for one of the more
entertaining days across the league as teams jockey to fill gaps in their
lineups or position themselves for longer term dividends by stockpiling draft
picks or prospects. Seemingly always on the cusp of greater things, the sharks
have been buyers the past few seasons, but with the deals General Manager Doug
Wilson has already made this spring, the Sharks may beaten their opponents to
the punch.
When you think about it, making deadline moves doesn’t
seem to position buyers to get the best value. Wilson’s eagerness to ad
players over the past four weeks may have created a rebate of sorts for the
Sharks general manager. Wilson landed the defenseman that he’s coveted in
Ian White, and added a bit of playoff grit in his acquisition of Ben Eager from
Atlanta.
It would seem unlikely that the Sharks will be big players on
Monday, because there isn’t much wiggle room in terms of the salary cap,
and with the way the Sharks have performed in February, there doesn’t seem
to be a need to change anything.
Players can be acquired via trade
after the Monday deadline, but they would need to clear waivers. San Jose has
gone that route in the past, but teams would be more motivated to block playoff
contenders.
Several prognosticators have suggested that San Jose might
be in the market for a backup goaltender to provide some relief for Antti
Niemi, but Antero Niittymaki is reported to be close to returning from the
injured reserve, so that direction seems unlikely.
Given that
Wilson’s moves are typically held tight o the vest, I’m not going to
bother speculating on what might or might not happen in the next 24 hours.
Ather, let’s take a look back at San Jose’s trade deadline moves.
2010
Last season’s deadline day was an uneventful
one for the Sharks. San Jose received a conditional 6th round pick in the 2011
NHL Entry Draft from the New York Rangers in exchange for LW Jody Shelley.
Shelley’s role was diminishing, so the move was more about freeing up
playing time for other forwards, especially as the playoff run approached.
The Sharks bigger deal happened a week prior to the deadline, when
they traded the 2nd round draft pick they acquired from Buffalo to Carolina for
defenseman Niklas Wallin and a 5th round draft pick. San Jose is still looking
for Wallin’s playoff experience to pay dividends, which is one of the
reasons they re-signed him last summer.
2009
The Sharks
were looking for some playoff grit when they acquired Travis Moen, but he
didn’t get much of an opportunity to show his stuff after the Sharks were
bounced by Anaheim, Moen’s former team, in the first round of the
playoffs. San Jose also acquired defenseman Kent Huskins in the deadline deal
that cost the Sharks prospects Nick Bonino and Timo Pielmeier, but Huskins was
injured and saw no action. They would re-sign Huskins, but San Jose is still
looking for the defenseman to pay dividends in the spring.
2008
In one of the more costly deadline deals for San Jose, the
Sharks rented defenseman Brian Campbell for two months in exchange for Steve
Bernier and a 1st round draft pick. Campbell was a playoff bust, as were the
Sharks that spring. Buffalo would use that pick to take forward Tyler Ennis.
Bernier’s laziness on the ice made him expendable, but the draft pick
stings considering Campbell’s immediate departure via free agency and the
fact that he would win the Stanley Cup the following year with Chicago.
In a minor deadline deal, San Jose sent defenseman Rob Davison to the
New York Islanders for a 7th round pick in 2008.
2007
In another painful move, the Sharks gave up a 1st round pick (earlier acquired
from New Jersey), along with forwards Ville Nieminen and Jay Barriball to St
Louis for Bill Guerin. That pick turned out to be the 26th overall pick that
the Blues used to take David Perron. Guerin was a short-tenured rental that did
little in the playoffs.
Like the Shelly move in 2010, San Jose also
shipped Scott Parker to Colorado for a 6th round pick. The Sharks also sent
goaltender Nolan Schafer to Pittsburgh for a 6th round draft pick that turned
into Justin Braun.
Two days prior to the deadline, the Sharks also
acquired Craig Rivet and a 5th round selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft from
Montreal in exchange for defenseman Josh Gorges and the Sharks first round
draft pick that season. Rivet played a bigger role the following season, but
San Jose dealt two 1st rounder picks that year, but did little in the playoffs.
2006
Not sure how the Sharks Ville Nieminen was the
missing link for their playoff aspirations, but that’s all San Jose did on
deadline day in 2006. They acquired the left wing from the New York Rangers for
a 3rd round pick.
In a roster clearing move, the Sharks also shipped
flash in the pan forward Niko DImitrakos to Philly for a 3rd rounder that would
eventually be dealt to Columbus.
2005
There was no deadline in 2005,
because there was no season. 2005 was the infamous lockout season.
2004
Three separate deals in 2004 netted the Sharks
Curtis Brown. The Sharks shipped Brad Boyes (who was acquired from Toronto the
prior year for Owen Nolan), to Boston for former 1st round pick Jeff Jillson,
who was then sent to Buffalo for Brown and goaltender Andy Delmore. Delmore was
then shipped to Boston for future considerations. Brown turned into a fan
favorite, but he was a third line guy that made little impact in the playoffs.
2004 was a lot of flash, but no sizzle.
