Countdown to the NHL trade deadline

The 29th day of February is significant as the extra day in a leap year and the last day NHL teams can trade players. The biggest day of movement for players and one many dread. Who will get that phone call?





One of the big deals has already been done. Dion Phaneuf left the Toronto Maple Leafs in a huge nine-player deal which sent him to the Ottawa Senators. The terms include sending Forwards Matt Frattin, Casey Bailey and Ryan Rupert and defenseman Cody Donaghey with Phaneuf to the Senators for defenseman Jared Cowen, plus forwards Colin Greening, Milan Michalek and Tobias Lindberg. The Maple Leafs also pick up a second-round pick in the 2017 draft.


What will Doug Wilson do for the San Jose Sharks this time?  Let's first take a look at the team's standings. All stats are fluid and change daily. These numbers are based on games prior to Friday, February 19th. Any of the Friday games will alter the stats and standings.


San Jose ranks #7 in goals scored (163). The Sharks are #13 in goals allowed (GA) with 147. Special teams are import. San Jose is #4 on the power play at 22.2% scoring 43 PP goals. When short-handed, the Sharks rank at #15, with a penalty-kill of 80.8 %, allowing 32 goals. In terms of shits taken, they rank #21 with 1,690 shots. On the opposite end, San Jose has made their goalies face a mere 1,548 shots, which ranks them at third place. They stand in 10th place overall, third in the Pacific Conference.


So what does the team need to be successful?


A strong back-up goalie be stand-in for Jones. Scoring is always a concern. When Logan Couture went down early in the season with a broken leg, the team suffered. What would happen should they loose Pavelski or Burns? We've already seen the impact of losing Vlasic to injury during a play-off run.


Who should they get rid of (other than the GM)?


Rafii Torres and Alex Stalock head my list. Raffi has been nothing but trouble since he was signed. Stalock hasn't been the best fit as a back-up goalie. Barclay Goodrow, Nikolay Goldrobin, Matt Tennyson, or Melker Karlsson are value trades.


San Jose is the only California team to not hoist the Cup. We, the San Jose Sharks fans, are getting impatient. It is TIME to get serious about sealing the holes.


We want the CUP in San Jose!


Go Sharks!!






the Hockey Writer's trade tracker


http://thehockeywriters.com/2016-nhl-trade-deadline-deal-tracker/


for a complete list of San Jose's restricted and unrestricted free agents, go to:


http://www.spotrac.com/nhl/free-agents/san-jose-sharks/