The San Jose Sharks are in the middle of a rebuild, and while Mike Grier is taking a slower, more patient approach to set the team up for long-term success, there are still some smart deals he could make to insulate the young core with experienced veterans.
You don’t have to look far to see the kind of moves that could help. Just down in Orange County, the Anaheim Ducks recently made a trade with the New York Rangers to acquire Chris Kreider. It was a low-cost deal and essentially a cap dump for the Rangers.
For the Ducks, though, they’re getting a former 50-goal scorer. Kreider may not be in his prime anymore, but he still brings scoring ability and, just as important, leadership and experience to their forward group and locker room. They also made a move for Jacob Trouba during the season to bolster their blue line. These are the types of trades that can have a real impact on an organization.
If the Sharks can take advantage of similar trades this summer, they’d be in a better position to improve their roster and possibly see more success during the regular season. That said, it may not be part of Grier’s immediate plan. He could stay the course for one more year and focus on stockpiling prospects before making bigger moves.Still, if a player like Kreider became available again and the Sharks could make it work, the upside of a deal like that would likely outweigh the risk.
