The San Jose Sharks are one of the most exciting teams in the NHL, but their offensively talented youth movement hasn't translated to many wins, which is why they still have one or two more years of selling at the trade deadline and pursuing top draft picks. The Sharks currently sit near the bottom of the league with a 2-6-2 record, and rumors are already starting to swirl about trading some of their veterans.
“Alex Wennberg is going to be many teams' plan B or C leading up to trade deadline or maybe even earlier,” said a Western Conference source, via RG. “He's holding down the Sharks' second line quite well, and a team looking for middle-six depth down the middle, and boy, there's going to be many who will covet his skillset.”
The center market is going to get some of these teams some great returns at this year's trade deadline. There will be a bidding war of teams who want to upgrade their middle-six centers for the playoff push, and Wennberg is starting to look like one of the top candidates. It's the reason why there are also rumors circulating about Nazem Kadri and the Calgary Flames, as well as Pavel Zacha and the Boston Bruins.
The Sharks have a very young team, and trading Wennberg would open the door for last year's first-round pick, Michael Misa, to get some more ice time. While it isn't easy for San Jose to get wins against veteran teams when they have such a young core, the experience Misa would get playing in the top-six for the remainder of the season would be invaluable.
“My only question about Wennberg is: ‘Do the Sharks try to move him out earlier to give Michael Misa top-six minutes sooner?'”, added the source.
The Sharks might be able to find a team looking to jump out in front of their rivals and grab Wennberg early. Historically, players joining contending teams have performed better when they receive an extra few weeks or months to become comfortable with their surroundings. While it may detract from some of the drama of trade deadline day, this might be a year where teams opt for the early road instead of waiting until the last minute.
