San Jose Sharks
Sharks Locker Room: For One Night, Grier’s Vision Crystal-Clear
See you in the 2029 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Canadiens?
The San Jose Sharks showed some of their best — and worst, almost blowing a 5-2 third period lead — in a thrilling 7-5 Tuesday victory over rising Eastern power Montreal.
In particular, and it’s just one night, but it was a vision statement for some of Mike Grier’s boldest moves as GM.
Will Smith
Remember when a legion of fans and pundits, including yours truly, expressed doubt over the Sharks selecting Smith with the fourth-overall pick of the 2023 Draft, over the more-hyped Matvei Michkov?
Remember when Smith started last year, his rookie season, slowly, with six goals and 15 points in 40 games, while Michkov won Rookie of the Month last October for the Philadelphia Flyers, en route to a Calder Trophy-worthy campaign?
Michkov has struggled in his sophomore season, amidst questions about his off-season conditioning and defensive play. Smith, meanwhile, while also needing work on his two-way game, is on the verge of his first 20-goal season, with 19 goals and 43 points in just 46 games.
Michkov is a fabulously-talented winger, and it’s too early to say if Smith will have a better career than him, but we can also see now, for a variety of reasons, why Grier opted for Smith.
Like Michkov, Smith is an offensive savant, but perhaps without the coachability concerns that have dogged the Russian winger throughout his admittedly still young career.
Collin Graf ties it up for #TheFutureIsTeal!
1-1 pic.twitter.com/zOynFDOkYe— JD Young (@MyFryHole) March 4, 2026
Kiefer Sherwood
Grier paid a heavy price, two second-round picks, to acquire Sherwood from the Vancouver in January. No doubt, that has contributed to unfair expectations of the gritty scoring winger.
Sherwood is more than just goals and hits, as we saw in this one-on-one puck battle win over Kirby Dach, which led to an Alex Wennberg strike.
It’s fine if they flip Sherwood, but stop the slander. What an effort. 💪 #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/c9LrUUW2Mj
— SnipeCity420 (@SnipeCity420) March 4, 2026
There’s a reason why Grier, and really, the entire NHL, has such high regard for Sherwood, and see him as a winning complementary winger. The will displayed in that one-on-one puck battle, along with skill — Sherwood also scored the game-winner— is a combination of attributes that isn’t widely duplicated around the league.
“He would help 32 teams,” an NHL scout said about Kiefer Sherwood in January.
Keep the pending UFA or not, tonight was exactly why Grier traded for the 30-year-old. You can absolutely see him as the heart and soul of the Sharks’ first Macklin Celebrini-led contender.
Yaroslav Askarov
Grier was also aggressive in his acquisition of top-flight Nashville Predators’ goaltending prospect Askarov in the summer of 2024, for the equivalent of two-first round picks, 2023 No. 32 pick David Edstrom and the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2025 first-round pick.
And while Askarov’s .865 Save % tonight won’t inspire awe — it’s been an up-and-down rookie campaign for the 23-year-old — the talent is undeniable.
YAROSLAV. ASKAROV. pic.twitter.com/Q48Pv0AaK0
— JD Young (@MyFryHole) March 4, 2026
This is the puck-stopping ability that can win you a playoff round or two.
Remember that Askarov is a rookie, behind an often-porous defense — give him a chance to grow into the No. 1 job.
Zack Ostapchuk
The Ostapchuk trade and the Barclay Goodrow waiver claim have been the most widely-panned moves of Grier’s regime.
Essentially, Grier traded fan favorite Fabian Zetterlund to the Ottawa Senators for Ostapchuk and a 2025 second-round pick.
And while the loss of Zetterlund still stings Sharks fans (and best friend William Eklund), Ostapchuk is cementing himself as a playoff-caliber fourth-line center.
“I thought Chucky was flying tonight,” Warsofsky said of Ostapchuk.
An NHL scout recently told San Jose Hockey Now that he’d trade a second-rounder right now for 6-foot-4 Ostapchuk. Think also about 6-foot-6 center Michael McCarran, who just went for a second to the Minnesota Wild.
