Bill Guerin is a San Jose Shark!

Guerin for Nieminen, Barribal, and 1st rounder (2007)

The San Jose Sharks traded for Bill Guerin just under the trade deadline. This move may seem like a "rental" situation as Guerin is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer; however, the addition of this power forward should boost the Sharks' scoring ability (much to Nabokov's delight).

Over the past few weeks, most rumors had Guerin going to the Ottawa Senators or possibly even re-signing with the St. Louis Blues. In fact, there still is a possibility that Guerin will decide to re-sign with the Blues this summer, but only after making a solid run at the Stanley Cup with the Sharks. Given the caliber of player, I feel that the San Jose Sharks made an amazing deal; I liked Nieminen and Barriball appears to be an up and coming freshman at the University of Minnesota, but the organization did well to keep its core of young players intact. Moreover, Team Teal has a lot of depth which makes the loss of Nieminen, Barribal, and a 1st rounder well worthwhile.

I'll admit that I was a bit surprised that GM Doug Wilson didn't go after an offensive-minded, veteran defensman. Much has been said about the youngsters on the blueline and how their inexperience may be a problem during the playoffs. I always looked at the other side of the equation and felt that their young legs would serve the team well over the remainder of the season. However, with the recent defensive lapses and odd-man rushes, I too was hoping for a Souray, Blake, or Norstrom.

Now that the deadline has passed, I am happy with the addition of Rivet and now Guerin. With McLaren, Hannan, and Rivet, the San Jose Sharks now have the ability to put a solid veteran defenseman on every pairing. In addition, Rivet's right-handed shot should help the power play which has seemed less than spectacular recently.

Overall, I would say that the Guerin trade was one of the largest before the deadline, second only to Ryan Smyth going to the New York Islanders. Both the Blues and Sharks will benefit from this transaction, but St.Louis will have to wait a couple of years.

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