Doug Wilson's Comments on GM Discussions Suggest NHL Offseason is Going to Be Wild
By Adam Godfrey
The San Jose Sharks kicked off the NHL offseason frenzy by signing star defenseman Erik Karlsson to a massive contract on Monday.
Their GM, Doug Wilson, was the one who nailed down the deal, and will surely be active throughout the offseason being that they are currently cap-strapped but still have players to re-sign. During a call discussing the Karlsson news, Wilson hinted to a very active summertime period not just for himself, but for general mangers across the NHL.
Interesting trade market observation from Doug Wilson during his call today: "There’s been more conversation and communication between GMs in the last month than maybe ever since I’ve been a GM."
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 17, 2019
Wilson has been the GM of the Sharks since 2003, when he replaced Dean Lombardi. He has seen a lot as a GM in the NHL in his 16-year run; when he sells the possibility of an explosive signing period, fans ought to listen.
His suggestion that there has been more communication between general managers in the last month alone than he has ever seen means that hockey fans are in for one heck of an offseason with a whole lot of player movement likely to begin as soon as the 2019 NHL Draft on Friday.
The @usahockey National Team Development Program looks to make a bit of history at the 2019 #NHLDraft. https://t.co/uWZuSkUSEU
— NHL (@NHL) June 16, 2019
The draft will sure to be one for the history books, with not only a lot of terrific prospects who will be drafted in the first round, but a lot of trades sure to happen to shake up the natural order. And the re-signing stage of the offseason is sure to be hectic given the number of players on expiring deals. Make sure there's copious popcorn ready.