Giant, gritty, truly defensively-polished fourth-line centers, even if they don’t score a lot, are highly-valued around the NHL, especially in the post-season.
And just 22, Ostapchuk has still got legitimate upside.
Look, tonight was just one game — Grier still has a lot of work to do to build a true Cup contender.
But tonight, if you squint a little, you could absolutely see his vision.
Kiefer Sherwood
Sherwood, on his forecheck puck battle win on Kirby Dach, which led to Alex Wennberg goal:
Yeah, just try to get in on the forecheck and hunt pucks…I was just trying to look up after I got it. I was telling Wenny that I was just hoping someone was open. He’s obviously smart and got himself in that position and then had a great shot.
Macklin Celebrini
Adam Gaudette
Gaudette agreed that #SJSharks-Habs was a playoff-like atmosphere: "The way those guys play, is intense. Saw them a lot last year…with Ottawa, so it's always a fun game. They got a lot of good players over there, and they play with some jam. And that team's come a long way as…
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 4, 2026
Ryan Warsofsky
Warsofsky gives #SJSharks a lot of credit for how they've handled lead-up to 3/6 Trade Deadline: "They've really blocked out & ignored the outside noise of what's coming here."
Winners of three-straight, I think they're sending a message to GM Mike Grier
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 4, 2026
What an exciting and tense game! So fun to be a Sharks fan this season.
Undoubtedly, a big win on many levels for the Sharks and the brass. Two young teams at different stages of a rebuild. Montreal a little ahead of the Sharks on overall talent and speed, a more balanced team, upset by the less impressive team, and pointing to what the future could hold in store for them and how their picks have added up in this win. Sherwood, Misa, Gaudette, and, of course the Mack crew, plus Askarov, who made some incredible saves and held on and went the distance this time. The line changes that Warso tinkered with really made… Read more »
Regenda for Goodrow is the change I would love to see.
And while it’s debatable Montreal has more overall talent, I’ll take the Sharks rebuild over the next decade every day of the week.
Probably the Lane Hutson pick is the difference-maker for the Habs, because Mike hasn’t really hit on anything outside the top five of the draft… so far. Unless I’m forgetting someone🤪
I think some of the guys Grier has drafted out of the top 5 will hit eventually. Dickinson and Chernyshov almost certainly… Bystedt and Musty have a good chance.
BUT… I’m not sure any will hit as high as Hutson has (maybe Dickinson, he’s got the size and wheels)
Igor and Dickey! Very excited about them. Dickey has really looked sharp and explosive as of late and Igor could be a poor man’s Slafkofsky eventually which is high praise.
Their backend with Hutson and Dobson is what the Sharks need then I think our F group is better than theirs. So, right now, the talent is on the Habs’ side.
Mike came to the office, will start dialing 😅
I feel like Grier is so close to the vest that it’s impossible to predict how much or little he’ll do. I am hopeful he somehow adds a top 4 defender. For all my hate of Ferraros game, he’s been half decent with Shak, as usual. I hope they upgrade on him.
It’s also not entirely up to him. It’s the market. If nobody is putting a difference-making addition on the market for a price that makes sende, he can only bide his time.
It sounds like there are at least a handful of guys available. If he can’t trade for anyone I would try and sign Anderson in UFA.
Amazing win, but I’m sure getting pushed around so badly that it caused a dramatic shift in momentum, resulting in giving up a three-goal lead in the third period—along with giving up five total—isn’t the blueprint the Sharks brass had imagined. But all’s well that ends well.
That’s the thing. People pan having veterans like Goodrow on the roster and paying for grit guys like Sherwood. They want more kids who never been in the NHL playoffs instead. But if you put a bunch of kids high on skill but low on experience, they can get caught out when teams (and refs) switch gears and go into playoff hockey. You need some experience with guys who have been through it all and won Stanley Cups like Goodrow in the mix, even if his legs aren’t what they used to be.
I’m just going to keep saying it. If the sharks can make a trade for a true top pairing defenseman, even if it’s one a bit older but can be here for the next 3-4 years, they have enough pieces to fill out the rest of the lineup and get to work in the playoffs. They’ll need more to be a true contender, but those will come through developing prospects (hopefully) and free agency.
