San Jose Sharks: Breaking Down the TJ Galiardi Trade
Mar 23, 2013; St. Paul, MN, USA; San Jose Sharks forward T.J. Galiardi (21) against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Sharks 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Earlier today, San Jose Sharks’ forward T.J. Galiardi was traded to the Calgary Flames for a pick in next year’s draft, completing what was not one of general manager Doug Wilson’s best trades in recent memory. A little more info on that here.
What does the trade mean for the team as a whole? Well, a couple things. First and foremost, the Sharks realized Galiardi was just not a great fit for the team.
He seemed to not be able to find his spot with the team, whether it be on the bottom two lines or anywhere else. He did have a short span of success on the top line with Joe Thornton and Brent Burns, but apparently that was not a long-term option the team had in mind.
How do we know it was not about money? After all, he did file for arbitration last year.
For one, Galiardi signed a 1 year, $1.25 million dollar contract soon after being traded to the Flames. This means he could have been had for cheap if the Sharks did want him. Perhaps Galiardi was willing to take a hometown discount (since Calgary was his hometown) and not offer one to the Sharks.
It could be possible considering he was given an opportunity by Doug Wilson to choose his favorite of all the interested parties, as was tweeted by Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group.
Galiardi said “For me, it was a no brainer in Calgary. I wanted to play there my whole life and I always figured I would eventually.”
Second, based on the trade, it seems the Sharks are pretty content with their forwards considering they just traded one. It makes sense too, after just recently acquiring Tyler Kennedy. That plus Thomas Hertl, last year’s first round pick, is going to get a shot to make the team this year. Also, this must mean San Jose is content with keeping Burns up front as well, and rightfully so after his success there.
Now the Sharks, who are limited in cap room, are faced with the task of filling out their roster. With just about $2.64 million dollars left in cap space, according to Capgeek, Doug Wilson will most likely keeping his moves low-key. Then again, with him, who knows. Both Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau both have contracts which are set to expire at the end of the upcoming season.