Sheng Peng
What do Martin Kaut and Jacob MacDonald bring to the San Jose Sharks organization?
Yesterday, the Sharks acquired 2018 first-round pick Kaut and 29-year-old defenseman MacDonald from the Colorado Avalanche for 2018 first-round pick Ryan Merkley and veteran penalty killer Matt Nieto.
On the surface, it’s not much of a return for a former first-round pick and a 10-year NHL vet in Nieto.
But I spoke with an NHL scout from outside of the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche organizations who sees some promise with Kaut and NHL value in MacDonald.
First things first, you weren’t going to get a lot for either Merkley or Nieto.
And it’s not because the Sharks didn’t “showcase” Merkley in the NHL (or AHL for that matter), as some fans have suggested. Do you think, even if Merkley managed to have a nice weekend in the NHL, that would erase his by-and-large unexciting body of work from the minds of 31 other NHL organizations and their scouts? They see about the same thing that the San Jose organization sees.
So swapping one disappointing first-round pick for another makes sense. In fact, a San Jose Hockey Now source called it.
“He doesn’t have much value,” the NHL executive said. “He will get traded for a similarly-struggling former first-rounder.”
That’s all about perception, the exec shared. He agreed a fifth-rounder is appropriate value, but “it’s a bad look if they trade a first-rounder for a fifth”…
“Doubt anyone will give an actual pick if they could get him for free next season,” the exec noted, of Merkley’s contract situation.
As for Nieto, he’s having a nice season with eight goals in 45 games, mostly skating on the second line, but again, the league has seen what we’ve all seen over the last decade of his career: He’s probably best suited for a fourth line and his production this season is in large part because of an elevation in the line-up that isn’t happening on a deeper team.
You’re not likely to “trick” another GM into thinking the 30-year-old winger is suddenly top-six material, no matter what he’s done this season.
I do wonder why the San Jose Sharks didn’t wait it out, assuming such an offer would be available, for a draft pick, even a late one like a fifth-rounder for Nieto?
Unlike Merkley, Nieto can help you win this season, so you’d think an Andrew Cogliano-like offer – veteran penalty killer Cogliano netted the Sharks a fifth-rounder from the Avs at the Trade Deadline last season – could’ve been out there at some point.
Granted, Cogliano and Nieto aren’t the same player, and maybe such an offer wasn’t out there right now and wasn’t projected at the Trade Deadline.
Regardless, we can go back to a tale as old as time in sports: Don’t overrate your own players and prospects.
Anyway, the scout had this to say about Kaut.
“Kaut does some things well but nothing great. Still fairly young with third-line upside if he hits but don’t see it with him. Been productive at the AHL level, just not sure it will translate,” he said.
Why doesn’t the scout think that the 6-foot-2 Kaut, who has scored 24 goals in his last 56 AHL games over the last two seasons, will produce at the highest level for the San Jose Sharks?
“I don’t think Kaut is skilled enough for a top-six NHL role. And he does work, but he’s not hard or heavy enough for a bottom-six job. Kind of a tweener feel in that regard,” the scout offered. “That’s why it’s either third line or depth in my eyes.”
This scout likes MacDonald’s NHL prospects more, though more as legitimate NHL-caliber depth as opposed to being an everyday blueliner.
“I have some time for MacDonald for what he is. Depth that can give you games up when needed. Has ability with the puck at the AHL level, don’t see it show much up top,” he noted, of the defenseman who has rang up 68 goals in 271 AHL games, but just two in 76 NHL appearances. “He competes. Decent puck play. Just offense doesn’t translate.”