Sharks deal pair of veterans
The Sharks finally made a move Friday they promised was coming since getting eliminated early in the postseason again last spring by sending a pair of veteran defensemen to the Canucks in exchange for a pair of prospects.
San Jose packaged Christian Ehrhoff(notes) and Brad Lukowich(notes) to Vancouver for center Patrick White and defenseman Daniel Rahimi(notes).
"This trade speaks to the confidence we have in the young players coming up through our system who have earned the right to compete for a spot on this team," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said. "It also creates some flexibility in our team payroll for potential future transactions as the season progresses and adds two more talented players to our reserve list that can help this organization in the future."
Ehrhoff, 27, selected by San Jose in the fourth round (106th overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, posted 132 points (25 goals, 107 assists) and 244 penalty minutes in 341 NHL games, all with San Jose. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound German native has a hard shot, but often struggled with accuracy.
Lukowich, 33, acquired on July 4, 2008 along with Dan Boyle(notes) from the Tampa Bay Lightning, posted eight points (all assists) in 58 games with San Jose.
Ehrhoff is set to earn $3.15 million on a deal that has another year remaining. Lukowich is set to make $1.8 million in the final year of his current contract.
White, 20, was drafted by Vancouver in the first round (25th overall) of the in 2007 and most recently completed his second season at the University of Minnesota, where he posted 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 36 games.
The 6-1, 190-pound native of Grand Rapids, Minnesota played 12 games with Tri-City of the USHL in 2006-07, collecting nine points (eight goals, one assist) after completing a stellar high school career at Grand Rapids High School in Minnesota.
Rahimi spent the last two seasons with the Manitoba Moose. Last season, the blueliner chipped in six points (one goal, five assists) and 49 penalty minutes in 58 games. The 6-3, 220-pound native of Umea, Sweden was selected by Vancouver in the third round (82nd overall) in the 2006 draft.
"Christian and Brad were both great members of the Sharks family on- and off-the-ice," Wilson said. "We thank them and their families for their contributions to our organization and wish them all the best moving forward."
