More moves coming after Nieto trade? Sharks react to team moves
A day after popular teammate Matt Nieto was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, the Sharks resumed practice Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina, not sure if more moves might be on the horizon.
“I have no idea,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said. “You take it day by day. If you play pro sports, you know that changes happen. You can’t sit around and wait for things to happen.”
Nieto and defenseman Ryan Merkley, the Sharks’ 2018 first-round draft pick, were sent to the Avalanche on Wednesday for defenseman Jacob MacDonald and forward Martin Kaut, another firstround pick who was chosen five spots ahead of Merkley in 2018.
MacDonald was expected to arrive in North Carolina on Thursday afternoon and will be available to play Friday when the Sharks face Brent Burns and the Hurricanes in their nextto-last game of a fivegame road trip.
Kaut will report to the Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, that plays in Henderson, Nevada on Friday night.
While Merkley and Kaut could each use a change of scenery, it’s unclear why Nieto had to be moved more than five weeks ahead of the March 3 NHL trade deadline.
Perhaps it signals that Sharks general manager Mike Grier won’t hesitate to make a trade well ahead of time.
The Sharks have other pending unrestricted free agents in forward Nick Bonino and goalie James Reimer, both with modest salary cap hits, who could be traded for draft picks or prospects. Winger Timo Meier, too, will be one of the NHL’s most sought-after players prior to the deadline.
Asked if he feels there’s a sense among Sharks players that more trades might be coming, coach David Quinn said, “I think every team in the league is going through that.
“Whether you’re thinking about adding players or subtracting players, it’s that time of year. It’s the National Hockey League. It’s pro sports. When you get closer to a trade deadline, every team is in a situation where they’re going to be some changes. So I don’t think we’re any different than every team in the league from that end of it.”
Couture said Nieto, who played in Colorado from 2016 to 2020, was upbeat about the move. While the Sharks (14-2510) are well out of a playoff spot, the Avalanche (26-17-3) had won six straight games before Thursday to move into third place in the Central Division.
This year Nieto had 15 points in 45 games and averaged 15:39 in ice time.
“Just seeing him (Wednesday) night, you could feel a sense of energy that he felt,” Couture said. “He’s probably upset to be leaving the guys because I think he’s got some really close friends on his team. But at the same time, you could just feel the excitement that he had to go to have a chance to win.
“Ultimately, that’s why we play the game. So in that sense, I’m happy for him.”
Quinn on Merkley: Merkley and Kaut could be aptly described as two players who needed a change of scenery.
Merkley, 22, now in his third full season as a professional, did not have a strong training camp in September and was sent down to the Barracuda before the Sharks left for Europe. On Dec. 27, Merkley was benched for two periods in a game against Bakersfield and requested a trade shortly after. His last game with the team was Dec. 31.