The San Jose Sharks have traded defenceman Fredrik Claesson to the Tampa Bay Lightning on deadline day. In exchange, Tampa sends goalie prospect Magnus Chrona. Pierre LeBrun announced the deal late Monday morning.
Hearing the Sharks trade Frederik Claesson to Tampa Bay for goalie prospect Magnus Chrona
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) April 12, 2021
Sharks Trade Fredrik Claesson
Claesson is a non-factor for San Jose in 2020-21. The 28-year-old Swede has appeared in just four games with no points, eight hits and two blocks. He also has a below-average Corsi For of 48.5 percent. He does seem to do fine on offence overall with a 3.9 relative Corsi, but driving play hasn’t really happened for any consistent stretch in his career.
The Ottawa Senators originally drafted Claesson in the fifth round of the 2011 Draft. He posted four goals, 20 points, 246 hits and 138 blocks in 113 games for the Sens as a forechecking forward. Several teams have signed him as a free agent since he left Ottawa and that might have hurt his production to an extent. His ceiling is limited to the fourth line, but it doesn’t help when a player changes franchises so often and can’t gain any measure of stability in their living situation.
What This Means For The Future
Tampa Bay certainly doesn’t need Claesson, but he’s a body for the taxi squad that can rotate to the NHL roster if someone is hurt or tired. The main roster can’t play every remaining game before the playoffs. Someone needs to be a sub and Claesson is just that.
On the other side, San Jose turns a replacement-level skater into goalie prospect. Chrona is a fifth-round pick from the 2018 Draft who has played for the University of Denver. He has been a fine college goalie with two seasons of save percentages at or above .907. He is far from an elite prospect, but he is a 6’4″ netminder who excelled in Sweden. Chrona is the exact sort of lottery ticket the Sharks need during a rebuild.
