Sharks & Blue Jackets Connected In Potential Trade

While the San Jose Sharks are technically trying to lose games and get a high pick, that does not mean they can't acquire younger players to help them grow and bloom in the future. The Sharks recently traded for Calen Addison doing this exact thing, but they can easily make another move right now with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets have two defensemen that have been out of the lineup the majority of the season who deserve to be in an NHL lineup. These are Andrew Peeke and Adam Boqvist. One is 25 years old and the other is just 23. While Peeke is strong defensively, Boqvist is talented offensively. The recently acquired Addison is also offensive, but I don't think Boqvist would take away from his top power-play time if acquired. Boqvist is also the younger of the two and has played fewer games. It makes sense considering these players aren't yet int their primes, but are developed enough to play NHL minutes.

The Sharks are bare on the back-end with Mario Ferraro and Addison as their top two defensemen. Since both Peeke and Boqvist are right-shot defensemen, that means we can look down the right side and see Kyle Burroughs, Jan Rutta, and Ty Emberson as the other options. Both players in Columbus are much better than all of them and it wouldn't be enough to pull the Sharks out of last place and the best odds at the number one overall pick in the 2024 draft. It seems like the Sharks could help the Blue Jackets out here and benefit in the process.