New England Sharks Rebuilding Plan on Track

The New England Sharks have new ownership this season. Bobby Brooks was inserted as interim GM last season on a trial basis and did enough to earn the full-time gig.  Management wasted little time cleaning house as many trades went down in preparation for the draft.

Not afraid to spend money, the Sharks spent 3.2 million to acquire two second round picks.   They shipped underachieving Derick Brassard, Milan Lucic, Blake Wheeler, and Cam Barker to other teams.  Management also parted ways with Braydon Coburn and Karl Alzner.  Some of these players are going to go on to have great careers, but management wanted to make it clear that last place is no longer acceptable. With a player like Sydney Crosby up front, it was time to get him some offensive help.  Rick Nash was acquired to help fill the void and Dan Hamhuis was brought in to stabilize a young defensive core. 

In addition to this immediate help, a lot of shuffling around and negotiations was done to put Sharks in a position to lay the foundation of the future.  All in all 6 of the top 35 picks were acquired. 

In the first round New England drafted Matt Duchene, Victor Hedman, and John Carlson.  Sid the Kid no longer has to worry about who is going to provide secondary scoring behind him and Hedman and Carlson should be cornerstones on the back end for years to come.  They, along with newly acquired Anton Stralman, join Marc Staal and Luke Schenn in what appears to be a solid core going forward.

The second round addressed some key holes up front.  The Sharks had to give up Karl Alzner to move up in the second round, but the move paid off as they drafted Mikeal Backlund with the 24th overall pick.   Later in the round Peter Regin and Michael Grabner were taken in what could be a dynamic kid line as early as the 2012 season.

There have also been rumors that there could be a relocation of the franchise after the 2011 season.  Apparently, ownership isn't convinced that the Sharks are financially viable in the current marketplace. There are many areas in N America starving for HB hockey and alternative destinations could be explored depending on how the Sharks do at the gate this year. Either way, this franchise has its sights set on winning a championship - whether it's in New England or somewhere else.