Sheng Peng
MONTREAL — The San Jose Sharks, despite their 8-13-4 record, have their share of excellent players, but they don’t have a lot of easily tradeable ones.
Blame the contracts – in a vacuum, any team in the NHL would love Erik Karlsson’s offensive derring-do on the blueline, Logan Couture’s dedicated two-way play up the middle, and Tomas Hertl’s ability to dominate down low in the offensive zone. Even Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who’s struggled in recent years, has re-emerged as a capable defensive stopper.
But there aren’t many franchises that can seriously consider taking on the remaining four years of Karlsson and Couture’s contracts or last seven seasons of Hertl’s newly-commenced max deal. That’s the reality of a hard $82.5 million dollar salary cap, especially when it comes to aging vets.
That said, the San Jose Sharks do have tradeable players, appealing both for their more appetizing contracts and on-ice contributions.
Let’s take a look at the five most tradeable Sharks.