San Jose Sharks coach on Jake Middleton: “He could help a lot of teams, especially in the playoffs in seven-game rounds when you need that grit.”
SAN JOSE – In just over six months, defenseman Jake Middleton has gone from being a bubble player in Sharks training camp to one that’s reportedly drawing interest from some playoff-bound teams with the March 21 NHL trade deadline just around the corner.
Middleton has eight points in 39 games and has been a perfectly capable replacement for the injured Nikolai Knyzhov as Erik Karlsson’s defense partner for the majority of this season. He’s also spent time this year paired with Brent Burns and is fourth among all Sharks defensemen with an average of 18:53 of ice time per game.
“He’s an old-school type of player. Plays hard, tough, will fight anyone and do anything for his teammates,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said. “Those are guys that you really want to keep in an organization and that’s obviously why other teams want him.”After all, assuming Middleton remains an RFA, the team can retain his negotiation rights with a qualifying offer this summer — although he can become a Group 6 UFA if he plays in fewer than 20 of the Sharks’ 26 remaining games.
But the Sharks two years ago also weren’t necessarily looking to trade forward Barclay Goodrow, who had another year left on his contract. However, the Lightning offered their first-round pick that year, and the Sharks, without a 2020 first-rounder, made the swap. The Sharks also sent a 2020 third-rounder to the Lightning and got back forward Anthony Greco.
Based on previous deals for hard-nosed defensemen with size, a Middleton trade could fetch a second-round pick for San Jose in a deep upcoming draft. The Sharks entered Wednesday in seventh place in the Pacific Division and 11 points out of a playoff spot.
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