Every season for every sport there is a trade deadline. It usually happens three-quarters of the way through the season, and it is the last date a team can make a trade for the rest of the season. Teams often make trades around this time to try and make their team stronger for playoffs.

The NHL’s trade deadline was on Feb. 26, and the San Jose Sharks did not let the day go to waste. They were able to bring in two new players that will help them make a strong playoff run this season.

The first player they traded for is Eric Fehr, who is a 12 year veteran of the NHL. The fourth line center position which has been an issue for the team all season long was finally filled. Several players have been tried at the position, but none have been effective. Now there is a player to fill that position who naturally plays it.

Fehr was traded for a 2020 seventh round pick. This was a great move by general manager Doug Wilson because great players are not usually found in the later rounds of the draft. This trade does not affect the Sharks for three drafts which is when they will lose that draft pick. His contract is only a three year deal for $6 million. This means there is not a huge salary cap hit for San Jose either, and it terminates at the end of this season, according to The East Bay Times.

The Sharks were familiar with Fehr’s game before they traded for him. He was a great shut down center for the Pittsburgh Penguins when they played the Sharks in the Stanley Cup Finals two seasons ago. This is something the Sharks have been missing on the team as well. Having another guy to help beat the other team’s top players is a huge help when your team wants to make a playoff push.

During 12 seasons in the NHL, Fehr has scored 103 goals and has record 202 points, according to NHL.com. While these are not superstar numbers Fehr is a great addition to the Sharks.

The Sharks also traded for a big name player, Evander Kane. Kane has come in and made an immediate impact. He has scored one goal and four assists in his first five games as a Shark. He is playing with Joonas Donskoi and Joe Pavelski on the top line. They have been playing extremely well together: all three have scored multiple point games.

Kane also brings some much needed explosive speed to the Sharks offense. Until now there has not been a player with this kind of speed since Patrick Marleau left last offseason for Toronto.

Kane is also a big physical player which brings some much-needed grit to the Sharks offense as well. Kane plays with an edge and does not back down from anyone when it comes to confrontation out on the ice.

Kane’s ability to produce offense is another perk of him coming to the team. He added to his 40 points he got while playing for the Buffalo Sabres. This is a huge help since Joe Thornton is still out with a knee injury with no return in site.

But Kane does not come with without any baggage. When he was playing for the Winnipeg Jets early on in his career, he got into a lot of trouble away from the ice. He would party a lot and have pictures taken of him that were not appropriate for younger fans. Luckily, for the Shark,s this was five to six years ago, and he has stayed out of trouble while playing for the Sabres.

Another concerning factor about Kane is that he is an unrestricted free agent (UFA) July 1. This means that he can talk to other teams about playing for them instead of the Sharks. If San Jose cannot work out a contract with Kane, then they run the risk of losing him.

What the Sharks traded away for Kane also depends on if he resigns or not. They traded prospect Danny O’Regan and a conditional first and fourth-round pick if Kane resigns with the Sharks this summer. If Kane chooses to not resign with the Sharks, then the first round pick becomes a second round pick and the fourth round pick becomes a fifth-round pick.

The Sharks brought in two players that fill holes that badly needed filling on the offensive side of things. Fehr will help with some defense and veteran leadership while Kane is a young highly skilled player to help produce some offense.

With both players thriving on their new team, fans can only wait and see what happens with the end of the season and the start of playoffs next month. With their hel,p the Sharks can make a strong playoff push to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals like they did two seasons ago.