Wild Give Up On Sheppard, Move Him To San Jose

Trade Details:

The Minnesota Wild trade James Sheppard to the San Jose Sharks for their 3rd Round Draft selection in 2013.

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Breakdowns:

Minnesota Acquires: SJ's 3rd Round Draft Pick in 2013 Minnesota Sends: James Sheppard

Minnesota's Perspective:

All-in-all this move is not something Wild management or Wild fans will enjoy, and I think everyone involved in hockey understands that. James Sheppard was the ninth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and the Wild expected Sheppard to be a bright spot in their organization for a long time. Unfortunately, the Wild rushed him to the NHL prematurely and his development payed the price. This past season James was involved in a very odd situation that led to the Wild suspending him for the entire year. Obviously the Wild  weren't too pleased with Sheppard's antics off of the ice and as shown by this trade they were also dissatisfied with his on-ice play. Its a definite step backwards and the fact that this pick is not going to be made for another two years is another rough blow for Minnesota. Honestly if I was Chuck Fletcher, I would've kept Sheppard for that return because in my opinion this trade basically shows they know they ****ed up and are throwing in the towel. I mean, let him try to make the team and if he didn't just waive him and hope that he progresses in the AHL (if he would have cleared). Sheppard's value is the lowest it's ever been, trading him now for that was not smart in my opinion. 

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San Jose Acquires: James Sheppard San Jose Sends: SJ's 3rd Round Draft Pick in 2013

San Jose's Perspective:

This is a smart, low-risk move for the Sharks. They get a player in James Sheppard, who was rushed to the NHL and has struggled, but was a 9th overall draft pick just a few years ago and has some definite talent. He will be a bit of a project, but he has upside that you rarely find in the third round of the draft (the round of the draft pick the Sharks moved to acquire him). That in and of itself is enough to persuade me to like this deal for them, but then when you also consider that this pick is 2 years from being made and likely then at least another few years before that pick makes the NHL (if they ever do), it becomes a very shrewd move that may pay off in spades for San Jose. There is something to be said for a GM that takes risks like these, and I really feel that its a low-risk, high-reward type move.