The San Jose Sharks entered draft weekend with seven draft picks after acquiring more picks by flipping Mike Hoffman to the Panthers on Tuesday. However, after some trades on the second day of the draft, the Sharks ended up only using five of those picks. Add in the latest on free agents like Ilya Kovalchuk and John Tavares as well as trade rumors involving Max Pacioretty, and it’s safe to say it has been a busy weekend for general manager Doug Wilson and his staff.

Heading into Friday night, it was speculated that the Sharks were likely going to stay put at 21 and select a defenseman. Throw in Doug Wilson suggesting that the Sharks would opt for a riskier pick than in years past, and it wasn’t too surprising when the Sharks selected Guelph Storm defenseman Ryan Merkley with the 21st overall pick in the draft.

In terms of pure on-ice talent, Merkley is likely a top-10 prospect. Behind Rasmus Dahlin, he was arguably the best offensive defenseman in the class. Merkley is an incredibly talented player, possessing speed with the puck, incredible vision and playmaking skills, and a quick shot. Merkley had 13 goals and 54 assists in 63 games with the Storm… as a defenseman. He also had 12 goals and 43 assists in 62 games the year prior.

Looking at some of his game film, it’s easy to see why Merkley was so highly-regarded, at least on the ice. He has some incredible highlight-reel goals, and the vision he has at this point is just remarkable. He is very good at giving himself space to work, finding open teammates or open shots, and his puck skills are very good for a defenseman. Suffice to say, his offensive upside is unreal.

It’s also important to keep in mind that with his August 14th birthday, Merkley is one of the youngest players in his draft class. It gives him a little bit more development time, but it also makes his development just a little bit harder to project at the same time.

And that’s where the problems start with Merkley and why he fell to the Sharks in the first place. Merkley’s immaturity and inability to control his emotions were among the reasons why teams were reluctant to select the talented defenseman. He had multiple emotional outbursts on the bench with Guelph, was a healthy scratch a a couple different times due to his conduct, and received a three-game suspension for a two-handed slash on an opponent.

It can be argued that some of that can be chalked up to his age and that he should mature as he grows older. Apparently, given the confidence Doug Wilson has in it, the Sharks’ locker room has magical maturity powers. Merkley will need to grow up and quickly if he wants a shot at the NHL.

But what is a real concern for the Sharks is Merkley’s lack of defensive prowess, a weakness that is quite familiar with Sharks fan watching Brent Burns in his own zone. There are concerns over whether Merkley even cares to play defense and his compete level when the puck is in his defensive zone. And considering that Peter DeBoer refuses to play Tim Heed over Dylan DeMelo because the latter is better in his own zone, it’s vital for Merkley if he wants to be a regular in the starting lineup.

Merkley will return to Guelph next year, where he’ll hopefully continue to mature and patch up the holes in his defensive zone.

Intermission: Free Agency and Trade Updates

Ilya Kovalchuk signed a three-year, $18.75 million deal with the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Kovalchuk, who played in the KHL for the past few seasons, had visited the Sharks previously, and the team was among the frontrunners for the Russian forward. The Sharks were hoping that Kovalchuk would bolster their 12th-ranked offense, but they’ll have to continue to look elsewhere.

The Kings likely were able to secure Kovalchuk’s services by offering a third year. Keep in mind, this is the exact same contract that was offered to Marleau in terms of average annual value. If the Sharks weren’t going to give a third year to the best player in franchise history, they certainly weren’t going to give a third year to a 35-year-old forward who hasn’t played in the league in five years.

It’s not hard to feel as if the Sharks might have dodged a bullet here. Kovalchuk is still a talented hockey player, as evidenced by the fact that he led the KHL in scoring last season, but signing Kovalchuk is still a risky move. This is a boom-or-bust signing for the Kings, and the Sharks are likely better off for it. They still have money to pursue New York Islanders star center John Tavares and re-sign their RFA’s with maybe some room to re-sign Joe Thornton.

