Our reader mailbag was overflowing for the month of January, which is why we had to spill it into two parts. As usual, many of the queries pondered NHL trade deadline scenarios which – sad to report – isn’t until March 21. Many teams are still trying to figure out how the market will evolve and whether they are buyers, sellers or just holding on. Without further preamble, let’s move on to answering your questions in Part 2.
Note questions have been lightly edited.
If the Sharks decide to trade Tomas Hertl before the deadline is there any reason for them not to also trade Timo Meier? Trading Hertl will clearly signify the team is in full rebuild mode. With Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Logan Couture all well past their primes and on long term deals, the team really has no other choice. Which brings us to Meier. With the amazing season he is having, the fact that there is another year on his deal, and the Sharks could afford to eat half his salary this year and next, they could get a ransom for him. Any idea what they could get in return, and do you think this could actually happen? – Michael B.
