The San Jose Sharks must find a way to trade for Taylor Hall
With Taylor Hall all but officially on the market, the San Jose Sharks need to break the bank to gain a huge offensive spark.
With the recent firing of Peter DeBoer and a roster that has a goal differential of -26, it is safe to say the San Jose Sharks future looks bleak at the moment.
After a fantastic month of November, in which Martin Jones broke the record for wins by a Sharks goalie in a single month. Since then Jones has reverted back to his old state and is seemingly absent in net.
But Jones is not the only star to be blamed. Erik Karlsson has looked horrific in his own zone and has frankly become a defensive liability.
The Swedish All-Star just signed a massive contract extension worth $13 million AAV over the next eight years. His production has been nowhere near the value of this contract.
The offense has been equally disappointing as the Sharks rank 29th in scoring among all teams. Nowhere near where the team needs to be if they want to get back to the playoffs. Team Teal has been downright disappointing to start the season, nothing seems to be able to go right.
This is precisely why the Sharks need to break the bank for Taylor Hall — the 28-year old forward provides much-needed offense.
He would give depth to a thin Sharks roster looking for success. Hall is a magnificent passer and sets up his young New Jersey teammates with valuable opportunities at the net.
If he can play at that level in New Jersey, imagine what he could do with the talent in San Jose. Hall could complement the explosiveness of Evander Kane and Logan Couture to make for a much more productive offense.
The possibility of a Taylor Hall trade would come at a large cost as the asking price would require a star in return as well as an additional depth forward to replace Hall in Jersey.
In a hypothetical, crazy trade scenario, the Sharks could send Erik Karlsson and Kevin Labanc in exchange for Taylor Hall and P.K. Subban.
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Labanc is a valuable asset who really proved himself last postseason but is not affordable for the Sharks in the foreseeable future. The 24-year old is currently on a one year $1 million contract with the team.
A massive underpayment for his current value, considering that he could get $7-8 million AAV in the current market. Labanc will get this type of pay day next offseason and the Sharks will likely not be able to afford him.
As for Karlsson, the promising acquisition has not panned out in San Jose. The defenseman is extremely talented but has a style of play that does not complement his teammates.
Due to his large long term contract, moving on from Karlsson could help the Sharks with retaining a newly acquired Taylor Hall and many other expiring contracts.
In return for their efforts, the Sharks would acquire Taylor Hall, an electric forward that can fill the offensive void. Hall is on the final year of his contract with $6 million due this season, much cheaper than the price tag on Karlsson.
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His affordability is appealing, and should he not fit in with the Sharks the team can simply let him walk. However, if Hall fits in, and he very well could, the Sharks gain a valuable first-line forward and break the bank next offseason to retain him.
Another valuable piece that would be added as a result of this trade is P.K. Subban. The former Norris Trophy winner may not be the most ideal defenseman to add to the team. Subban is a calculated risk as he has shown significant decline over the last two seasons.
But if he can return to his old self that shined in Montreal and helped the Nashville Predators make a legitimate run at the cup in 2017, then he would be a huge addition for the Sharks.
The trade would be bold and fundamentally shake up the structure of the Sharks. But the team as it currently stands is not working, firing DeBoer will not change that.
Give interim coach Bob Boughner some new stars to work with and who knows where the San Jose Sharks could be two months from now.