SUNRISE, Fla. -- Nick Bonino had a pretty good idea that he'd be traded ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline. He was aware of the rumors.
He was a pending unrestricted free agent on a Sharks team in the basement of the league standings. As an older player at 34 years old, it would only make sense for a rebuilding Sharks team to ship him out for draft picks or prospects and send Bonino to a playoff team.
Sharks general manager Mike Grier kept Bonino in the loop throughout the process, and informed him that he had a deal in place on Thursday night.