When San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson announced his rebuild-on-the-fly plan last summer, a lot of people didn't really believe him.
Actions speak louder than words, though, and Monday's trade deadline will back up Wilson's big-picture plan, because despite being in the thick of a playoff race, the Sharks won't be spending any future assets on acquiring short-term help for this season.
If there's a hockey deal to be made for a player who helps this season and in the long term, sure, San Jose would listen. Otherwise, the deals you'll likely see the Sharks make will be trading away a pending unrestricted free agent or two in return for picks.
This is a transition season for the Sharks, who got younger last summer when they decided not to offer Dan Boyle a contract and traded away Brad Stuart. The year before, they traded away veterans Douglas Murray, Ryane Clowe and Michal Handzus.
Wilson has picked up 10 draft picks in trades over the past couple of years and will attempt to get another pick or two before the deadline. He's trying to rebuild his team quickly without bottoming out, which means the big picture will prevail at the deadline even though Wilson still hopes to see San Jose in the playoffs.
Status: SELLER
Available: The Sharks won't trade all of their pending UFAs, because they still want to make the playoffs, but some will certainly be dealt. And who they are depends on the value of the draft pick being offered. San Jose isn't going to dump UFAs for the sake of it, not when it still has a chance to make the postseason.
There's no question, though, that among those pending UFAs available for the right price are starting goalie Antti Niemi, veteran defenseman Scott Hannan, blueliner Matt Irwin and forwards Andrew Desjardins, Tyler Kennedy and James Sheppard. They're not all going to go, but one or two of them likely will.
Part of trading away some of these veterans is the need to open up more ice time for the younger players, which is also part of what Wilson wants. If the Sharks do trade Niemi, expect them to try to acquire another goalie to help with the playoff drive.
Finances: The Sharks have a bottom-third payroll and salary-cap number, so they've got loads of room that will become a factor in their favor this summer (more on that below). As far as players who could be traded, Hannan has a cheap cap hit of $1 million, which should facilitate a deal if he's one of the players dealt or not.
Niemi's $3.8 million cap hit could be harder for some teams to digest, but if the Sharks take a player back, it could help make a deal happen.
Scouting the GM: Because of the team's healthy cap situation, Wilson won't be as aggressive at the deadline as he will be during an offseason that should provide interesting opportunities. The salary cap isn't going up as much as many teams had planned for, and that will potentially lead to some clubs putting players on the market for cap reasons.
I think the Sharks are hoping to take advantage of that situation come the summer, but either way, the rebuild on the fly continues in San Jose.