In two years when Mcdavid arrives it’ll be go time!
This could be prophetic.
That would make sense. I’m pretty sure Burns’s beard is a mystical artifact, so prophecies wouldn’t be out of character!
From Emily Kaplan’s deadline update article at ESPN:
How odd. I was reliably informed just yesterday that the deadline is when prices go up.
It’s a buyer’s market but nobody is selling. Weird, right?
The only two trades so far this week are two useless piles of trash for real picks. Doesn’t seem like prices are low
I would offer that, while not a game changer, Connor Murphy isn’t a useless pile of trash. He would have been an improvement on most of the Sharks defensemen. But your point re prices apparently being strong for less-than-elite talent is a good one.
its really weird in the NHL trade market. The changes to the cap and bargaining agreement have really changed the way talent is moving. There’s a new reality and I’m not quite sure what it is. But it does appear to value growing talent from within over acquiring via free agency. As free agency diminishes, the other major method to acquire talent is trade. My sense is that’ll make acquisitions more expensive. But the trade market is always about buyers and sellers, so short-term considerations can override longer term trends at any given point. Meanwhile, cap space is a diminishing… Read more »
That seems to fly in the face of the BS AI Al is peddling…
I should add that I think the real issue is there’s nobody who is actually good and available and the teams selling crap want a shit ton for their crap and the buyers are trying to psyche themselves up for it
I think there is definitely an issue with supply, probably because of the rising cap and everyone being able to keep their guys. I think of this when thinking about the team’s decision to re-sign Wennberg. I have no doubt that when they signed him a couple years ago it was with the thought they’d be able to deal him for something worthwhile this year. But a combination of the team’s timeline moving up and Wennberg’s desire to stay changed that. And I like Wennberg fine, totally cool with him sticking around. Shouldn’t stick on the power play but that’s… Read more »
Well, they already have the next guy in waiting, and that’s Misa. And Misa might not even be waiting anymore. As for Bystedt, would love to see the team clear a couple guys out and make room for him to get a cup of coffee this season. But having Wennberg around is still super valuable. If he had been on the market, he would have fetched a first and then some for sure, we can be really confident of that. And he is the poster boy of the new caponomics. 2 years ago, 2 years and $5M for him was… Read more »
This is exactly how most deadline weeks are. There’s usually a few early movers the day before and then a lot the morning of. Any Mensa member taking victory laps 3 days before the deadline is desperate for attention.
The only thing reliable with you is your ignorance and desperate need to cling to any shred you can find to try and prop up your dumb opinions. I’m surprised you don’t quote Hockeybuzz regularly. Clearly no one ever hugged you as a kid or commended you for anything ever. It’s fascinating why you even comment here…
Bruh. You didn’t know?? Al is THE Eklund from HB
Nah, can’t be. Eklund actually seems like he might be a nice dude. Good on him for making a career out of fictional trades. He should be our hero. That ain’t AI Al, Aka Double D.
I’ll take this as an admission of your incorrectness yesterday. You lash out when you know you’ve been schooled hard.
So dumb and delusional. Really interesting dealing with a high level narcissist. You remind me of my mother in law. At least she made a hot daughter. Doubt you’ve achieved anything worthwhile. You sound like the black knight from the Holy Grail. I guess we’ll see buddy.😘 if he gets signed we’ll never know. Going to be an interesting few days though.
Man, you’re really crashing out hard.
I have a theory that you guys are actually one person.
Where would the fun be in that? Nah, I’m the one who has family that loves him.
That’s all you got? Seriously? You’re such a humorless troll.
Sherwood Forrest Puck Hunter would be fun. He’s the type needed for playoff successes. Quite clear GMMG is not building to win the Prez Trophy.
Can’t help thinking Mack dishing off to Gaudette for the empty netter was the future captain rewarding teammate for his diving effort.
