It's been a long time and I still don't know quite what to..

His trading last year wasn't great, but the year before it was. He has
some picks with big potential. Michalek appears to be a win. Bernier
could still be, but could go either way.

He appears to believe that he can trade multiple picks on draft day
for a single higher pick indefinately, with no ill effect to the
organization. This remains to be seen. Other teams like Detroit have
made some very good picks in the late rounds. If this years draft was
so weak, why did he trade picks from the next two years to move up
this year to #28, and again he traded two for one twice.

Not saying he's blowing it, only that it's a pretty unorthodox
strategy that I admit I can't quite wrap my head around.

Meanwhile the Philly paper keeps insisting that Drury is coming to SJ.

"Mr. T" said:
> His trading last year wasn't great, but the year before it was. He has
> some picks with big potential. Michalek appears to be a win. Bernier
> could still be, but could go either way.
>
> He appears to believe that he can trade multiple picks on draft day
> for a single higher pick indefinately, with no ill effect to the
> organization. This remains to be seen. Other teams like Detroit have
> made some very good picks in the late rounds. If this years draft was
> so weak, why did he trade picks from the next two years to move up
> this year to #28, and again he traded two for one twice.
>
> Not saying he's blowing it, only that it's a pretty unorthodox
> strategy that I admit I can't quite wrap my head around.
>
> Meanwhile the Philly paper keeps insisting that Drury is coming to SJ.

I wouldn't be surprised if Wilson was to sign Drury, but I don't believe the
reports which say Marleau will be gone if Drury is signed. It has been
Wilson's pattern to sign players when they are having a bad week. At any
rate, Marleau proved he can play LW last year, and barring a trade for a
premium defender, I can't see Wilson trading him.

As for Wilson's draft prowess, if nothing else it served to confuse the
comparisons. OK, I will try. He got the 8 guys they drafted, Rivet, and a
4th round pick in 2009, for Toskala, Bell, Parker, all their draft picks
this year, and a 2nd round pick next year. I think. We'll call the NJ
trade and Guerin essentially the rights to Koryluk and Fahey for Guerin's
services in the playoffs. I may have got the 2 first round picks backwards,
but who cares, this is about what they got.

I'd say this was an expensive way to move up in a weak draft. But of course
if Couture and Petrecki pan out, all will be forgiven... We all thought
trading Kipper was looking like a horrible trade, but they have Vlasic for a
long time before he is eligible for UFA, so this trade is still up in the
air, although its hard to imagine we will ever call this one in the Sharks
favor. It does show the value of an early 2nd round draft pick, if its a
good selection.

I think Wilson could have got more for Toskala at the trade deadline, but he
didn't have a desperate partner. He gambled on that, and lost. But he got
something for him, and I don't know that he could have got more. Bell's
value was so self-diminished that he was probably a net negative (Wilson got
less for Toskala for TO to take Bell off their hands). I fully expect him
to bounce back, particularly if TO plays him at center, but I'm glad he is
gone. The Sharks can't afford to have any passengers...

Back to drafting, the value of d-men is so high right now, I think I would
concentrate my drafting efforts on the blue line every year, and depend on
the UFA market for help in the front.

Lastly, I would sign Hannan or Stuart.