Every season, I go through the Sharks roster, trace every single trade made until I reach an endpoint (usually a draft pick or free agent) and make a chart. And every season, I manage to lose my old notes so have to start from scratch. But that’s besides the point.
This chart is meant for those of you who geek out over transactions, find joy in revisting old draft picks, love comparing values of players over time, and like to be reminded of the craziness of the 1991 dispersal/expansion draft. The infographic is meant for those of you who aren’t quite at that level but are still interested in this whole thing.
Click here to view the chart
Observations:
- With both Dan Boyle and Martin Havlat off the roster, two giant branches have been removed, which has reduced the size of the chart.
- However, their branches were mostly going off of Joe Thornton’s behemoth, so the number of players on the chart actually increased with some different players coming onto the chart. And because they are no longer there, only one branch shares two players that are part of the 50-man roster: the Raffi Torres branch, which also includes new signee Rourke Chartier, esq.
- A lot of the non-roster NHL contracts were signed as free agents, underlining the Sharks’ need to sign undrafted free agents to supplement draft picks rather than relying on the NHL free agent market.
- It’s amazing how much the early days of the team (including the expansion and dispersal drafts!) still impact the roster today. Granted, it’s mostly due to Joe Thornton.
- Not Mike Craig is still my favorite player.
This chart was created thanks to Pro Sports Transactions and, prior to its demise, CapGeek. This has been in the works for a while.
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