So here goes. I don’t think GMMG is pursuing the right strategy. I can rationalize his strategy, there are good reasons for it. The “playing meaningful games” argument is legit. Against his strategy, Grier is executing well. The key move was to re-sign Wennberg. That was a ‘win soon’ move. That’s the phase the team is in now. One of the things I’ve said about organizations is they need to be honest. More than anything else, Mike Grier brought that change. he deserves full marks. Sharks are like everyone else on this front, but it’s easy to fool yourself. On… Read more »
I agree with most of what you wrote. Whether the OT record is flukey or not, and I contend it’s a lot less flukey because of Celebrini, it’s a mirage because playoffs aren’t played at 3 on 3. I think the key will be making sure the team is ready to pounce when the next big D man comes available. The Sabres turning into a good team took Dahlin and Power out of the mix and that sucks, but the next unicorn will come up in the next couple years. And I think there will be the opportunity to level… Read more »
Someone remarked I have disdain for ‘3v3’. They were kind of right. I think 3v3 is really fun. It a fun gimmick. If you need to decide a winner each game, its better than a shootout. So there is that. There’s a lot of random in 3v3 and yes, to your point, its not part of playoff hockey. At the end of regulation, Sharks are 18-25-16 (W-L-tied). That’s not a good record. The only teams with fewer regulation wins are NYR, VAN and LAK. Sharks get to OT about the league average, but they win way above league average. The… Read more »
I’m so shocked you don’t think Grier is doing it right. Why is this the first I’m hearing about this from you? 😉 reality is, he’s traded for one guy so far this season. Your complaints are silly buddy. At least let him “screw up” before you write your thesis. 🙂 There’s a reason Grier is running an NHL franchise, 1 of 32 similar jobs in the world, and you and I are commenting here.
Yep. We are just armchair GMs and coaches here. Fun to speculate and banter about who should be doing what. But at the end of the day? We’re not the paid professionals.
I disagree. I think Grier is going to stand pat at the deadline, and we’ll still make the playoffs. I believe Grier has a plan that he’s sticking to, and this season’s surprise success is not going to change that.
I do not think GMMG made the moves he has due to a change in strategy. I think they fall right in line with it. So far this season he has done what? 1) Claimed Iorio off of waivers – Cost nothing and filled a hole for a team beset by injuries while taking a swipe at a young guy. Did not change anything. 2) Traded for Brossoit and Allan – Brossoitt was needed for the Cuda as their goaltending has been subpar all season. Allan is an improvement over Furlong who had no future and is taking first pair… Read more »
Yeesh, Tyler Myers somehow draws a 2nd from Dallas. Can’t imagine Ferraro or even Klingberg having less value than 35 year-old Myers.
Can Sharks do Sherwood + 2nd for Lian Bishel?!!
and yes, I can imagine Klingberg having less value than Myers. But Ferraro is probably worth more. He’s having his best NHL season.
Isn’t Myers like 10 feet tall?
No, he’s 11’ tall
He’s fucking Stone’enge.
Has the same age and velocity too.
😂
😆
Sounds like Sherwood is about done and signed
Sounds like Grier is going to cave to Sherwood’s demand on a deal based on the most recent rumors. I really hope it works out down the road. Could be a legit detrimental contract in years 4 and 5 if he doesn’t age well.
I’m curious what sort of trade protections he gets. For the money, he really shouldn’t. Yeah, he’s gonna fall off but that’s just kind of the nature of signing guys.
If they have the ability to deal him when it’s time, even if for little return, that helps a lot. Just don’t do the Goodrow thing with him.
I just wrote this, almost, exact same thing. As long as it doesn’t have a NTC or NMC I think under $5 per is a great signing
FYI the rumor is he will be getting near $30M so closer to 5×6 than 5×5.
Shit. I misread the comment. That’s a fucking terrible deal. WITH trade protection? Jfc
The tail risk is really high. Players this physical tend not to last.
Wilson’s era fell apart when he started doing the bigger and longer deals … that aged badly.
EK65, Jones, Vlasic, Kane among them.
I’d have preferred shorter term at more $$ per year.
Sherwood signs today! Insiders five years under six million. MG great add!
