I have a feeling the Sharks are going to send McDonald down to the AHL to make their D-core better there. Kaut is a huge upgrade to their offensive depth with the Cuda.

I watched a lot of Cuda this year and Merkley tries to do WAY too much and just doesn't seem to have the defensive fundamentals to be a successful pro. They need someone more stable on their blueline.

This sounds like Jack Edward's if he were a sharks fan

Pretty good for both. But Id say the avs win.

damn dawg you didnt have to insult me like that lol

MacDonald would need to pass through waivers. Given how nice his contract is ($762,500 this year and next), he’d be a good option for a lot of teams. I would imagine he stays up in the NHL for a while while the Sharks see what they have. He’s played both forward and defense in the NHL (much better as a defenseman) so he’s a pretty flexible option.

Kaut is in the AHL now, but he’s also not waiver exempt. Makes a call up for him a bit more challenging.

Yeah I'm not really sure what the plan is. Kaut is 100% staying in the AHL until injuries or a mass-exodus from trades. As for the D-men for the Sharks, Knyzhov will be back soon after his conditioning stint in the AHL, but we still have 7 D on the roster, 1 on IR, and 1 on LTIR. My guess is Harrington would be the guy to be sent down and risk losing to wavers. Or possibly Simek (or both) when he's healthy

I think San Jose gains defensively as Merkley is a complete miss but then so is Kautb so it becomes Nieto for MacDonald which Colorado wins hands down. Maybe Grier sees Nieto as worthless.

Lol, all in fun as he chastises your exuberance. You keep being you. Jack Edwards on the other hand should consider your profile name before he renders his views on Bruins broadcasts shaking my head.

Grier himself said that he never said that. Seravalli is a moron.

Exactly! Neito is worth nothing to San Jose because he’s a pending UFA and they’re out of it this year. MacDonald may not be as good as Nieto, but he’s signed for next year, which makes him much more useful to the Sharks. Colorado has their eyes on winning the cup again this year, so they just want the best player regardless of contract status. I don’t think there’s much more to it than that.

It doesn’t seem like it should have been necessary to include the prospects, and they seem pretty much equal anyway, so I agree with those who said this is more like two separate trades. Probably Colorado’s AHL team needed a defenseman and San Jose’s needed a forward, or the GMs just decided to see if these guys might do better in a different organization.

Nieto has now had two stints with San Jose and two with Colorado. I don't remember anybody going back and forth between the same two teams twice like that. I hope he goes back to San Jose when he becomes a UFA this summer.