Just a few days before NHL free agency opens,the San Jose Sharks have traded winger T.J. Galiardi to the the Calgary Flames for a 4th round draft pick, according to multiple outlets, including the Sharks official Twitter account.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p>BREAKING: <a href=”https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SJSharks&src=hash”>#SJSharks</a> acquire 2015 fourth-round draft pick from the <a href=”https://twitter.com/NHLFlames”>@NHLFlames</a> in exchange for forward TJ Galiardi. <a href=”http://t.co/MtL0XH2QHM”>http://t.co/MtL0XH2QHM</a></p>— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) <a href=”https://twitter.com/SanJoseSharks/statuses/352155322179268608″>July 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Galiardi, 25, was currently a restricted free agent for San Jose after formerly having a cap hit of $950,000 last season. He was acquired by the Sharks in the still-controversial trade that sent Jamie McGinn to the Avalanche. Giving up Galiardi for such a low draft will likely only stoke the flames, no pun intended, that had finally seemed to die down.
It does seem like a questionable time to trade Galiardi. He was coming off a good season with the Sharks where he put up 5 goals and 9 assists while spending the stretch run of the regular season and playoffs on a line with Joe Thornton and Brent Burns. As The Neutral wrote earlier this year:
Finally fit into the right spot, Galiardi has proven to be an important piece of the puzzle that has neatly fallen into place for the Sharks over the past month. Perhaps even more significantly, Galiardi finally looks like the player Wilson traded McGinn for last year and seems like a good bet to figure into the Sharks’ future plans both over the remainder of this season and beyond.
– Has T.J. Galiardi finally arrived?, April 20, 2013.
Perhaps the future plans of the Sharks have changed with the acquisition of forward Tyler Kennedy from Pittsburgh prior to the draft. Money did not seem to be the deciding factor in this move, with T.J. reportedly signing a one-year deal for $1.25 million in Calgary.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p>Tomas Hertl and Tyler Kennedy also make this move possible — and probably signal that <a href=”https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SJSharks&src=hash”>#SJSharks</a> want to start season with Burns at forward.</p>— David Pollak (@PollakOnSharks) <a href=”https://twitter.com/PollakOnSharks/statuses/352152623257878529″>July 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
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As for Galiardi, he will likely get a better shot at sticking in a much less crowded top nine for his hometown’s Flames.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p>Wow! My lifelong dream has come true!! <a href=”https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FLAMES&src=hash”>#FLAMES</a></p>— TJ Galiardi (@TJGaliardi) <a href=”https://twitter.com/TJGaliardi/statuses/352156477059891200″>July 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p>I want to sincerely thank the Sharks and Doug Wilson for working with me throughout this process. I loved my teammates and San Jose!</p>— TJ Galiardi (@TJGaliardi) <a href=”https://twitter.com/TJGaliardi/statuses/352156955206369281″>July 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Best of luck, T.J.
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