Wilson says there’s lots of buzz in NHL
SAN JOSE » Sharks general manager Doug Wilson expects this weekend’s NHL draft to be anything but routine.
Especially considering the amount of chatter that’s gone on between league executives over the past several weeks.
“There’s been more conversation, more communication between GMs in the last month, than maybe ever since I’ve been a GM,” said Wilson, who started his current job in 2003. “There’s parity in this league, so everybody’s looking for that bit of difference on their team.”
On the surface, at least, the time between this weekend’s draft in Vancouver and the start of free agency on July 1 has the makings as being one of the busiest and more unpredictable for the league in
recent memory.
The Sharks have their share of question marks, as well.
Will there be enough room under next season’s NHL salary cap for the Sharks to bring back — if they so choose — pending unrestricted free agent Joe Pavelski, who, as of Sunday, can begin to speak with other teams?
After the monster contract the Sharks handed to defenseman Erik Karlsson, might they be vulnerable to an offer sheet to one of their restricted free agents such as Timo Meier or Kevin Labanc, who, if not signed, can talk to other teams in their own right on Wednesday?
How many trades might there be? Will a bumper crop of high- end RFAs looking to get paid top dollar force teams into making deals to meet budgetary constraints?
Wilson said signing Karlsson when he did eliminated some of the uncertainty the Sharks might otherwise faced this weekend. But regardless, it figures to be a wild few days.
“It’s been a very active time with a lot of buzz, a lot of teams looking at the potential UFA players that could be available,” Wilson said. “But as they re-sign with their teams and come off the market, then you have teams moving quicker into potential trade discussions, or draft pick acquisitions.
“It’s just a very heightened time right now, as much or more so than any time since I’ve been general manager.”
The first round of the draft is today, starting at 5 p.m. Rounds two through seven take place Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.
Center Jack Hughes of the U.S. National Under-18 Team is expected to go first overall to the New Jersey Devils, and winger Kaapo Kakko of Finland is projected to be chosen second by the New York Rangers. As many as four Americans could be chosen in the top seven.
Right now, Wilson has five draft picks at his disposal, including the second rounder (41st overall) he picked up Tuesday when he dealt defenseman Justin Braun to the Philadelphia Flyers, a move that saved the Sharks $3.8 million in salary cap space.
The Sharks also have picks in the third round (91st overall), and fifth (153rd), sixth (184th) and seventh rounds (215th). They dealt their fourth round pick this season, and center Danny O’Regan, to Buffalo at the 2018 deadline for Evander Kane.
The conditional pick the Sabres received in that trade turned into a first rounder once Kane resigned with the Sharks last offseason. The Sharks also dealt their original 2019 second round pick, which would have been at No. 60, to the Detroit Red Wings this February for Gus Nyquist, who may also become an UFA on July 1.
The Sharks, as of now, also do not have first round pick next season, either. When they made the playoffs this year, the Sharks had to transfer that pick to the Senators as part of the blockbuster Karlsson trade.
The last time the Sharks didn’t have a first round pick was in 2016, when their initial selection of center Dylan Gambrell came at No. 60 in the second round. Since then, the Sharks have been able to stock their system with some later round picks that could pay off.
The Sharks chose forward Joachim Blichfeld in the seventh round in 2016, forwards Sasha Chmelevski and Ivan Chekhovich in the sixth and seventh rounds, respectively, in 2017 and goalie Zachary Emond in the sixth round last year.
This season, Blichfeld was the WHL’s Player of the Year, Chekhovich finished tied for 10th in CHL in points (105) and Emond went 24- 0-1, finished first among all QMJHL goaltenders in goals against average (1.73), save percentage (.932) and shutouts (seven).
“We’re not looking for any specific position. We’ve added players the last couple of years that were either goalies, defensemen or forwards,” Wilson said. “We’re looking for the best players that are available when we pick.”