Tue, Jul 1, 2014 at 1:00pm

STUART HEADS TO COLORADO

The Colorado Avalanche acquired defenseman Brad Stuart from the San Jose Sharks for a second-round draft pick in 2016 and a sixth-round draft pick in 2017.

What does it give the Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche get a very solid veteran defenseman in Stuart, who should help solidify their back end. He is more of a defensive defenseman at this stage of his career and may be a perfect fit playing alongside dynamic offensive defenseman {P Tyson Barrie}. This should help the Avs in terms of leadership and playoff experience, as well. A solid pickup for Colorado.

What does it give the San Jose Sharks
The Sharks want to rebuild. Some of their veterans ({P Joe Thornton} and {P Patrick Marleau}) are hesitant to leave, so they have to make other moves for now. Losing Stuart (and {P Dan Boyle} earlier) hurts their blueline for the here and now, but if GM Doug Wilson is serious about rebuilding he needs to make hard decisions. He did get very good value here for Stuart, at least.

Fantasy impact
Stuart might get a few more points in Denver but his fantasy value is not very high at this stage of his career. Don't expect much more than what he's been producing.