San Jose Sharks: Who GM Doug Wilson Should Acquire Before the Trade Deadline

As we head into the NHL All-Star break, the San Jose Sharks are stumbling towards the finish line.

They have lost two of their last three. They clearly are missing some of their key players. Martin Havlat, Ryane Clowe and Brent Burns are all out with injuries—with Clowe and Burns expected to be back after the break. Havlat will be out for 6-8 weeks, hopefully in time for the playoffs.

Let's Make a Deal

So, why not make a trade?

The trade deadline is approaching in a little more than a month and the Sharks could use some help. They currently sit in third place in the Western Conference, but are tied with the L.A. Kings for the division lead. The teams in fourth to sixth place (St. Louis, Chicago and Nashville) all have more points than the Sharks.

Plus, General Manager Doug Wilson has had a history of making trade deadline deals. He has shown that he is not afraid to pull the trigger.

Who Should They Get?

With Martin Havlat out for, perhaps the remainder of the season, the most plausible choice would be to trade for a top-six forward. This seems to be their biggest problem, since Coach Todd McClellan has had third or fourth-line players Brad Winchester and Andrew Desjardins playing on the top-two lines.

What Players are Available?

According to TSN's Insider Trading segment and ESPN's Pierre LeBrun, here are the list of forwards on the trade market, along with their contract expiration date and current stats:

Player	Team	Contract Expires	2011-2012 Stats
Jeff Carter	Columbus Blue Jackets	2022	10 G 7 A
Mikhail Grabovski	Toronto Maple Leafs	2012	15 G 13 A
Ales Hemsky	Edmonton Oilers	2012	4 G 13 A
Tuomo Ruutu	Carolina Hurricanes	2012	15 G 11 A
Derek Roy	Buffalo Sabres	2013	9 G 16 A
James van Riemsdyk	Philadelphia Flyers	2019	11 G 11 A
Ray Whitney	Phoenix Coyotes	2012	15 G 26 A
Brad Boyes	Buffalo Sabres	2012	3 G 8 A
Drew Stafford	Buffalo Sabres	2012	8 G 15 A
Vaclav Prospal	Columbus Blue Jackets	2012	9 G 21 A
Antoine Vermette	Columbus Blue Jackets	2015	6 G 14 A
Kristian Huselius	Columbus Blue Jackets	2012	0 G 0 A (2 Games)
Jason Blake	Anaheim Ducks	2012	4 G 4 A

So let's use the process of elimination to narrow down the Sharks' possible trade acquisitions.

The Sharks have had a history of acquiring players at the deadline who are in their contract year, only to have them sign with a different team when the season is over (think Brian Campbell, Travis Moen, Bill Guerin).

Thus, all of the players listed above whose contracts expire in 2012 can be eliminated from Wilson's list of preferred trade targets,

This leaves just four players: Jeff Carter, Derek Roy, James van Riemsdyk and Antoine Vermette. Of these four players, only van Riemsdyk's team—the Philadelphia Flyers—is in the playoffs. Carter and Vermette play for the Columbus Blue Jackets, which is the worst team in the NHL. Finally, not to be outdone, Derek Roy's Buffalo Sabres are tied for the worst point total in the East. 

The Blue Jackets and Sabres should be looking to "rebuild" their roster, since they have a feeble chance of making the playoffs.

Thus, most plausible options would be to acquire either Carter, Vermette or Roy. However, Carter has just gone down with a separated shoulder and has been listed as week-to-week.

So unless Carter has healed by next month, the Sharks will not acquire him. Plus, with his monster contract (2022) any team trading for him would be taking a big risk.

That leaves Antoine Vermette and Derek Roy, two veterans who are top-six forwards that can contribute and help the Sharks. Vermette's contract expires in 2015, while Roy's expires in 2013. 

Who Should the Sharks Trade Away?

Goaltender Antero Niittymaki's name has been swirling around the rumor mill, considering he was just sent down to Worcester for "conditioning". It doesn't look like he will get any playing time at all this season, with Antti Niemi and Thomas Greiss playing great in goal for the Sharks.

Coupling Niittymaki with a young player and a draft pick or two might do the trick. Benn Ferriero, Jamie McGinn, Tommy Wingels, Jason Demers, Frazer McLaren and Justin Braun are all young players with plenty of potential that teams might want. 

So, what do you think?

Will the Sharks make a big deadline deal?

Or, will they stand pat and stick with their current roster?

Be sure to answer the poll and feel free to make any comments below.

Eric He is an NHL featured columnist and a syndicated writer for Bleacher Report.