SAN JOSE — In a perfect world, the Vegas Golden Knights would pick Mikkel Boedker in Wednesday’s NHL Expansion Draft, giving the Sharks more cap flexibility to re-sign Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau this summer or acquire another impact player through free agency.
But in hockey, the puck usually doesn’t bounce quite so perfectly, so general manager Doug Wilson is going to face some hard decisions.
He could potentially strike a deal with the Golden Knights to get Boedker and the $12 million remaining on his contract off his books. If not, he’ll likely make peace with the idea of losing a third-pairing defenseman, and go with a 7-3-1 protection format, since the Sharks have organizational depth on the blue line.