Can Sharks maximize trade haul for Meier?
What Labanc's future in San Jose could look like
San Jose Sharks coach David Quinn had a simple message for his group earlier this week after Jaycob Megna became the second veteran in two weeks, following Matt Nieto, to be traded to a playoff contender.
“It's that time of year, it's the hard part of pro sports, two guys that have had good years for us and are well-respected and wellliked in the locker room,” Quinn said. “Fortunately for us, most of our guys have been through trades — losing guys that they like a lot and respect as teammates.
“They're good players and we just have to keep moving forward.”
The next two months, particularly the next threeplus weeks before the March 3 NHL trade deadline, will likely be a transformative time for the Sharks organization. More veterans might get shipped out, while others might need to prove they can be a part of the long-term solution. Which younger players will likely get recalled?
After their 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sharks entered Wednesday in 28th place in the NHL standings with a 1625-11 record, with 30 games left to play.
Here are five questions the Sharks need to answer between now and the end of the regular season.
1. CAN THEY MAXIMIZE A RETURN FOR MEIER? >> Where will Timo Meier finish the season? Rumored destinations include New York (Rangers), New Jersey, Winnipeg, Toronto, Calgary, and Carolina. Don't rule out somewhere else entirely, or even staying in San Jose if no team meets general manager Mike Grier's asking price.
Meier, 26, now has 51 points in 52 games after his three-point performance against Tampa Bay.
New Jersey seems to make a lot of sense for Meier, both from a salary cap and personnel perspective. The Devils, it would appear, have the picks and/ or prospects the Sharks would want in return, plus the necessary cap space to get Meier locked up longterm.
But if a trade happens on or before March 3, Grier has to maximize his return. This is perhaps a one-time opportunity to reshape the Sharks and set the team up for long-term success. An underwhelming return could set the franchise back for years.
Look at what the Vancouver Canucks got in return recently from the New York Islanders for center Bo Horvat — and try to do better.
Bidding war? For the Sharks' sake, yes, please.
A 2023 first-round draft pick is an obvious first part (no protected picks). A bluechip prospect that might be Nhl-ready in a year or two would be the second part of the equation. What else? Put your best foot forward.
Yes, the $10 million qualifying offer Meier is due as a pending RFA could be a hurdle, but do teams want to add a 35-40 goal scorer or not?
Grier will reportedly allow teams to talk with Meier and his agent, Claude Lemieux, about an extension before a trade is officially consummated. That will help.
While pending unrestricted free agents James Reimer and Nick Bonino are also obvious candidates to get moved (Bonino has a five-team no-trade list, per Capfriendly), we'll see how aggressive Grier chooses to be with some other players who are signed through next season.
2. SHOULD THE SHARKS TRADE KARLSSON? >> Every NHL team would love to have Erik Karlsson, but how many have enough room to fit the two-time Norris Trophy winner under their respective salary caps? And how many of those teams would Karlsson want to play for right now?
That figures to be a pretty small list without some serious cap gymnastics before March 3.
What's in the Sharks' best interest? It's probably to hold onto Karlsson at least until the offseason when more suitors might be in the mix for his services and therefore bring a potentially better return.
3. WHAT DOES LABANC'S FUTURE HOLD? >> Tuesday marked the sixth time in the last eight games that Kevin Labanc has been a healthy scratch — something that has never happened to him before in his professional career.
After the Sharks' win Tuesday, a seventh scratch in nine games for Labanc for when San Jose plays Florida on Thursday isn't out of the question.
“He certainly doesn't like not playing, but he's handling it in the manner that I expected him to handle it, in a professional way,” Quinn said Tuesday morning, “and he's doing everything he can to get back in the lineup.”
But that lineup spot continues to be tenuous, at best. Labanc sat for four straight games from Jan. 16 to 22, returned to the lineup for two games, only to be scratched again for the Sharks' Jan. 28 game in Pittsburgh.
That's not ideal for a player with a $4.725 million cap hit for this season and next. The following few weeks will say a lot more about whether it makes sense for the Sharks to keep Labanc for the 20232024 season, or deal him elsewhere.
4. DO THE PROSPECTS GET A SHOT? >> The most likely time for some of the Sharks' top prospects to get a look in the NHL would be after the trade deadline when forwards like Meier and Bonino are potentially elsewhere and more lineup spots are available.
The first forwards to get called up figure to be William Eklund, Thomas Bordeleau, and newly acquired Martin Kaut. Eetu Makiniemi also figures to get promoted if Reimer is traded and Nikolai Knyzhov also has a good chance of being recalled if he plays well and remains healthy.
Still, the Barracuda is in a playoff chase, and if these players are recalled, it may only be for a short period of time. Without question, the Sharks' brass wants to see their AHL affiliate make the postseason, and might use the help of those prospects to get there.
5. CAN KAHKONEN FIND A RHYTHM, AND WHAT HAPPENS IF HE DOESN'T? >> Kaapo Kahkonen had something of a bounce-back month of January, going 3-2-1 with a .874 save percentage.
He followed that up with a stellar effort Tuesday, making 34 saves, including 15 in the third period.
Still, the overall picture hasn't been pretty. Kahkonen is 7-9-4 before Tuesday's game with a .874 save percentage that ranked 57th out of 58 NHL goalies who had played at least 15 games.
Kahkonen's lower-thanexpected numbers can't all be pinned on him, as the Sharks quite often haven't been the most defensively sound team this season. Kahkonen had a .912 save percentage last season and didn't suddenly forget how to play the position.
If Reimer is traded, Kahkonen figures to get the bulk of the work over the final two months. That will let the Sharks know what they really have in Kahkonen and how they might need to upgrade the position. Maybe that process has already started.