Despite Start, Sharks Have Plenty Of Trade Candidates On Defense

Dmitry Orlov & John Klingberg, San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are 10-8-3 on the season and have been playing very well over the last few weeks as they are 7-2-1 in their past 10 games. While some are hopeful this can last, there is still a feeling that they just aren't there yet and the majority of the players on this current team won't be there for when they are actually good.

David Pagnotta said, "(The Sharks) have five defensemen...who are pending UFAs, all five of those guys are going to generate interest as the season moves along. It leads with Mario Ferraro, (John) Klingberg, (Nick) Leddy, (Timothy) Liljegren, (Vincent) Desharnais. The Sharks will listen."

The most valuable, but also the d-man who can help out the most moving forward, is Ferraro. He continues to be a top-4 defenseman for the Sharks despite all of the defensive additions, logging nearly 21 minutes per game and over 3.5 minutes per game on the penalty kill.

The Sharks have far too many defensemen not to make a move sooner rather than later. They missed the ball with making a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and instead, the team picked up Troy Stecher from the Edmonton Oilers. San Jose has nine defensemen on their roster. That's more than I have ever seen in a regular season game.

All five of the pending UFAs have played at least nine out of the 21 games, but Ferraro and Liljegren would be solid players to try to re-sign to mix in with the youth. Leddy, Desharnais, and Klingberg should go, whether it be via trade or free agency. Shakir Mukhamadullin, Sam Dickinson, and Vincent Iorio should be getting everyday reps or near that in the NHL this season, especially with what the young guys on the team have been able to accomplish. Expect something to happen in the short-term as holding nine defensemen just isn't a long-term plan.