As long as there is not a NTC or NMC that sounds like a great deal
Looks like there is are some trade protections in place, but the details hasn’t be released yet.
He’s got a kid on the way so term and stability is also a major consideration for him and that’s understandable.
I don’t mind the signing. If the cap continues to rise at this crazy pace like I think it will, the money will be not too big a deal when the contract is up
It’s 5 years / $5.75M AAV. Pretty much what he wanted. To a certain extent, he had the team over a barrel because if they dealt him, it would have been pretty deflating. But he probably would have gotten this deal on the open market, he was willing to play in San Jose, he’s pretty good, he’s going to be a great presence in the room, we saw what he can do on the ice… It’s going to be fine. Now, Grier can pretty much entirely focus on improving the D, which isn’t a bad spot to be… if he… Read more »
Sherwood gets 5×5.75 and there are trade protections (no details on those). Seems like Grier completely caved to Sherwood and his agent.
It’s the position he put himself in. Nothing else he could do. Flip him for not much, because he was never getting the same or better return now, or pay him what he wanted. Losing two second rounders for a couple months of Sherwood with this team would put him in lame duck status.
Sherwood’s agent is not a small child, so he knew this too.
Keep telling yourself that he wouldn’t have gotten much if he traded him. Whatever helps you sleep at night.
thought it will be 5×5, hard to argue when player gets paid, a small discount from 30
Let’s all hope and pray that there is a situation in 5 years where this contract matters. That would be a good problem to have, because it would mean the team is contending for real.
2 no defense teams, throwing blind passes are entertaining but it’s not playoffs hockey.
Here are the trade protections on Sherwood’s deal
Full NTC in 2026-27
16-team NTC in 2027-28
13-team NTC in 2028-29
10-team NTC in 2029-30
5-team NTC in 2030-31
I agree with your sentiments Sheng. GMMG is building a roster for the immediate and long term future. A roster is populated by players playing complimentary styles and GMMG is slowly adding those elements the Sharks are bereft of. Like all fans I did not like the Zetterlund trade initially, but Chucky has done nothing but improve since he has joined the Sharks, and at 22 there is a lot of runway for him to raise his game further. Funny, but the knock against him was his skating speed which has now become a strength. The second round pick that… Read more »
Anyone who thought Ostapchuk’s skating was a knock against him just had no clue what they were talking about. He’s always been extremely fast. He was the fastest Shark per NHL Edge Stats in the 2024/2025 season.
Curious if anyone else has thought about a potential trade with the Blues for Robert Thomas? I am wondering if something like Misa for him straight up would be a “hockey trade” for each team. They get a #1 center that better matches their new rebuild timeline and we get our #2 center that matches our now accelerated timeline based on Macklin dragging us out of a rebuild faster than we anticipated.
Not one bit.
I want to hear about zero trades to the Sharks that don’t address this brutal defense.
No, Misa is untouchable. The trade you propose is how you end up in a forever rebuild
Just so we know what we are watching here, Misa is basically a point a game now and he just turned 19 and he still has a ton of room to grow physically. This puts him in super rarified air. Sure, he’s not there yet, but only 14 active players are averaging better than that in their careers right now. Only about 30 guys are doing it this year. Between Mack and Will and Misa, the Sharks have 3 crazy high end offensive guys. Sure, the Maple Leafs have shown us how this can go wrong, but I’ll go ahead… Read more »
That is fair. I asked the question because I think Thomas would be a good comp for who Misa could become and it’d allow us to fast forward to match the timeline Macklin has created instead of waiting for a teenager to catch up.
Really? Because Robert Thomas is 26. It isn’t like he is 30+. I can only see Misa being untouchable if you think he projects to be significantly better than Thomas who is a point-per-game 1st line center.
Misa has a much higher ceiling than Thomas. Whether he gets there remains to be seen, but Misa is basically a point per game for what is now more than half the games he has played in the NHL, at age 18/19. Thomas is a point per game center in his prime (right now).
Read a rumor that Nemec might be available again, possibly even as a slightly distressed asset… Maybe the team takes a shot