The Sharks have acquired defenseman Roman Polak and forward Nick Spaling from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Raffi Torres and second round draft picks in 2017 and 2018, the team announced on Monday.
“Roman and Nick are both quality, character players that will complement and enhance our current roster,” general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement. “Our existing group of players has battled hard and they have earned the right to have every chance to succeed this season.”
The move gives some Sharks some needed depth at two positions, with a pair of players that are both unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. It's also the latest signal that the club is fully committed to making a deep playoff run, one year after missing the postseason for the first time in 10 seasons.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE [KURZ: Wilson reaches critical stage of his tenure as Sharks GM]
On defense, Polak, 29, has played in 535 career NHL games with Toronto and St. Louis, with 101 points (19g, 82a) and 423 penalty minutes. This season, he has 13 points (1g, 12a) and 56 penalty minutes in 55 games, with a plus-eight rating. He carries a $2.75 million salary cap hit.
A bruising blueliner with a big body (six-foot-one, 236 pounds) and a right-handed shot, Polak could slot in on the right of Brenden Dillon on the team’s third defense pair.
A Czech native, Polak was originally drafted in the sixth round by St. Louis in the 2004 draft. Sharks fans may remember seeing him with the Blues in the 2012 playoffs, when he fought Justin Braun in Game 2 of a five-game first round win for St. Louis.
San Jose Sharks
Find the latest San Jose Sharks news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
Spaling, 27, has played 414 career NHL games with Nashville, Pittsburgh and Toronto, with 118 points (50g, 68a) and 114 penalty minutes. In 35 games this season, he has eight points (1g, 7a) and 18 penalty minutes, missing some time with an upper body injury. The former second round pick of the Predators in 2007 played junior hockey for Pete DeBoer in Kitchener, and has a $2.2 million salary cap hit.
The move also brings Torres’ tenure with the Sharks to an end. The controversial 34-year-old forward has battled numerous right knee problems since getting hurt in a preseason game on Sep. 20, 2013, playing in only 16 regular season games (and 12 playoff games) with the Sharks since he was acquired before the 2013 trade deadline from Phoenix for a third round pick.
Torres was suspended for 41 games this season for checking Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg in the head on Oct. 3, and was waived by the Sharks on Jan. 29. He’s struggled to stay in the AHL Barracuda lineup due to his ongoing knee issues.
The Sharks are without their first and third round picks in the 2016 draft, but still have their full compliment of picks - other than the now traded second rounders - in 2017 and 2018.