The Sharks traded two prospects for two more players with Stanley Cup experience by making a rare Pacific Division swap by landing Travis Moen and Kent Huskins from the Ducks.

I like it. Travis Moen is exactly the type of player I wanted the Sharks to add. He kills penalties and is a general pain in the ass to play against. I hated him on the Ducks. It’s gonna be great to see him in Teal and he should look good on the 3rd line. Huskins is here for depth and is a general upgrade over Frankenstein. He’s won a cup, was a +22 in 76 games last year for the Ducks and is another “Luko” type guy.

The price. College player, Nick Bonino, former 6th round pick and ranked #15 by Hockey Future.com in the Sharks system and goaltender Timo Pielmeier, the fifth rated goalie in the Sharks system. It’s hard to pass judgement on guys we haven’t seen in person – but it certainly doesn’t appear to have damaged the core of the San Jose minor league depth.

And….as I PREDICTED on the podcast – Kyle McLaren was traded to the Flyers. Thank you very much to all those who laughed in my general direction.

More detailed comments on this deal and all the trades made in the NHL on our new podcast tomorrow!

Not that I mean to blast Goc (exactly), but when you’re missing a 9-point scorer in the lineup, you have some problems.  The Worchester Sharks lost to the Stars last night in a fairly embarrassing fashion.  Other than Jumbo, Patty, Boucher, and maybe a couple others, it looked a lot like a minor league effort.

Now knowing that JR and Grier will likely be out the rest of the regular season, the Sharks will have some serious holes for the next few weeks.  And if last night is any indication, Staubitz and Kaspar are not up to the job of filling in.  If I were Doug Wilson, I’d fly to Worchester and throw the gauntlet down in the locker room over there.  “We have a job opening, and we’re looking for someone to fill it.  It might be one of you, or it might not.  But there’s an opportunity for one of you to seize it.”  Then get a standing Boston-to-SJ plane ticket, and try out some guys.  Vesce.  T.J. Fox.  Steven Zalewski.  For God’s sake, suit up Roy Somner if you have to.

Watching TSN trade coverage very early in the morning, the only thing I’ve heard about the Sharks is that Brian Murray of the Senators has a deal in place with the Sharks for Chris Neil, but the Senators are still negotiating with Neil about a contract extension.  I like the idea of having Neil on the team (depending on what the Sharks send in return, of course), but make no mistake, he will not solve the production problems the Sharks are having on the third line.  Pop quiz: who has more points right now, Goc or Neil?  The answer is the aformentioned 9 pointer Goc.

With the BJs trading goalie Pascal Leclaire and a 2nd rounter to Ottawa for Antoine Vermette, it’s shaping up to be a pretty interesting day.  More to come.

Some Sharks rumors swirling around yesterday.

CHEECHOO TO PITTSBURGH
While this makes sense in a way for the Penguins, what are they offering in return. San Jose isn’t in the charity business right now. I’m not sure what the Pens have to offer that makes the Sharks better TODAY.

Mike’s take

Pittsburgh just waived Satan, so something is in the works.  Unless Goligoski or Letang are in the conversation, no thanks.  Of course that would make the deal even bigger, and I think the Sharks shouldn’t make a blockbuster deal at this point.

PRONGER TO SAN JOSE
Not a chance in hell the Ducks trade Pronger within their own division. End of story. Unless the Ducks were able to take DW to the cleaners (Michalek, Ehrhoff and Couture for Pronger) then they would pull the trigger. DW would never do that kind of deal in division. No Pronger in Teal.

Mike’s take:

Reportedly, the Blues would have to give up David Perron, as well as other players and a first round pick.  Translate that to the Sharks, and the Ducks would want Vlasic at least, and a first round pick in 2089, or whenever the Sharks have their next one.  They’ve traded a few of those away lately (see Boyle, Guerin, and Campbell).

All that aside, bringing Pronger to San Jose would screw the Sharks cap number for the forseeable future.  The last thing the Sharks need is another $6M man, with Marleau, Thornton, and Boyle all topping that figure now. With one more year on Pronger’s deal, say goodbye to Ryane Clowe- the Sharks can no longer afford him.  Oh, and Rob Blake too.  And after the 2010 season?  Likely only three defensemen under contract, with Marleau unrestricted.

With Boyle clearly taking the top spot in the blueline core, good young D under contract for years, gaining an aging high-priced defenseman would be a recipe for future disaster.

SMYTH TO SAN JOSE
With a cap hit of $6.25M over the next three years, how is this even possible? The reported Sharks scout at last nights Isles/Avs game might not have been there for a big fish like Smyth. Perhaps he was scouting Ian Laperierre? While Smyth would look great on the Sharks PP in front of the net, SJ can’t absorb his mega-deal.

Mike’s take

Refer to above about $6M contracts.  Smyth is underperforming, and with McLellan’s system enticing Joe and Clowe to stand in front of the net more, Smyth is even less valuable to the Sharks than he was last year.

