“In Mike We Trust”? Zetterlund Trade Will Test That

Do you trust Mike Grier?

The Sharks GM says he didn’t go into the Trade Deadline planning to deal Fabian Zetterlund and Jake Walman.

So what happened?

Grier discussed the trades of two popular and productive players, the Sharks’ approach this summer to get out of the basement, and more.

Bridge or Core?

The Sharks valued Zetterlund and Walman, but they appeared to see them more as “bridge” players than core pieces.

I’m defining a core piece as a player that you’d gladly give a long-term contract to, as opposed to a short-term deal.

Walman had become San Jose’s de facto No. 1 defenseman and is signed until next year for $3.4 million AAV.

Did the Sharks see the 29-year-old as an essential piece for the next stage of the franchise? A defenseman that they’d want in his early 30’s, to help San Jose in the playoffs?

Apparently not.

Walman, for all his real skating and shooting and puck-moving talent, was inconsistent at both ends of the ice, in terms of engagement and decision-making.

“It was a price we couldn’t turn down,” Grier said, of the 2026 first-round pick that he got back for Walman from the Edmonton Oilers.

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