2003
Hard to
believe it’s been eight years since the Sharks were sellers, but
that’s what the case was after the wheels fell off in 2003. The big deal
sent Owen Nolan to Toronto for centerman Alyn McCauley, Boyes and a 1st round
pick. Nolan had finally won out his welcome in San Jose, and the Sharks were
looking to change the locker room attitude.
Defenseman Bryan Marchment
was also sent packing, being dealt to Colorado for a 3rd and 5th round pick.
The Sharks also sent defenseman Dan McGillis to Boston from a 2nd
round pick, and they would ship Matt Bradley to Pittsburgh for centerman Wayne
Primeau. The pick would turn into Steve Bernier and Primeau would later be
packaged in the deal that landed San Jose Joe Thornton.
2002
The Sharks did absolutely nothing in 2002.
2001
The only deadline activity in 2001 brought winger
Bill Lindsay to San Jose from Calgary for an 8th round draft pick. Lindsay was
a short lived option, especially given San Jose’s short playoff run.
The bigger deal happened before the deadline when the Sharks pulled
off a blockbuster when they acquired Teemu Selanne from Anaheim in exchange for
LW Jeff Friesen, G Steve Shields and future considerations. Selanne’s
playoff run ended prematurely in 2002, but he would participate in San
Jose’s lengthy post-season run in 2002. When the Sharks imploded in 2003,
Selanne decided to bail and sign with Colorado.
2000
The Sharks had to give to get, but in 2000 it landed them former Montreal
Canadiens captain Vincent Damphousse. They would surrender a 1st and 5th round
selection in the 2000 NHL Draft, and a 2nd round pick in the 2001. Damphousse
brought legitimacy to the Sharks lineup, but they wouldn’t be able to
repeat the magic that Damphousse brought to Montreal.
1999
No blockbusters in 1999. The lone deal landed San Jose
winger Greg Pankewicz from Calgary in exchange for future considerations.
1998
A flurry of deals would bring several players to
San Jose in 1998. The Sharks acquired defensemen Bryan Marchment and David Shaw
from Tampa Bay in exchange for big winger Andrei Naarov and Tampa Bay’s
option to swap 1st round selections in the 1998 NHL Draft.
The Sharks
also acquired right wing Joe Murphy and cash considerations from St Louis in
exchange for former captain Todd Gill. They would also pick up goaltender Jason
Muzzatti from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Richard Brennan.
1997
No trade deadline deals for the Sharks in 2007,
although they did acquire Ed Belfour in late January, a month prior to the
deadline. Belfour would finish out the season in San Jose, then bolt for
Dallas, citing the lack of state income tax as his reason for choosing Texas
over California.
1996
In moves intended to rid the
clubhouse of several cancers, the Sharks shipped Craig Janney to St Louis for
Darren Turcotte and a 2nd round pick for starters. Janney spent most of his
tenure in San Jose pouting about being dealt to the 5th year franchise.
They also traded sniper Ray Sheppard and a 4th round draft pick to
Florida in exchange for a 2nd and 4th round selection in the 1996 NHL Draft.
The two 2nd round selections were eventually sent to Chicago for their 1st
round pick, which was used to take Marco Sturm.
Kevin Miller was also
sent to Pittsburgh for a 5th round draft pick in the 1996 NHL Draft and future
considerations.
1995
In what would prove to be one of
the biggest mistakes in team history, the Sharks acquired Janney and other
considerations from St Louis in exchange for D Jeff Norton, a 4th round
selection in 1995 and future considerations. Norton was a fan favorite, but the
Sharks were in need of some scoring punch.
San Jose also completed the
termination of the Ov-Line, when they sent Johan Garpenlov to Florida in
exchange for a 5th round selection in 1998 and future considerations.
Bob Errey was traded to Detroit a week prior to the trade deadline in 1995, for
a 5th round selection that netted the Sharks C Michal Bros. Errey helped
Detroit win a Cup in 1995 and Bros never played a second in the NHL.
1994
In what would prove to be a win for the Sharks, they landed
right wing Ulf Dahlen from Dallas in exchange for defensemen Mike Lalor and
Doug Zmolek. Zmolek was the defensive prospect that enticed Dallas into making
this move, but Dahlen would provide a solid 2nd line forward for three plus
seasons.
1993
Nothing doing in 1993. Not much to work
with, other than draft picks, and the Sharks were expecting to have lots of
high value picks to work with. Problem is, they would screw that all up by
making the playoffs a year later.
1992
San Jose went hog
wild their first season, making a series of trades on deadline day. They would
acquire Garpenlov from Detroit in exchange for defenseman Bob McGill and an 8th
round selection in the 1992 NHL Draft. They also grabbed Vancouver’s 8th
round draft pick for defenseman Ken Hammond. Finally they acquired winger Dave
Snuggerud from Buffalo in exchange for right wing Wayne Presley. Not much in
terms of real value, with the exception of Garpenlov, who would go on to have
success with linemates Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov.
 |
|
| What did you think of
this article? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
