The San Jose Sharks finished a deal with the Vancouver Canucks, trading two of their starting defensemen from last season, Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich, to Vancouver for two prospects, center Patrick White and defenseman Daniel Rahimi.
The move was made primarily for freeing up cap space, which San Jose saved $5 million of by completing this deal. Even GM Doug Wilson didn't hide the intentions, saying that he wanted to be able to take advantage of opportunities "down the road", also stating that the team wouldn't be "complete" until the NHL trade deadline in March.
With the move, the Sharks went from a 7-8 starting defenseman roster (with the 8th rotating between Worchester and San Jose depending on injuries) from the 2008-2009 season to a current 5 man starting D rotation going into the 2009-2010 season. Wilson said that he had high expectations for his younger defensemen, some of whom played last year in several NHL games, to step up during training camp and claim a spot on the starting roster, and that he wasn't going to "keep these guys off the team."
Ehrhoff was one of the most criticized Sharks throughout last season, primarily because he made noticeable mistakes in his own defensive zone as San Jose began their mid-season slump after the All-Star break. Ehrhoff was still considered to not have reached his potential yet, however, as he is still only 25 years old and was one of the top offensive defensemen in the roster before Dan Boyle and Rob Blake were signed last year.
The impact could also be greater, although not likely, due to the fact that Brad Lukowich was traded. In Dan Boyle's first season with the Sharks that ranked him 5th amongst point-earning defensemen and got him his first ticket to an All-Star game, Lukowich, who was also part of the deal between San Jose and Tampa Bay, was his primary skating partner throughout the regular season on 5-on-5 situations. They were also linemates during their time in Tampa Bay as well.
And of course the big question is, does this mean Wilson and the Senators are finally ready to pull the trigger on a Dany Heatley deal? I don't think so; the media was overhyping it and there wasn't anything stated that Wilson and the Senators were actually in serious trade talks. The whole basis of the Heatley rumors was that San Jose was one of the teams he personally wanted to become a part of and that it would make sense for him to join the Sharks' roster. It still does, and the deal could be played out, but as Wilson said, saving $5 million opens up opportunities, and I'm sure a top team like San Jose is always in the trade market, looking at every possible deal.
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