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Sharks GM: Boyle, Havlat not returning; Burns returning to defense

Doug Wilson

San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson speaks to reporters following the NHL general managers’ meetings in Toronto, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Mark Blinch)

AP

It didn’t take long for the San Jose Sharks to start making decisions on the roster for next season.

Sharks GM Doug Wilson spoke on a conference call with the media today and said the team would not bring back defenseman Dan Boyle or forward Martin Havlat next season, as Kevin Kurz of CSNBayArea.com shares. While Boyle is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, Havlat has one more year left on his contract with a $5 million cap hit.

Presumably the Sharks will try to trade Havlat, but if they can’t find a taker the team still has both of its compliance buyouts.

Wilson also added that Brent Burns would be moved back to defense. With Boyle out of the picture, moving the puck-moving Burns back on the blue line makes sense. He spent the past season and a half playing forward and scored 22 goals this season.

The only surprising news out of this is Burns moving back to defense. While the Sharks gave extensions to Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, the 37-year-old Boyle was left out of the mix.

Havlat dealt with injury problems this season and appeared to fall out of favor with coach Todd McLellan as he played on the fourth line when was in the lineup. Even though Havlat’s agent Allan Walsh said his client was happy in San Jose in November, the team is moving on without him regardless.

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