And even if they whiff on both Kovalchuk and Tavares, there are still plenty of options for the Sharks. James van Riemsdyk is a quality winger who the Sharks would love to have on their team. JVR has surpassed the 25-goal mark in four of the last five seasons, including a career-high 36 goals last season, and he’d add another weapon to the Sharks’ offense at both even-strength and on the power play. Vegas forwards David Perron and James Neal and the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Thomas Vanek could also be options if the Sharks want to add more depth on the wings.

As far as centers go, options are much more scarce. The Sharks might have to pin their hopes on Winnipeg Jets center Paul Stastny. Stastny is a solid two-way center who does not get as much credit as he deserves. Stastny would likely play a similar role to Logan Couture: not necessarily an elite talent, but still good enough to carry a line in both ends. Tyler Bozak is another option at center, but he is more of the third-line center type, which isn’t exactly what the Sharks are looking for this offseason.

And not that the Sharks were expected to make another defensive addition, but John Carlson is also now officially off the market by re-signing with the Washington Capitals after signing an eight-year, $64 million deal with the defending Stanley Cup champions.

To cap it all off, the Sharks were at the center of swirling rumors around Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty. The talented forward is likely on the trading block with just one year on his contract left. As the draft neared its conclusion, Doug Wilson was seen talking to Habs GM Marc Bergevin. Soon, several writers reported that a trade had been completed between the two teams. However, seemingly, trade talks broke down, and Pacioretty is still on the Canadiens.

Back to the draft

The Sharks filled out the rest of their draft class with four more selections. First, Doug Wilson traded up into the third round to select center Linus Karlsson with the 87th overall pick. (sidenote: this pick was traded five times!) To do so cost the Sharks a fourth-round pick and a fifth-round pick (both from this year), but there does seem to be a fair amount of potential with Karlsson. The Swede did lead the Swedish J20 league in scoring with 27 goals and 25 assists in 42 games. However, his game so far hasn’t translated to the men’s game, as he scored only one point in 13 appearances with the senior team. He’s a decent offensive talent who might have some upside. It’s a little weird they felt like they had to move up in the draft to select him, but it does seem to be a good pick.

In the fourth round, the Sharks once again sacrificed a couple picks to move up in the draft. The Sharks sent their fourth-round pick and a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft to move up to select forward Jasper Weatherby out of the BCHL. At the age of 20, Weatherby is seen as a late-bloomer and is committed to the University of North Dakota for next season. He was the leading scorer in the BCHL, so it’s evident that he has scoring talent. It’s just a matter of how that will translate to higher levels. Skating is also an issue for him. Again, a bit puzzling that they felt as if they had to move up in the draft to pick him.

The sixth round saw the Sharks select goaltender Zacharie Emond from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL, the former team of Timo Meier. Emond struggled in juniors last season, posting an .897 in 24 games with the Huskies. After just turning 18 during the weekend, Emond still has time to grow into his 6’3″, 153-pound frame, but he has to be able to turn things around in juniors if he wants to make it at the professional level. Goaltender development is one of hockey’s biggest mysteries, so projecting anything for him is just a wild guess.

Lastly, the Sharks selected forward John Leonard from UMass-Amherst in the sixth round. He posted decent point totals for a freshman in Hockey East, scoring 13 goals and 15 assists in 33 games. Draft expert Corey Pronman of The Athletic likes Leonard’s skating and scoring ability, though despite his offensive skills, his actual upside is questionable.

All in all, it was a pretty good draft for the Sharks, but this draft will be remembered for Ryan Merkley. Whether it is because Merkley blossomed into a high-end offensive defenseman at the NHL level or because he bombed in spectacular fashion, Merkley is the centerpiece of this draft. I also would have liked to see the Sharks hang onto more of their picks, but when you don’t pick in rounds two and three, you don’t have a lot of options in selecting prospects with NHL potential. Merkley and Karlsson are intriguing prospects, while Weatherby could also have some interesting upside. Emond and Leonard, at the very least, should add some organizational depth. All things considered, it was a decent draft for the Sharks.

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