San Jose Sharks Make a Number of Deals at the Trade Deadline

Like a lot of clubs around the NHL, the trade deadline was a very busy time for the San Jose Sharks as they were wheeling and dealing at a furious pace.

The Arizona Coyotes claimed disappointing forward Tye McGinn off waivers from the Sharks. In a separate deal, San Jose traded forward Andrew Desjardins to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Ben Smith and a 2017 conditional seventh round draft pick. The Sharks also sent forward Tyler Kennedy to the New York Islanders for a 2016 conditional seventh round draft pick. And in one last bit of business, San Jose shipped forward Freddie Hamilton to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Karl Stollery.

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McGinn, traded for in the off-season by Sharks’ General Manager Doug Wilson, had a goal and four assists in 33 games for San Jose this season. Having acquired McGinn for a third round pick, and now giving up on him and letting him walk without any sort of compensation, doesn’t reflect well on Wilson’s evaluating skills and decision making.

Smith, 26, has five goals and four assists in 61 games for the Blackhawks this year. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound center is in his second full season in the NHL, but he has spent parts of five seasons with the Blackhawks. He has scored 23 goals and has added 13 helpers in 156 games with Chicago. He also has a grand total of four PIMs — for his career. He can play on the penalty kill and can eat up time on the ice, but will most likely fit in on San Jose’s third-line.

Desjardins, is in the middle of his fourth full NHL season, and fifth overall, all with the Sharks. He has five goals and three assists in 56 games so far this season. His 50 PIMs in that time is second only to Brent Burns on the team. In 272 career NHL games, Desjardins has 48 points (15g, 33a) and 248 PIMs. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound center is 28 years-old and was signed as a free-agent by San Jose in the summer of 2010.

The Sharks continued their pending UFA purge by sending Kennedy to New York. The 28-year-old winger has four goals and five assists in 25 games this season. In his first season after being acquired from Pittsburgh for a second round pick, Kennedy tallied four goals and 13 assists in 67 games. Kennedy, 5-foot-11 and  185 pounds was a fourth round pick by the Penguins in 2004.

The return for Kennedy is a seventh round draft pick unless the Islanders win the Stanley Cup and plays in 50+ percent of the games weeks of the season, in which case it converts into a 2016 third round pick.

The Avalanche signed Stollery as a free agent in May of 2013, but he has played very sparingly with the club. The 26-year-old defenseman has played in seven NHL games and is a +4 with 4 PIMs. He has 14 points (5g, 9a) in 46 games for the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL. He also has 55 PIMs and is a -13. He played his collegiate hockey at Merrimack College where he tallied 83 points in 145 games.

Stollery will most likely report to the Worcester Sharks and finish the season there, perhaps eventually earning a call-up to San Jose.

Hamilton has played in 11 NHL games, all with San Jose. In that brief time period has has collected just 2 PIMs and was a -6. He spent most of this season with Worcester in the AHL, totaling 30 points (9g, 21a) in 52 games which ranked second on the team.

At the time of the trade, Hamilton was just one point away from reaching 100 career points with Worcester (44g, 55a) which ranks 13th all time.

Given the abundance of moves, and considering the return, the Sharks were definite sellers this season. But they still have a chance to win some games and compete for a playoff spot. The Calgary Flames helped the SHarks’ cause by essentially falling out of the postseason race after losing Norris Trophy candidate and captain Mark Giordano to injury and subsequently trading away a few key pieces.

Still, the Sharks playoff chances this season seem to be getting slimmer. If they really want to make a run at the playoffs, they’d better start getting a lot more wins than losses soon.

Next: James Sheppard Traded by San Jose Sharks to New York Rangers