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Sharks must avoid trading draft picks to add depth next season

May 26, 2020, 3:30 PM ET [8 Comments]
Ben Shelley
San Jose Sharks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Follow me on Twitter: @BenShelley_20
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The San Jose Sharks are coming off an extremely disappointing season and the hope is that they’ll be able to get back into contention quickly.

Between Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, Evander Kane and Timo Meier up front, and Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson on the back end, San Jose has their share of stars. Kevin Labanc and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are solid pieces as well. The issue is that there’s a lack of depth after that, especially up front.

For many teams, it could be a fairly simple fix and by trading some mid-round picks to fill out the rest of their lineup, they could add the depth they’re lacking. However, trading picks over a long period of time isn’t sustainable and it's a major reason the Sharks are lacking depth right now.

In the last four years, the Sharks have been missing at least a first, second or third-round pick in each draft. Last year, the Sharks had two second-round picks but didn’t draft in either the first or third round, while in 2018, they had no second-round pick. Back in 2017, San Jose was missing a third-round pick and in 2016, the Sharks didn’t have either a first or third-round pick. All these missing picks start to add up and there’s a great chance if these picks were present, San Jose wouldn’t have a depth problem right now.

A key part of keeping a steady stream of depth comes from the draft. In the cap era, teams can only really afford to pay their top players, often being their top-six up front, top-four on defense and starting goalie. There will be dollars spent elsewhere too but generally, once a depth player starts producing well, but not necessarily well enough to replace someone else in a larger role, and then needs a new contract, the team often can’t afford to keep them. That’s where keeping those draft picks and developing prospects in a “next man up” style comes in handy.

The Sharks may be tempted to move picks in order to gain depth quickly and get back into contention right away but we’re at the point where the Sharks need to hold onto their picks and find depth another way. By keeping their picks in the coming years, hopefully in the near future, the Sharks will have a consistent cycle of prospects to fill out their roster.



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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted on the weekend):

How important do you think it is for the Sharks to hold onto their draft picks in the coming years?
Very important
Somewhat important
Not important

OTHER SHARKS ARTICLES FROM MAY

Sharks will reportedly sign goaltender Alexei Melnichuk
What would the Sharks do with a compliance buyout?
Reviewing this week's polls (May 3): Sharks Edition
Sharks sign Handemark and Melnichuk
Reviewing Doug Wilson's success with late-round draft picks
Sharks shouldn’t re-sign Melker Karlsson
Reviewing this week's polls (May 10): Sharks Edition
Sharks sign Ibragimov to entry-level contract
Sharks will have a hole in the lineup after trading Dillon
Kane’s game has reached new heights with Sharks
Reviewing last week's polls (May 20): Sharks Edition
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