Sharks acquire rights to D Stuart

Jun 10, 2012 - 9:08 PM San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - The San Jose Sharks acquired the rights to defenseman Brad Stuart from the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday in exchange for forward Andrew Murray and a conditional draft selection in 2014.

San Jose now maintains the exclusive rights to negotiate a new contract with the defenseman, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

"We are very happy to acquire Brad's rights prior to July 1 and are hopeful that we can come to an agreement on a new contract," Sharks vice president and general manager Doug Wilson said. "Brad is a player we are very familiar with -- a physical, team-first defenseman who is tough to play against, which is exactly the kind of mentality we want our team to possess."

Stuart spent the past four-plus seasons in Detroit, and registered 21 points and a plus-16 rating in 81 regular season games last season. He also played 377 games with the Sharks from 1999-2005.

The 13-year NHL veteran has appeared in 876 career regular season games with San Jose, Boston, Calgary, Los Angeles and Detroit, amassing 305 points and 489 penalty minutes.

Murray played 39 games for San Jose last season and posted one goal to go with three assists.