Well, this is awkward.
If this article had gone up on Wednesday or earlier, I’d have told you that Rudolfs Balcers was going to be the face of the San Jose Barracuda in 2018-19. Since being drafted by the Sharks in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Balcers has grown to become one of the more exciting prospects in the San Jose system. As a 20-year-old playing his first AHL season, Balcers led the ‘Cuda in with 23 goals and 48 points in 2017-18.
That was, of course, until Thursday rolled around and Doug Wilson pulled the trigger on one of the biggest trades in San Jose Sharks history.