Grading the San Jose Sharks’ 2019 trade deadline deal
By Matthew Rios
Every NHL player is breathing a sigh of relief as the 2019 NHl trade deadline has passed. Here is my grade for how the San Jose Sharks did with their acquisition of Gustav Nyquist.
The 2019 NHL trade deadline has come and gone. The San Jose Sharks made one move at the deadline and it was a pretty good one.
Like every other deadline, the rumors were swirling for every NHL team. The Sharks were rumored to be in talks with the Anaheim Ducks regarding goalie Ryan Miller but then Miller said that he would like to stay in Orange County. Well the Sharks did come out with a player that will have a positive impact on the team.
Gustav Nyquist, now a San Jose Shark, was acquired from the Red Wings right after the Sharks finished beating them in Detroit. Nyquist scored a goal in the game against San Jose.
The 5-11, 184-pound right wing, has known no city other than Detroit in his career, being drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Draft by the Red Wings. He is now part of a team that will be in the playoffs when the regular season ends. In his career, he has 125 goals and 170 assists for a total of 295 points. He is on pace for a career high in points this season as he has 49 points in 62 games played.
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Nyquist will most likely play on the third line with Joe Thornton. He does have the potential to play on the second line with Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane. He is already with the team in Boston as the Sharks will play the Bruins on Tuesday evening to close out their four game road trip.
If Nyquist is able to continue the pace he has been on all season, he will make the Sharks even scarier as they now are even deeper. With this acquisition, the Sharks now have nine players with 40+ points and there are still 19 games to go until the regular season comes to an end. They also have 10 players in the double digits in goals.
The Sharks currently sit in second place of the Pacific Division only three points, behind the Calgary Flames for that important first place. Nyquist will make a huge impact in the playoffs as he adds the ability to roll all four lines and not have to worry about being outmatched. If you are a Sharks fan, you should be really excited about this trade and to see him in action when he makes his home debut later this week.
Now that the trade deadline has passed, I would give Doug Wilson and the Sharks a grade of B+.
I love the move Wilson made in bringing in Nyquist and adding more depth to the team. One move that I would have liked to have seen them make was bringing in a goalie to help the Sharks on that front. It was a not a move that had to be made as Martin Jones has the skills to take it up a notch. The Sharks after the deadline are a better team than they were before the deadline.
dark. Next. Sharks solidify forward position with Nyquist trade
Having said that, they are not a vastly improved team. I think this move will get them closer to being the best in the West but the Flames and Winnipeg Jets also got stronger. It is going to be an exciting end to the season.