Lowly Western Conference team in fire-sale mode ahead of NHL trade deadline

In an article from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, he indicates that the San Jose Sharks holding the status of a deadline seller could be a bit of an understatement. Pagnotta reports that San Jose general manager Mike Grier has the phone lines open and is well-positioned to complete a full-on fire sale by March 8.

Although some teams have reportedly been calling the Sharks in regard to Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, their contracts and injury status this season make a trade all the more unlikely. A bulk of San Jose’s movement should primarily come out of their second- and third-tier groups, such as Mario Ferraro, Anthony Duclair, Mikael Granlund, Mike Hoffman, Alexander Barabanov, Luke Kunin, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Kaapo Kahkonen, Kevin Labanc and Jan Rutta.

Outside of a few, most of these players may not command a large return individually but could net the Sharks a nice return in the bigger picture. With the bonus of being able to retain the salary of at least one outgoing player, San Jose’s cupboard for prospects and draft picks could very well expand considerably in the next 20 days.

As far as what the Sharks may be looking for in a return, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now wrote that the head coach of the team, David Quinn, is looking to add more size to the lineup. Depending on how aggressive the organization wants to be in realizing this desire from Quinn, there should be options available to them at the deadline.

Although an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, San Jose could look to poach defenseman Tyler Myers away from the Vancouver Canucks, who is tied for the tallest defenseman in the NHL this season. Unfortunately, Myers is the owner of a modified no-trade clause, and he may be unwilling to drop 30 spots in the standings for a change of scenery.

The available options certainly shrink on the offensive front, but there is one option that could entice the Sharks at this year’s deadline. Recently positioning themselves as a deadline buyer, the Detroit Red Wings could be willing to part with prospect Elmer Soderblom for the right return. Standing at the same height as Myers, the 22-year-old prospect has scored six goals and 19 points in 41 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.