GM Wilson might make win-now deal
He could hunt for scoring forward in Cup quest
SAN JOSE >> Doug Wilson might take a different approach to the trade deadline this winter.
Over the last few years, the Sharks general manager has scoffed at the idea of pursuing high-profile rentals, insisting he would only look for deals that work “for now and into the future.” But with the Sharks in clear win-now mode, Wilson acknowledged on Tuesday night that he’s more inclined to add an impact player before the Feb. 25 trade deadline if his team needs an extra push down the stretch.
“The answer is probably yes,” Wilson said. “We do have a focus for this year.”
The shift in thinking can be traced back to last summer when the Sharks pursued John Tavares in unrestricted free agency, hoping to land a “difference maker” that could thrust the team back into the Stanley Cup conversation with the sun setting on the Joe Thornton-Patrick Marleau era. After the Sharks swung and missed, Wilson turned to plan B, executing a trade with the Ottawa Senators at the deadline to acquire Erik Karlsson, who’s recorded points in a franchise record 14 straight games.
The deal is putting pressure on the Sharks to get the job done this season. Karlsson is a pending unrestricted free agent and there’s no guarantee that he’s going to sign a contract to stay in teal when he becomes eligible for an extension after the deadline. As they say in Sharks terri-
tory, the time is nigh.
At this point, Wilson likes where the Sharks (2413-7 through Monday) are after a wishy-washy start. Still, he knows that there’s work to be done if the Sharks are finally going to bring the Stanley Cup to Silicon Valley this season. The next six or seven weeks will play a big role in determining whether he chases after another piece before the deadline.
“We have to get better,” Wilson said.
Though Wilson declined to go into the specifics of his shopping list, conventional wisdom suggests he’d pursue a scoring winger to bolster the team’s forward roster. Lukas Radil is giving the Sharks quality minutes on Logan Couture’s line, but is he the answer down the stretch and into the playoffs? Will Marcus Sorensen continue to perform at a top-six level? Can the forward group absorb an injury?
Prior to Radil’s emergence last month, the Sharks were looking awfully thin at forward. Exhibit A is Timo Meier’s three-game absence at the end of November that thrust Kevin Labanc into a top-six position. The Sharks went 0-21. Labanc turned the puck over often and committed a handful of minor penalties. If the Sharks need to play Labanc in a top role down the stretch, they’re in a trouble.
A few names that should be on the market this winter are pending-unrestricted free agents Wayne Simmonds, Ryan Dzingel and Matt Duchene.
If Wilson does go hunting for a scoring forward, he could have trouble scrapping together the assets to swing a deal. The Sharks gave up their 2019 first-round pick in the Evander Kane trade last winter and their 2020 first-round pick and 2019 second-round pick in the Karlsson deal.
Regardless, Wilson is confident that he’ll be able to make a deal if he decides to go that route. He pointed out that the Sharks are loaded with talent at the AHL level as the Barracuda rank second in the league in points percentage (.710). The Sharks also have intriguing prospects at the junior hockey and NCAA level.
Ryan Merkley leads all Ontario Hockey League defensemen in scoring with 44 points in 35 games. Sasha Chmelevski racked up six points in seven games for Team USA at the 2019 World Junior Championships and Ivan Chekhovich leads the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in goals and points (32, 68).
“We have assets,” Wilson said. “We have all these young players. Look at all the guys leading the junior leagues in scoring. People like those players.”
The biggest area of concern right now is still goaltending. After 44 games, the Sharks continue to rank 31st in even-strength save percentage, raising questions about whether the team has the elite netminding needed for success in the playoffs.
In 2016-17, Wilson made a deal for backup goalie James Reimer before the deadline to give his team an insurance policy against Martin Jones, who’d only logged 28:13 of postseason action at the time. If Wilson wanted to give himself another security blanket in the goal crease with Jones ranking 40th in save percentage, veterans Brian Elliott, Jimmy Howard and Michal Neuvirth could be available.
But Wilson expressed full confidence in his puck stoppers, dismissing the suggestion that it could be an area of concern for the Sharks as the season progresses.
The general manager is convinced that Jones and Dell’s numbers will go up as the team’s defense continues to improve.
“Look at their history,” he said. “We’ve seen Jones in the playoffs. He’s just getting into his prime.”