Written by Gray
| 28 June 2011
Last Friday amid the boringly dull seas of the NHL Draft, I awoke from a mid afternoon nap to find that the Sharks had actually done something interesting on a day dedicated to dull. The recently resigned Devin Setoguchi had been traded, along with prospect Charlie Coyle and a first from this year's draft (2011) for Minnesota's D man Brent Burns and a second in the 2012 draft. The reaction was immediate and fierce. Fans immediately reacted with sadness, and some revulsion as Seto's resigning had been announced a day prior. The thing is, Puck Daddy had gotten it right, when he published an article calling the 3 year deal "
3 more years of occasional brilliance." Seto has oft been considered trade fodder, and the Sharks have needed D badly for sometime. While I worry that the inclusion of Coyle was a slightly overpayment for Burns, I think it's a sound trade over all.
Seto is great, and he's not really the type of guy you want to see skating against you, but he is very streaky. When he's hot, he's great, but when he's not, you find yourself wondering if he showed up to the rink realizing that there was a game that night, or if he was looking to spend the night hitting on puck bunnies, only to realize he had to work that night.
It's a loss, but one the Sharks can recover from. The Sharks lack of D has hurt them in years past, and is part of why they have yet to make it to the promised land in all likelihood. If moving Seto is part of what helps them secure a solid blue line beyond the paring of Boyle and Murray (arguably just Boyle but Murray has been much better as part of that pairing), well, I'm ok with that.
