The Shallow End: February 2020
2020-02-22
Sick and tired of deep dives? Have no fear, "The Shallow End" is a place for news around the San Jose Sharks organization, broken into points that are short and sweet.
Wheel of Trades Continues to Spin
After a massive roster shakeup last month, things had grown quiet on the trade front in San Jose over the last little while.
Of course, it was always going to be tough to maintain a spree that saw the team swing 6 deals over 13 days involving 17 players, 4 prospects, 3 draft picks, and nearly $11 million in cash.
Apparently the overhaul still isn't complete, however, as the Sharks dipped back into the trade waters again yesterday, shipping youngsters Jack Roslovic and Rem Pitlick to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Michal Kempny and farmhand Mike Vecchione.
No doubt Roslovic's inflated cap hit (a $3.715 million per year deal, secured as a UFA back in 2017) played a role in his departure from San Jose. And Kempny certainly looks the part of a defenseman who can fill the glaring need for an upgrade on the Sharks' third pair.
Nevertheless, it was yet another short-term move by a franchise that has suddenly lurched away from the patient rebuild strategy they had been preaching for over two years.
And while there can be no doubt that the team appears improved on paper, it remains to be seen if this change in mindset will prove wise for the decision-makers in San Jose.
Rumour Control
After so much action on the trade front, the Sharks have naturally become something of a magnet for rumours, with the latest whopper suggesting rookie sensation Quinn Hughes might be in play.
Sharks GM Kyle Phillips was quick to shoot down such speculation, though he did stop short of labeling the first-year defenseman as untradeable.
"Look, we have some really specific areas of need I'd like to address, and I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't consider all avenues for improving this club," said Phillips after the team arrived back in California for a six-game home stand.
"But I'm not in a rush to move on from a guy who has already proven he's a franchise defenseman.
"Never say never, but we'd be thrilled to have Quinn Hughes anchoring our blueline for the next decade."
Trouble in Paradise?
For the most part, it's been all roses on the ice for the San Jose Barracuda over the last two and a half seasons: 114 wins and counting; one Macgregor Kilpatrick trophy; back-to-back Calder cup championships; and a team that's currently sitting first overall in the AHL once again—there's not much room for improvement on a track record like that.
Unfortunately, there were rumblings last season that the SJSEE bigwigs were less than impressed with their farm club's flagging attendance numbers, and those rumblings have only intensified as income continues to slide.
Sources suggest that there has been a near-endless string of meetings, as marketing gurus search for a way to sell the AHL's premier franchise within its local market; as it stands, the Barracuda are currently the league's second-least profitable operation, and one of only four teams that has failed to net at least $1 million in revenue so far in 2019-20.
With those sort of numbers, there's growing concern among the team's loyal fanbase (such as it is) that the Barracuda's fifth anniversary season may also be its last in San Jose.