Brad Stuart traded to Colorado Avalanche
In a veteran Doug Wilson-esque move, Brad Stuart has been unloaded to the Colorado Avalanche for draft picks. Praise God.
The Sharks are not expected to make any big moves in free agency, but it's moves like these that have endeared Doug Wilson the Sharks fans over the years. I would be happy unloading Brad Stuart for nothing -- to get picks for him is a juicy bonus. The picks are expected to be a second-rounder in 2016 and a sixth-rounder in 2017.
Speaking of bonuses, let's check in with Patrick Roy on the state of the Avalanche defense.
"We’re not that far away on defense," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said, according to the Denver Post. "You look at (Erik) Johnson, who had a really good year, we have (Tyson) Barrie, who played really well at the end of the season, and we have Nick Holden, who we think is a solid defenseman.
"Are they where (the Kings are)? The answer is no, but now the (question) is, ‘Who are we going to add?’ You cannot just add the top players. You have to have a great mix, and you look at some teams as a model, and I think L.A. is a good example. If we could get the good mix — stay-at-home, physical defensemen playing with high-skill defensemen — I think that’s the approach that we’d like to have, and I think we’re heading in a pretty good direction.
Oh no. I guess Staurt is the stay-at-home-physical type, but he's also the had-a-negative-relative-corsi-his-entire-career type.
There hasn't been a lot to cheer about for the Sharks this offseason, but unloading Stuart oughta make everyone almost everyone in San Jose happy.