Canucks Trade Patrick White to Sharks

There was an interesting trade made in the NHL Friday.

For the San Jose Sharks, it's one of those moves that makes you think they have something else cooking.

The Sharks dealt experienced defensemen Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich to Vancouver for two prospects. One of those prospects is Grand Rapids native and current Minnesota Gopher Patrick White.

In his first two seasons at Minnesota, White has not been terribly impressive, amassing 13 goals and 26 points in 81 games. He does have a load of talent, though, and that's why the Canucks drafted him in the first round back in 2007.

They gave him up in order to retool their defense a little bit. The Canucks lost Mattias Ohlund in free agency, and found no suitable replacement. Lukowich is more of a grinder, but Ehrhoff has some offensive ability. He could be a fit with the Canucks.

For San Jose, it seems to be a salary dump. The Sharks get two players -- defenseman Daniel Rahimi joins White in the trade -- who are not likely to contribute much to the NHL club. They gave up two established NHL defenseman who combine for nearly a $5 million cap hit.

Is this the precursor to a prospects-for-Dany Heatley trade? It's not like Heatley wants to be in Ottawa, and there have been rumors he would accept a deal to San Jose. It's hard to imagine the Sharks wanting to deal with a two-way (on-ice and off-ice) cancer, but maybe they feel a talent like Heatley can put them over the top in the Western Conference.

After all, Heatley does have a Stanley Cup Finals trip on his career record, unlike most everyone on the Sharks roster.