Preview: Sharks & Canucks Deal, Now Play

The San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks are familiar foes and face each often with both teams in the Pacific Division. The familiarity got a bit more real yesterday when the Sharks shipped Nikolay Goldobin and a conditional fourth round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft to the Canucks for depth winger Jannik Hansen. The Sharks fourth round pick would become their first rounder if San Jose wins the Stanley Cup, adding to the bounty for Vancouver. However, if the Sharks win the Stanley Cup, really is there any price any team would not pay?

Jannik Hansen
(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The Sharks fourth round pick would become their first rounder if San Jose wins the Stanley Cup, adding to the bounty for Vancouver. However, if the Sharks win the Stanley Cup, really is there any price any team would not pay?

The two teams are headed in opposite directions, as their activity at the trade deadline suggests. The Canucks have only one win and a loser point in their last six contests. The Sharks are coming off their bye week with a pair of wins and setting the pace in the Pacific Division. The Sharks have won both meetings, which were both in February, so far this season by identical 4-1 scores.

Vancouver Gets Promising Prospects

Vancouver was busy on draft day moving a pair of 30-somethings for two promising young forwards. The Canucks traded Alex Burrows to the Ottawa Senators for promising young forward Jonathan Dahlen.

https://twitter.com/marco_bombino/status/837073632270508033

The Canucks have jettisoned 35-year-old Burrows and 30-year-old Hansen while infusing two top-nine skilled forwards. Goldobin has had a rough 24 hours. Initially, he waiting in San Jose for his new team and hoped to be in the line-up.

https://twitter.com/TSN1040/status/837025547507142658

However, Goldobin ended up in Vancouver, handling all the necessary paperwork for a Russian National to switch his visa over.

The Canucks also added Joseph Cramarossa yesterday, claimed off the waiver wire from the Anaheim Ducks.

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San Jose Roster Tweaked

The Sharks addition of Hansen signals a few things. The first being that the Sharks felt the youngsters like Timo Meier and Marcus Sorensen are not the players for the playoffs. Trading a top-five prospect like Goldobin for a middle-six forward is not something any general manager would do lightly. For Meier especially it signals that more time is indeed needed to round out his game.

Also as expected, the Sharks did not trade for a backup goaltender. Ryan Miller was erroneously linked to the Sharks, but Wilson stood pat with Aaron Dell who has, at every turn, shown to be ready and capable for NHL duty. In a seeming show of confidence, Dell will get the start tonight against the Canucks as well.


Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks

SAP Center – 7:30 p.m. PST

Broadcast channels – CSN-CA, SNP

Radio: Sharks Radio Network

2016-17 Season Series: 

Feb. 2: Sharks 4 – Canucks 1

Feb. 25: Sharks 4 – Canucks 1

San Jose Sharks – 37-18-7 (81 Points)

Home Record: 19-7-4

Hot Players: Brent Burns, David Schlemko, Patrick Marleau

Key Injuries: Dylan DeMelo, Joonas Donskoi

Projected Lines:

Forwards:

Kevin Labanc – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski

Patrick Marleau – Logan Couture – Mikkel Boedker

 Tomas Hertl – Chris Tierney – Joel Ward

Marcus Sorensen – Micheal Haley – Melker Karlsson

Defense:

Paul Martin – Brent Burns

Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun

Brenden Dillon – David Schlemko

Starting Goaltender:

Aaron Dell

(Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

Vancouver Canucks – 26-29-7  (59 Points)

Road Record: 8-19-3

Hot Players: Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin

Key Injuries: Sven Baertschi, Erik Gudbranson, Anton Rodin, Derek Dorsett, Jack Skille

Mumps (possible to play): Chris Tanev, Michael Chaput, Nikita Tryamkin

Projected Lines:

Forwards:

Daniel Sedin – Henrik Sedin –Markus Granlund

Reid Boucher – Bo Horvat – Loui Eriksson

Joseph Cramarossa – Brandon Sutter – Jayson Megna

Joseph LaBate – Brendan Gaunce – Alex Grenier

Defence:

Alex Edler – Troy Stecher

Luca Sbisa – Philip Larsen

Ben Hutton – Alex Biega

Starting Goaltender:

Ryan Miller

(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

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Game Notes

[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]1)[/miptheme_dropcap]Brent Burns continues to lead the scoring race for the Sharks and in the NHL among defenseman.

(Photo credit Zeke/THW)

Burns leads San Jose in goals (27), assists (39), points (66), plus/minus (+23), time on-ice (24:54) and shots on goal (249). Burns’ 66 points put him tied for third with Brad Marchand in the overall NHL scoring race, behind only Connor McDavid (72) and Sidney Crosby (67).

[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]2)[/miptheme_dropcap]Patrick Marleau is currently on a three-game point streak with two goals and an assist over that span. He scored his 500th career NHL goal against Ryan Miller back on Feb. 2 in a 4-1 Sharks win in Vancouver.

[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]3)[/miptheme_dropcap]According to Elias Sports, Daniel and Henrik Sedin have collaborated in some iteration on a Canucks goal 700 times, which ranks second in NHL history. Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri rank first in the category, having been in on the same goal 764 times.

[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]4)[/miptheme_dropcap]Vancouver is 2-3-0 in their last five games and 3-7-0 in their last ten against the Sharks. San Jose has eked out a winning record against the Canucks as well, with a franchise mark of 51-48-9-5 all-time.