The madness known as the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline is now behind us, and besides the re-signing of Tomas Hertl last week, a few trades involving the Sharks took place on trade deadline day. I felt it was best to wait until the deadline has passed and all trades were finalized, allowing me to summarize the ones involving the Sharks in one post. Without further ado, let's begin:
The first trade of deadline day involving the Sharks sent defenseman Jake Middleton to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for goalie Kaapo Kahkonen and a 2022 5th-round pick. This move adds Kahkonen to the Sharks' goalie tandem with James Reimer while Adin Hill is currently injured and sends Zach Sawchenko down to the Barracuda. As for Middzy, at least a handful of teams were inquiring about him, and the Sharks eventually swung on a deal that they couldn't refuse. Both Middleton and Kahkonen are set to become restricted free agents this offseason.
Jake Middleton has recorded three goals and six assists in 45 games this season and has been known to drop the gloves in games sometimes. He has been a solid defenseman for the Sharks this season and will be missed. In addition, trading away Jake Middleton has allowed the Sharks to activate Radim Simek off of the injured reserve and clear a roster spot for him. On the other hand, Kaapo Kahkonen has a 12-8-3 record with a 2.87 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 23 starts in 25 games with the Wild this season. In total, Kahkonen has a 31-17-4 record with a 2.89 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and two shutouts in 51 starts in 54 games in his NHL career. He is looking to join the Sharks in their next game in Calgary against the Flames on Tuesday.
The next Sharks trade of deadline day saw forward Nick Merkley dealt to the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Anthony Bitetto. This is nothing more than a depth move, as Team Teal bolsters its blue line with a veteran d-man and moves a rarely-used forward (at the NHL level) in return. Nick Merkley has recorded one goal and two assists for three points in nine NHL games with the Sharks this season, along with 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points in 43 AHL games with the Barracuda. As for Bitetto, he has recorded four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 39 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL this season. In total, Bitetto has three goals and 28 assists for 31 points along with 142 penalty minutes in 197 NHL games with the Predators, Wild, Jets, and Rangers.
The third Sharks trade of deadline day was another depth move, in which forward Andrew Cogliano was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2024 5th-round pick. San Jose signed Cogliano to a one-year deal before the start of this season, and he was more than likely going to leave in free agency this offseason, so it was better to trade him to a contender and get something in return rather than lose him for nothing. Cogs has scored four goals and 11 assists in 56 games with the Sharks this season.
Last but not least, the Sharks dealt goalie Alexei Melnichuk to the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Antoine Morand. Melnichuk was a promising goaltending prospect in the Sharks organization, but was the odd goalie out after San Jose acquired Kaapo Kahkonen before this deal took place and has been unable to find his groove ever since he was first called up to the Sharks towards the end of last season. Morand has recorded ten points and 21 penalty minutes in 44 AHL games with Syracuse Crunch this season, bringing his career point total to 44 in 138 AHL games.
In all, considering the current state of the Sharks and their low odds of making the playoffs this season, I am okay with the trades that the Sharks made before this year's deadline, even though many Sharks fans would have preferred to keep Jake Middleton around. Hopefully the rest of this season and this offseason set the Sharks up very well to get back to contending for the playoffs next season.
Sources: NHL App, Sharks + SAP Center App
Photos featured in this post were from my most recent NHL game between the Sharks and Ducks in Anaheim on February 22.
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