How Far Can The Sharks Trade Up?
One of the biggest questions for Mike Grier and the San Jose Sharks is whether they should trade up in this year's NHL Draft. With the Sharks scheduled to have the 14th overall pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Erik Karlsson trade, plenty of good players will be available, but how aggressive can Mike Grier get?
As of April 29 (before the draft lottery), the Sharks have eight picks in the 2024 draft that are scheduled to be:
1.01 1st overall
1.14 14th overall
2.01 33rd overall
2.10 42nd overall
3.21 85th overall
4.20 116th overall
5.03 131st overall
5.15 143rd overall
7.02 194th overall
How Much Ammo Do The Sharks Have?
Some of these picks will change based on how teams finish in the playoffs, but they give a good base for the draft capital the Sharks will have to work with. At the Sound of Hockey, the first pick is worth 1000 points, and the last pick in the draft is .10 points.
Based on these numbers, the Sharks would have:
1.01 1st overall = 1000
1.14 14th overall = 297.13
2.01 33rd overall = 126.90
2.10 42nd overall = 85.38
3.21 85th overall = 19.15
4.20 116th overall = 7.11
5.03 131st overall = 4.42
5.15 143rd overall = 3.66
7.02 194th overall = 1.41
Grand total = 1,545.16 points
If the Sharks wanted to move up, trading pick 14 (297.13) and pick 33 (126.90) would equal 424.03 points or the equivalent of the 7th overall pick. They could also trade picks 14 and 42 (85.38) to get 382.51 points or the 8th overall pick.
If Grier wanted to go all in with his picks, he could package 14, 33, and 42 for a whopping 509.41 points, putting him between the 4th and 5th pick in the draft. Since teams that trade down like to "win" the trade, let's call it the 5th pick.
Which Teams To Target?
The Sharks have the ammo to move up, but it takes two teams to trade. This is just a reminder of the draft lottery standings from Tankathon.
While trying to trade with the Montreal Canadiens at five would be enticing, they already have a late first from Winnipeg, so adding three more picks for a team in the same range for a team that needs more quality prospects may not make sense. Scott Malta of Locked on Canadiens politely declined the trade but did like the idea.
Arizona Coyotes/Utah insert name here have three second-round picks in the 2024 draft, so adding two more for a new owner who wants to start winning now is probably off the table, too.
The Ottawa Senators, coming off a very disappointing season, also have a late first-round pick that originally belonged to the Boston Bruins. This team needs to start winning now. Giving them a middle-of-the-first-round draft pick allows them to potentially flip it for a veteran player who can help them win now while still adding the 33rd overall pick. It's also easier to swallow trading a mid-first-round pick than a top-10 pick on a veteran player.
The Seattle Kraken, at eight, are in an intriguing spot. They exceeded expectations in year two of the franchise and then had a dip in year three that led to the firing of their head coach. Are they trying to build for the long haul or want to succeed early? They added the New York Rangers second-round pick, but could they also be looking to add more ammo at the top of the first round if they want to move down a few slots?
The Calgary Flames have decided to at least soft reboot the machine and added a first-round pick from the Vancouver Canucks as well as a second-round pick from the Dallas Stars at the trade deadline. While adding more pieces might be intriguing, the idea of bringing Tij Ignila home might be too good to pass up.
For the Sharks to try and trade up, the Ottawa Senators would probably be the place to start the search, especially if the Sharks want to try and land a certain defenseman from the University of Denver.