Will Sharks Trade into Middle Rounds of 2020 NHL Draft?

Doug Wilson made it a point to get back into the first round.

During the Trade Deadline, he recouped the San Jose Sharks’ 2020 first-round pick, lost in the acquisition of Erik Karlsson last summer, by sending Barclay Goodrow and a third-round pick to Tampa Bay. Of course, he lost 28 spots in the Draft, but hindsight is easy.

Wilson, by the way, offered a staunch defense of Karlsson earlier today, telling San Jose Hockey Now: “You’re about to see Erik Karlsson be one of the dominant players in the game again.”

Wilson: “You’re about to see Erik Karlsson be one of the dominant players in the game again.”

Now, the San Jose Sharks will pick 31st (from Tampa Bay), 34th, 56th (from Colorado via Washington), 126th (from Ottawa), 127th, 201st (from Pittsburgh), 210th (from Washington) in the 2020 Draft. That’s one first-round pick, two second-round picks, two fifth-round picks, and two seventh-round picks.

So will Wilson try to trade into the third, fourth, or fifth rounds, or where he doesn’t have any picks, next week?

That crossed my mind when director of scouting Doug Wilson Jr. gushed about the depth of the 2020 Draft.

“Last year, we made five trades at the draft table to try to move around, based on the amount of guys we had on our list. Last year, we barely had 90 guys on our final draft list. This year, I think the final number was 131. We’re pretty excited about the draft depth of this season,” Wilson Jr. revealed. “For this draft, we’re looking at guys who could fall into the third, fourth, fifth rounds that in previous seasons would’ve gone earlier.”

Based on Wilson Jr.’s assertion, it also wouldn’t be surprisingly to see the San Jose Sharks move back during next week’s Draft. For example, No. 56 could easily be split into two higher middle-round picks.

The San Jose Sharks general manager signaled earlier today that his 2020 picks, in particular, would be prized next week.

“If I’m looking to acquire, for example a goaltender, I would prefer not to have to use picks from this year,” Wilson shared. “Would I listen to [an offer]? Absolutely. But this is a pretty good draft for what we’re looking for. Those picks are valued. Our first-round pick next year is valued. Somebody would have to knock my socks off to make me move around on that.”

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“A lot of teams have been calling to drop down. To [our] No. 31 and 34 picks. A lot of teams have been calling to move up,” Wilson Jr. added. “The market is just telling you we’re in a very good spot where we are.”

It’s probable too that the San Jose Sharks will be able to get guys from their draft list with their two fifth-round picks.

Wilson Jr. pointed out: “In my four drafts, this is the longest-ranked list that we’ve had.”