Regardless of the team's position in the standings, DW is only going to make a move that makes the team better. He already has, just by virtue of getting Douglas Murray off the ice. As horrific as the last two months have been, the chances of this team actually missing the playoffs were and still are exponentially higher in our panic-inclined brains than in reality. I don't think most people (other than Shark fans, of course) understand just how devastating it was for this team when Douglas Murray, Michael Handzus, and Adam Burish stepped foot on the ice. I don't want to make it sound like those three are alone responsible for the Sharks' struggles in the last two months. Bad luck has played a big role. Thornton, Marleau, Couture, and Pavelski are world-class players and they have played like ones throughout this season, as they do every season. They are amassing zone entries, possession, and scoring chances like always. The simple truth is that for the last two months, the puck just would not go into the net at the rate it should considering the caliber of players they are and how they have performed. The Sharks have been horrific at times, but also downright unlucky. The puck was bound to start going into the net at a rate more indicative of the talent at the top of this team's roster. This team has enough top-end talent to go on a playoff run and that is one of the reasons I doubt DW is seriously considering trading Boyle. The entire puck possession system that the Sharks play is based around him moving the puck out of their zone. Brent Burns was acquired to be a secondary puck-mover, as a complement to Boyle and for the other forward lines (Boyle has almost exclusively played with Thornton's line since 2009). There are very few defensemen in the league, maybe 4-5, that can move the puck like Boyle can. There is no way that the Sharks will be able to replace his impact during the season. If he goes, it would be during the summer. Plus, I just don't see him leaving the Sharks. Honestly, I don't.
I would love to add a top-six forward, especially a right-handed shooter, but there are not enough sellers in this market and this is exactly when desperate GM's (which DW has never been) try to justify paying a premium price for a mediocre player. Or paying anything at all for a legitimately bad player. This is a market where Ray Shero, who is certainly in the upper echelon of his profession, was compelled to trade a fairly valuable asset, probably a meaningless one to Pittsburgh, but still an asset nonetheless for Douglas freakin' Murray.
