Are Trouba and Nurse upgrades to the Sharks’ defense?
The San Jose Sharks were anything but quiet when free agency began.
On July 1st, GM Mike Grier made quite a few deals. Mason Marchment was the first to sign. Marchment himself will bring leadership and grit to this young Sharks team.
Jacob Truba Signing
Credit: San Jose Sharks-InstagramHowever, the most polarizing signing of the day was Jacob Trouba.
Trouba signed a four-year, $33 million contract ($8.25 million AAV). Many armchair GMs began questioning Grier’s thinking. Trouba is 32, and many believe his contract will look bad towards the end of it. A lot of money is going to a 35-36-year-old defenseman.
Darnell Nurse Trade
Then came the big move of the day: the Darnell Nurse trade.
If the Trouba signing caught people’s attention, the Nurse trade completely captured it. The Sharks traded Shakir Mukhamadullin and prospect Zach Sharp to the Edmonton Oilers for Nurse. The Oilers retained zero salary, meaning the Sharks took on the full remainder of Nurse’s contract. Four years, $37 million ($9.25 million AAV).
Edmonton fans were ecstatic. They feel the Oilers received a get-out-of-jail-free card. Nurse did not live up to the expectations of his contract over the last couple years. So, when he was traded with no salary retention, people thought Grier had lost his mind. Admittedly, so did I.
Here is the kicker, though: the Sharks’ blueline is greatly improved.
In free agency, the Sharks lost Mario Ferraro (7G 16A), Vincent Desharnais (1G 7A), and John Klingberg (10G 17A). Ferraro had a career year, and Klingberg did not look like a defenseman. In all honesty, two of the three are bottom pair guys on a playoff team. Nurse (7G 17A) and Trouba (10G 25A) are definite upgrades. Add in Michael Kesselring, and the Sharks’ defense does not look like a joke anymore.
The contracts may be a bit heavy for some teams, but the Sharks entered free agency under the cap floor. They had to spend the money.
Will the end of this contract hurt? Maybe, who knows, though.
Both guys could see a bit of a resurgence and play four years of fantastic hockey. Crazier things have happened. Keep in mind, Trouba was the captain of the New York Rangers, and Nurse was an alternate in Edmonton. They both bring strong leadership roles to San Jose.
Look past the money. The Sharks are a much, much better team than they were in April. The defense has had a huge remodel, and it should work out. So much so, the Sharks should now be a playoff team. Throw in the fact that Trouba and Nurse are not afraid to throw big hits around. Other teams will think twice about taking cheap shots.
Grier has not given fans a reason to doubt him. Give these new guys a chance; they have plenty left in the tank.
It is going to be a good year—count on it. The future is teal.
