Why trade Nieto, Megna weeks before deadline?
Emotions were mixed Monday for the Sharks as they resumed practice in Tampa, Florida after an eight-day break.
The Sharks seemed to be in a positive frame of mind after they got a chance to recharge over the last week. But on Sunday they also saw another popular veteran teammate traded to a playoff contender, with defenseman Jaycob Megna being sent to the Seattle Kraken for a conditional 2023 fourth-round draft pick.
“It's tough to see him go and obviously as a group, you're a little down because of that,” Sharks goalie James Reimer said of Megna. “But we've got a good group in here and the boys picked each other up. There's some added excitement and guys are a little more refreshed after the break.
“So the mood was as good as it could be considering.”
The Megna trade comes 12 days after Sharks general manager Mike Grier sent forward Matt Nieto, a pending unrestricted free agent, and defenseman Ryan Merkley to Colorado for defenseman/forward Jacob MacDonald and winger Martin Kaut.
The trades also come weeks before the March 3 deadline — a clear departure from past years.
The Sharks and several other NHL teams in recent seasons have completed most of their trades on deadline day or shortly before when that player's salary cap hit is as small as possible. Starting from 2019 to 2022, the Sharks have made 17 in-season trades, and all but four have come within a week of the trade deadline.
Last year, for instance, the Sharks made six in-season trades — and four came on the day of the deadline, March 21.
Grier and the new Sharks front office are doing things differently, of course, but the moves might also be an indication of how tight the playoff race is in the Western Conference.
Seattle entered Monday tied for first place in the Pacific Division, with six just points separating the top five teams. Colorado has been surging of late, but the Avalanche were still in fourth place in the Central Division at the all-star break, clinging to the west's second and final wild-card spot.
The Sharks entered Monday with the fifth-worst record in the league at 1525-11, and, let's be honest, didn't necessarily become a better team by trading two reliable veterans. The NHL team that finishes the season with the worst record will have the best chance of drafting center Connor Bedard, widely thought to be the best player to come through the draft since Connor McDavid in 2015.
“I think maybe teams are being more aggressive before the trade deadline to get players maybe they have targeted to help them sooner than for 20 to 25 games,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “Maybe they want them for 30 to 35 games. So maybe it's the teams that are looking to add that are a little bit more aggressive this time of year.”
Reimer can understand why some teams wait to make trades, and why others pounce when they have the opportunity.
“Sometimes you think most of what's going to happen is going to be right around the trade deadline because that's when teams really know what they need and what they're missing,” he said. “Maybe the price goes up, too, because teams are a little more, I don't know if it's desperate, but their need is greater.”
Reimer, also a pending UFA, will be another Sharks player to watch prior to the deadline.
Although he's had a down season statistically, with a save percentage (.895) that's dipped below .900 for the first time in his 13-year NHL career, Reimer can still be a reliable backup for any Stanley Cup contender.
“It's something you can't control and with things you can't control, you don't give it too much thought,” Reimer said. “All you try and focus on is playing hard to being a good teammate and giving it your all every day. That's really helped me.”