Beniers protection? Kraken trade for big defenseman Jaycob Megna
Feb 5, 2023, 6:36 PM | Updated: 6:43 pm
Calgary's Trevor Lewis gets checked by San Jose's Jaycob Megna on Dec. 18, 2022. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Seattle Kraken have some new protection for rookie All-Star Matty Beniers.
The Kraken announced a trade Sunday night with the San Jose Sharks to bring big defenseman Jaycob Megna to Seattle.
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To complete the deal, San Jose receives a conditional fourth-round draft pick. Seattle will decide by June 15 which of its fourth-rounders in the 2023 NHL Draft it will send to the Sharks.
The 30-year-old Megna checks in at 6 foot 6 and 220 pounds. Jamie Oleksiak (6-7, 257) is the only other defenseman on Seattle’s roster who is bigger than Megna.
In 48 games this season, Megna has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) with a plus/minus of 6. He ranked fifth on the Sharks in both blocks (63) and hits (75) prior to the trade.
“Jaycob has shown with his play this season that he is a responsible defenseman that can be relied on in all situations,” Kraken general manager Ron Francis said in a press release. “He provides welcome depth to our defensive group and we are happy to have him join our organization.”
First of the year for @JaycobMegna! đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/woXA8Ioc7I
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 11, 2023
Megna, a left-handed shooter who was drafted in the seventh round by Anaheim in 2012, appeared in parts of three seasons with the Ducks before joining San Jose prior to last season. His 48 games this season are a career high.
Depth at defenseman, and particularly one who could provide protection for Beniers, was a clear need for Seattle ahead of the March 3 NHL trade deadline.
The 20-year-old Beniers has been a target for opposing teams this season, and he missed the All-Star Game festivities this weekend while recovering from an upper body injury suffered when he was hit by Vancouver defenseman Tyler Myers in the second period of a Jan. 25 game. Beniers appeared to hit his head on the ice on the play, with Myers drawing an interference penalty. Beniers returned to the game briefly in the same period but hasn’t played since, while Myers has become Public Enemy No. 1 to Seattle hockey fans for what has been seen as a cheap shot on the Kraken’s best young player.
The Pacific Division-leading Kraken return to action from a 10-day break with a road trip that starts Tuesday against the New York Islanders.
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