You can harm your team if you don't get a sufficient return on the assets you trade and this was the case wth Burns. A 4th line Center, a 4th string goalie and a late 3rd round pick in exchange for a high caliber player and cap relief was gorossly insufficient and the cap retention retards the ability to build a team. At the very least, Kotchetkov should have come back to the Sharks..who have not been able to draft and deveop a #1 goalies ever since Warren Strelow died.
Hertl had to be re-signed because there was no one in the organization that was going to be able to replace him for years. Meier could have been re-signed had the Sharks traded lebanc to Montreal for Carey Price and utilize his LTIR relief for the 3 years and then you see Vlasics contract up and $8mm available for roster use. But they chose middling players again, which could retard any steps forward towards the playoffs. They sent Khnyzhov down and risk losing him as a UFA for not having enough games played..Why waste an asset for nothing when it is easily avoidable?
The good trades were bringing in Kunin for Leonard and signing Nico Sturm. I would be very hesitant to trade EK65 because there is no one even close to being ready as a #1D in the entire organization. Again, you could seriously retard any rebuild if you have lousy assets to do it with.
- hockeygm
Good points, though I'm not necessarily a big believer in the Leonard and a, what 3rd round pick (?) for Kunin. He's a decent 3rd line guy when healthy. I love the Sturm signing, but that so far has been about it.
I agree re Karlsson.... better to keep him (unless the return is exceptional).
And I am curious what we'll do with our 2nd and 3rd picks of the draft. Should be around #28 and roughly #34... I'm not sure if Hrabal or Gajan(?) would be worth taking a swing on...assuming one is available.