12:15 PM: MAJOR UPDATE THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
Bob McKenzie is reporting that Grier and JR are both out 4-6 weeks. I think this changes everything for the next 24 hours as the Sharks will need to add at least one player to offset these two major veterans. Oh man….this is not good news.

Who wouldn’t want to be the GM of a major league sports franchise? Well, this is my chance to play GM in one sentence of all NHL teams as the deadline approaches. Let me know what you think. I’ve listed them by division, in the current place they are as of today.

Before I get started, looks like Steve Ott is out for tomorrow night, awaiting suspension. I think we kill Dallas tomorrow, like a 5-0 laugher. That’s it on that.

ATLANTIC DIVISION
New Jersey – Not Lou’s style to make a big move – so despite rumors, Devils stand pat.
Philadelphia – They get goalie they desperately need, Lehtonen or, if they sell, Backstrom from Wild.
NY Rangers – Coaching change will bring makeover, Avery claimed and perhaps Roszival.
Pittsburgh – Some defensive depth to offset losing Whitney, like Kostinen or Zanon from Nash.
NY Islanders – Poor Bill Guerin. I hope he likes re-runs of People’s Court while he sits and waits.

NORTHEAST
Boston – I think the Kaberle rumors could be true.
Montreal – Hot streak means Gainey will stand pat, like usual.
Buffalo – When have they ever bought at the deadline? Um…never. Connolly and Kotalik gone.
Toronto- Like the Costco of Hockey – Kaberle, Antropov, Ron Wilson’s prostate all available.
Ottawa – If they were smart, and they’re not, I would trade Spezza to LA for Johnson and Bernier.

SOUTHEAST
Washington – Add a second line to Russian collection (Antropov) and someone like Derek Morris.
Florida – Nothing. They keep Bouwmeester and take their chances.
Carolina – Something that makes us go….WHAT? If they think they’re contenders, they’re high.
Tampa Bay – Recchi, Roberts, anyone and everything – but they’ll find a way to get zero return.
Atlanta – Trading UFA’s like Havelid and should give up on Lehtonen.

CENTRAL
Detroit – Last two years they have added, they will again – perhaps Shark killer Pahlsson?
Chicago – They land Jokinen for Cam Barker + prospect – big spending continues.
Columbus – A minor tweak, of if Scott Gomez is really available, could these two teams deal again?
Nashville – Sell. Sell. Sell. Get some scoring help and peddle some D and Dan “bust” Ellis.
St. Louis – Won’t be able to pull the trigger on giving up prized prospects.

NORTHWEST
Calgary – They add someone like Ian Laperierre.
Vancouver – They are the team crazy enough to take the chance on Gaborik.
Edmonton – Sell Cole and anyone else, Lowe can’t really think they are going anywhere.
Minnesota – Finally folding the tent on Backstrom and Gaborik for the face lift they need badly.
Colorado – They need a massive do-over and could be the biggest sellers, other than Toronto.

PACIFIC
San Jose – With talk of Mitchell returning, I’m back to thinking nothing, except maybe Chris Neil.
Anaheim – They should really sell, sell, sell – adding Whitney was a good start to a reboot.
Dallas – Give up already and sell you losers.
Los Angeles – Lombardi is going to make a big move here, he’s been waiting for this.
Phoenix – No one will take Jovo’s deal, so Jokinen and Morris move here – perhaps Klee too.

Thoughts?

Against Montreal, the Sharks decided that coming out flying wasn’t enough.  They wanted to set up some big obstacles for themselves. So they coughed up three goals in less than seven minutes, and went back to work.  Too bad it didn’t turn out the way they wanted- they more than doubled the Habs shots, out-hit them, won more faceoffs, and dictated play for the last forty minutes, and ended up with no points.  Montreal was content to lay back, clog the neutral zone, and sit on their three mostly easy goals, and it worked.  The blue-blanc-et-rouge combined for only 11 shots the second two periods, and it was enough for the win.

Three things:

• I’m glad to see Boucher got the start, but I have a tough time believing Nabby would have given up the second goal, and maybe even the third.  Boucher, while a very good backup, showed a few times why he’s a backup in the NHL, and not a starter.
• I’m not going to go on a anti-ref rant here, but let’s just say if the Sharks’ opponents were wearing blank jerseys, I might still have guessed we were watching Hockey Night in Canada.
• Is it just me, or was it the Shelley-Laraque fight that turned the tide in the first?  The Sharks are killing it the first 7 minutes, the fight happens, and three minutes later Montreal starts scoring goals.  I actually winced when I saw the gloves dropped, because fights, despite all the controversy, do have the potential to shift momentum.  Shelley showed up, but Laraque is one of the best two or three fighters in the game, and big Georges gave more than he got.

It’s something that Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda never mentioned on the telecast, and I’m going to ask Randy about it tonight.  He’s appearing on ChompTalk, the only Sharks call-in show on the airwaves.  Tune in tonight at 9pm PST at 1220kdow.com to listen.  And make sure to call in at 1-800-516-1220 with your Sharks questions and comments.