Sharks notebook: No moves, no surprises

Feb. 28, 2011Brodie Brazil
CSNCalifornia.com

The trade deadline for the San Jose Sharks goes like this: No moves. No surprises.Thats because general manager Doug Wilson did his share of dealing relatively early: acquiring forwards Kyle Wellwood and Ben Eager in mid-January, and then defenseman Ian White mid-February. In retrospect, with all things (including the tight standings, and San Joses inconsistency in early 2011) considered earlier was better. As many other teams have done, we didnt wait to the last second, Wilson told me just moments after the noon deadline. "Having looked at it, Im glad that we were proactive and got the pieces that we wanted as the prices went up. But it also helps you to integrate your new players into this team. The last road trip was a big part of our guys spending time with each other.Tight bunch
Eight Western Conference teams are currently separated by a grand total of six points. The last-minute negotiations were as tight as the standings, themselves.There were as many conversations, but they took place earlier, and thats why a lot of the deals happened earlier. A lot of it is parity; a lot of it is the supply and demand of players. Its as important to know whos not going to get moved as much as it is whos available, and what the cost may be. For us, there are only 19 games left. To integrate a player into a new system, potentially a new conference, and to think that you can do it in 19 games is very difficult,said Wilson.Moving early
Rewind to mid-January before the 15-2-1 run, when the Sharks had lost six in a row at one point. If things had continued spiraling downwards, its a pretty sure bet more personnel moves would have been made.It was going to be predicated on performance. If we hadnt started going the right direction, today might have been more active, but maybe not for the right reasons, Wilson said.Essentially San Jose imposed an earlier deadline of its own.It was moved up because we really hadnt played that well. And you can talk about the additions, but the majority of the improvement on this hockey team came in this dressing room. Our own guys stepping up, playing the way they are capable of, guys not trying to do too much and maintaining the team structure. But you combine it with the four players we added, that was something wed been looking to do all along.One hole to go
The lone gap on the Sharks' roster is at backup goaltender, as Antero Niittymakis injury is indefinite. However, Wilson was confident in his answer, when asked about Niittys health. Obviously were very well aware of the health situation and where hes at. So our actions speak to that question, yes, Wilson confirmed.No move must mean hes on the rebound. Head coach Todd McLellan gave us the impression that Niittymaki is making noticeable progress, as he practiced with the team for the second consecutive day.Hes getting close, McLellan said. "Its not an injury that we can fool around with. He has to be 100 percent, especially at this time of the year, before he gets back into action."