San Jose Sharks
On paper, the Sharks have enough depth at center to make a deep playoff run. Veterans Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Joe Thornton are all returning, and the team has a few of their top prospects waiting in the wings for some ice time at the pivot.
But we all know that the team is going to go all in again while their core is still in tact this season. After all, this team has been the model of consistency over the last 15 years now that the Red Wings’ empire has fallen. General manager Doug Wilson has never been gun-shy about making a big trade-deadline move either.
But while the Sharks have that aforementioned depth, one of those key pieces (Joe Thornton) has torn his ACL and MCL in each of the last two seasons. At age 39, nobody knows how those old legs will hold up. And while the team has plenty of other players who have played center in the past, most of them are primarily left or right wings.
The Sharks don’t have their 2018 first round pick, but they have two second round picks to work with. Would a second round pick for Vladislav Namestnikov get the job done for both sides? I think it could work on a market where so many teams hesitate to sell.