Why the Brad Stuart Trade was Great for Both Sides

        Yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings traded soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Brad Stuart's negotiating rights to the San Jose Sharks for forward Andrew Murray and a conditional 2012 7th round draft pick. This move benefits both sides, as Brad Stuart wanted to go to San Jose to be with his family, who currently resides there. This will be Stuart's second stint with the Sharks. Detroit knew Stuart would not re-sign with them on July 1st, so they wanted to get something in return for the loss of Stuart. That is a very smart move by Detroit general manager Ken Holland, as he found a way to get something, in a conditional 2012 seventh round pick and Andrew Murray, in losing a great two-way defenseman in Brad Stuart. The loss of Stuart also frees up some salary cap space, which the Red Wings could use to go after free agents like Ryan Suter, Alexander Semin, and Zach Parise in the offseason. 
        The addition of Brad Stuart is huge for the San Jose Sharks, as it adds another solid defenseman to its already depth-filled defensive core. With the likes of Dan Boyle, Brent Burns, Douglas Murray, Marc-Edouard Vlassic, and now Brad Stuart, the San Jose Sharks now have a defensive core that has the potential to win championships. Look for the Sharks to be a force to be reckoned with next season, and it all starts with their dominant defensemen. This move also benefits Brad Stuart, as he wanted to go back to San Jose in order to be closer to his family. Now he has that, along with being apart of a great organization in the San Jose Sharks, which has the potential to be successful in this league.