Anchorage Daily News

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Carle of Anchorage was traded Friday to the Tampa Bay Lightning as part of a multi-player deal, ending a frustrating West Coast stint for the former winner of the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's best player.

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Matt Carle

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Carle had two goals and 13 assists in 62 games last season, frequently getting benched by coach Ron Wilson.

Nevertheless, the Sharks had enough faith in Carle as recently as late November of last year to sign the former Denver University to a four-year contract extension worth $13.75 million.

Even as he signed, though, Carle was going through a period during which he was often a healthy scratch.

"It's been an up-and-down season, personally, more downs than ups,'' Carle said in November. "But our team is coming around, so that's good. It's been a little frustrating personally.''

San Jose general manager Doug Wilson repeatedly said Carle was part of the team's foundation for the long term, but at some point during the season that changed.

In Friday's deal, the Sharks acquired standout defenseman Dan Boyle from Tampa Bay, trading top prospect Ty Wishart in addition to Carle.

The Sharks also gave up a first-round pick in 2009 and a fourth-round choice in 2010.

San Jose made room for its new defensemen by trading veteran Craig Rivet to Buffalo for two second-round draft picks.

San Jose also lost defenseman Brian Campbell to Chicago on Tuesday in a lavish free-agent deal. But two days later, the Sharks signed longtime Los Angeles Kings captain Rob Blake to a one-year, $5 million free-agent contract. With the addition of Boyle, who waived his no-trade clause to join San Jose, the club replaced Campbell's passing skills with one of the NHL's top puck-moving defensemen.

Boyle and Blake also have championships on their resume, with Boyle playing a significant role in Tampa Bay's only Stanley Cup title in 2004.

Boyle missed the first half of last season with a wrist injury from a freak locker-room accident, but returned to score 25 points in 37 games. In February, Boyle signed a six-year, $40 million contract, which begins in the upcoming season.

The Lightning's new ownership group apparently was eager to rid itself of Boyle's large contract, but San Jose has been well under the salary cap for most of the three seasons since the league instituted a spending limit.

Wishart was a first-round draft pick two years ago.

Carle, 23, was originally selected by San Jose in the second round (47th overall) in the 2004 draft. In 151 NHL games with San Jose, Carle posted 63 points (16-47--63) and was named to the 2007 NHL All-Rookie Team. He appeared in 33 playoff games with the Sharks, collecting 9 points (2-7--9) and a plus 4 rating.

"We really feel that Matt will have tremendous success in this league," Wilson said on his team's Web site. "But you have to give to get and we felt that this move will ultimately help us get to where we want to get."

After first signing with San Jose, Carle promptly stepped into their lineup without the intermediate stop in the minor leagues necessary for most players his age.

Carle played the final 12 games of the 2005-06 season and all 11 of the Sharks' playoff games.

"You could tell he was a smart player right away,'' said Sharks star winger Jonathan Cheechoo said at the time. "He knew where to put passes, knew where to be. Those are things you can't teach. That's hockey sense.

"You knew he had something special.''

After a sizzling start to his first full season in the NHL, Carle's play fell off precipitously in December of 2006. At roughly the regular season's halfway point of 40 games -- as many as Carle ever played in a college season -- Wilson said the 6-foot, 205-pounder appeared physically tired and emotionally fatigued.

More and more, Wilson said, Carle looked burdened by pressure, much of it self-imposed. His play spiraled.

"His game went completely south,'' Wilson said.

Carle was briefly demoted to the American Hockey League, but flourished upon his return to the NHL, ending the campaign with 11 goals, 31 assists and a plus-9 rating.

But this past season, he played less frequently -- and less well.

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