Sharks are at center of trade rumors at draft
Trade for Canadiens forward with Bay Area ties never materializes
DALLAS >> Just as the NHL draft appeared destined to come and go without any large-scale shakeups, the Sharks found themselves at the center of a major trade rumor.
As the second day of the draft started to wind down in Dallas on Saturday afternoon, rumors surfaced linking the Sharks to Montreal Canadiens star forward Max Pacioretty, who has strong family ties to the Bay Area. A deal never materialized. Among the trade rumor madness, news broke that Pacioretty had parted ways with his agent, Pat Brisson. Roughly 10 minutes later, famed hockey agent Alan Walsh announced via Twitter that Pacioretty is now a client of his firm, Octagon.
General manager Doug Wilson eventually punted on the opportunity to confirm or deny the rumors, arriving at the Sharks podium roughly 45 minutes after reporters were told to meet him there to discuss the team’s draft loot.
Did the Sharks have a deal on the table that fell through? Did Pacioretty use his no-move clause to kill the trade? Was the hoopla much ado about nothing?
“Any conversations I have with a GM is kept in confidence,” Wilson said. “I can’t talk about other teams’ players.”
The idea of a Sharks trade for Pacioretty isn’t that absurd when you take a quick glance at the tea
leaves. The Sharks traded Mikkel Boedker and bought out the final year of Paul Martin’s contract this week to give themselves an additional $7.2 million in cap space because they’re “looking for a difference-maker” this offseason.
New York Islanders superstar John Tavares sits atop the Sharks offseason wish list and they’re believed to be among the five teams slated to meet with him in Los Angeles during the NHL’s “listening period” this week.
But after the Islanders’ hiring of general manager Lou Lamoriello and head coach Barry Trotz in recent weeks, more and more hockey experts are convinced that there’s a good chance Tavares will remain in Brooklyn. Keep in mind, Steven Stamkos met with several teams, including the Sharks, during the listening period two years ago before
he eventually re-upped with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
As the Sharks prepare to make their pitch to Tavares, the door closed on a potential plan B Saturday morning. Ilya Kovalchuk signed a three-year contract worth $18.75 million with the Los Angeles Kings, ending the race to acquire the Russian free agent, who spent the last five seasons playing in the KHL.
The Sharks met with Kovalchuk earlier this month, but the price that the Kings paid to acquire his services proved to be too steep.
The Kings gave Kovalchuk a contract that’s identical to the deal that Patrick Marleau signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer. In the Marleau negotiations, the Sharks were wary about giving a third year to a 38-yearold player. It’s likely that they felt the same way about giving Kovalchuk,
35, a three-year deal.
With Kovalchuk off the table, and Tavares looking like a long shot, Pacioretty’s name is rising to the top of the list of players who could be available. Pacioretty, with one year remaining on his contract, was on the trading block throughout the winter last season.
His paternal grandmother, Theresa Pacioretty, lives in Santa Rosa, and his maternal grandmother, Guadaloupe Kolenda, lived in San Francisco for a large chunk of her life.
Another option if the Sharks fail to hook Tavares is Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner, whose name is also surfacing in trade discussions.
Before the Sharks got swallowed up in the Pacioretty hoopla, they traded the draft’s 114th and 145th picks to the Arizona Coyotes to move up and draft Swedish
forward Linus Karlsson with the 87th pick in the third round.
Karlsson is said to be a strong two-way forward with a high hockey IQ. He will play his hockey in Sweden next season.
• Wilson traded the 123rd and 139th picks to the Canadiens to draft forward Jasper Weatherby with the 102nd pick. Weatherby, 20, is a late bloomer who’s an incoming freshman at the University of North Dakota. The Washington native grew up rooting for the Sharks, attending the 2016 Stanley Cup Final in San Jose.
• The Sharks rounded out their draft by selecting goalie Zachary Edmond in the sixth round with the 176th pick and forward John Leonard with the 182nd pick.
“Our philosophy is always identify the guys you want to get and go get them,” Wilson said. “We got a mixture of different things and we feel pretty good about it.”