Pierre LeBrun: Top-4 Defenseman Officially Hits Trade Block as Deadline Nears
NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun revealed that a Top-4 defenseman is now available for trade as the deadline quickly approaches.
The NHL Trade Deadline is only a day away and with the clock ticking for teams to make a deal, there are still some last minute pieces who are being shipped around as teams try to either beef up their team, or help with a rebuild.
According to NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun, another name who is officially on the market and could very well see a new home is San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro.
With several teams who are in the market for a defenseman, Ferraro is certainly a cheap a reliable piece.
In 63 games with the Sharks this season, Ferraro has 11 points (5G, 6A) adding some solid defense with 97 blocks and 134 hits.
He's always been a solid physical defenseman and has averaged 163 blocks and 131 hits over his past three seasons, while pouring in 46 points in that span.
At only a $3.25M cap hit, he's not the most expensive option on the market; a market that has shifted dramatically after the Luke Schenn deal, and besides David Savard, Carson Soucy, and potentially Rasmus Ristolainen, it's a rough market.
There are a lot of teams who could use Ferraro. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers and Vegas are all contenders who would benefit from adding him.
Arguably the biggest trade target on the blue line has been traded with Seth Jones dealt to Florida, and unless Erik Karlsson ends up being a surprise deal; San Jose has a decent amount of leverage.
They are in no rush to trade Ferraro, and knowing that some teams are desperate to add in time for the playoffs, it could benefit the Sharks to ask for a bit of an overpayment for him.
Ferraro was drafted 49th overall by the Sharks in 2017, and if he were to come to Toronto would be a homecoming for him; something that could give the Leafs an advantage over other teams.
We'll have a much better idea of Ferraro's fate once 3PM hits on March 7.
