Barabanov is making the sharks 2nd line relevant and has boosted Coutures numbers drastically compared to last year as much as i love the return i really don’t want to move Barbie. but this would be hard to say no to.

damn what happened since when is he really good? Was terrible on Toronto which is weird because skill guys usually flourish here

I would hate to as well but in reality there's no real need to keep him and this is the time when we can get a significant return for him. I doubt he'll be this productive into his 30s, and we won't be competitive during his best years while he still is on this contract. It makes the most sense in my opinion to sell while he still has significant value.

Also WPG is just one of the many teams that this trade could apply to. Colorado would make a lot of sense as well, or the Rangers, or Islanders if they're in a playoff spot at the deadline

He seems to be adjusting his game more and more to the NHL level every game. He did a lot of good things when he first came over but wasn't all that productive and had a very iffy defensive game.

Last year he made a ton of steps to get better defensively, and him Meier and Hertl would just be impossible to get the puck off of when they got going in the offensive zone. Plays really well along the boards, has a great forechecking game, and really good hands. He's actually playing with Cooch and Labanc this year and has shown to not be a passenger on a line with two good linemates in Hertl and Meier

Cooch and Nieto! and both his linemates are having Career years with him proving he isn’t just riding coattails he’s legit. along the boards and 50/59 battles it’s almost shocking when he doesn’t come up with the puck to make a sweet set up for a teammate. guy didn’t get his shot in toronto and just clicked here and has gotten better and better. he is a legit top 6 guy now.