San Jose Sharks: Breaking down the trade for defenseman Trevor Carrick

The San Jose Sharks have traded 23-year-old defenseman Kyle Wood to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for 25-year-old defenseman Trevor Carrick.

The San Jose Sharks have had a relatively quiet offseason making limited moves in free agency as the team was much more focused on retaining its core than adding to it.

The headlines have centered around the re-signing of Erik Karlsson, the departure of Joe Pavelski, and the new contracts given out to restricted free agents Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc.

But since those moves took place, little has happened in the world of Sharks hockey. However, the Sharks managed to put an end to their uneventful summer at least for the time being.

Last Tuesday it was announced that the team had traded away 23-year-old defenseman Kyle Wood to the Carolina Hurricanes. In return, the Sharks received 25-year-old defenseman Trevor Carrick.

On the surface, this is simply a swap of AHL defensemen.

Wood was acquired in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes last year that sent prospect Adam Helewka packing to the desert. The big-bodied Wood has yet to appear in an NHL game but quietly put together a solid season last year down with the Barracuda.

In 68 games played, Wood totaled 35 points and was a key member of the Barracuda’s blue-line. But given his lackluster skating and the fact that he had been surpassed by other young defensemen on the totem pole, his future with the Sharks appeared murky.

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The likes of Jacob Middleton, Nick DeSimone, and Mario Ferraro all seemed closer to a future with the Sharks than Wood making this move pretty unsurprising.

With Carrick, the Sharks are at least getting a player with prior NHL experience — albeit in limited fashion.

Carrick has played in a total of four NHL games throughout his career but has served as an integral piece of the Charlotte Checkers AHL roster over the past few seasons.

The 6-foot-2 left-hander has been an alternate captain for Charlotte in each of the last three seasons and was an important part of the Checkers’ Calder Cup-winning roster this past year.

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Where Carrick really shines in comparison to Wood is with his offensive game. The former fourth-round pick has totaled 44 and 47 points in each of his last two seasons and managed 12 points in 16 playoff games this past season.

On top of that, Carrick has been praised for his physicality and leadership by coaches and teammates alike. He is a hard-nosed player who is never one to shy away from potential contact.

The Sharks will likely be looking for Carrick to continue to serve that role with the Barracuda and help develop some of the younger defensemen down in the AHL.

If anything, they acquired a more offensively-gifted defenseman with actual NHL experience for an offensively-limited defenseman with no prior NHL experience. And while Wood may be two years younger, his path to the NHL seemed blocked for the time being.

Don’t expect to see Carrick up with the Sharks anytime soon barring a string of injuries to San Jose’s defensemen. But it is easy to see what the Sharks had in mind with this move.

If anything, perhaps a change of scenery could be for the best for both Wood and Carrick.