San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier has made a lot of trades and signings, highlighted by Erik Karlsson. Let’s see how the Sharks have fared since he took over. When Grier was hired, the Sharks needed a rebuild. He stripped down the roster, began to acquire assets, and gave younger players a chance to play. In stripping down the roster, he shipped off many players that were loved by fans. But were these the right moves, or did Grier not make the trades worthwhile?
Sharks GM Mike Grier’s Major Trades Starting With Brent Burns to Canes
The first trade that Grier made after taking over was sending Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a package that included Steven Lorentz, Eetu Makiniemi, and a 2023 conditional third-round pick. Grier had to trade Burns, as his large cap hit needed to be moved for cap flexibility. Lorentz played 80 games for San Jose, scoring ten goals and throwing the body, with 133 hits. He was moved to Florida for Anthony Duclair. Makiniemi is a goalie prospect who has posted a .900 save percentage or higher in every season of professional hockey. He got one start with San Jose in 2022, making 23 saves on 24 shots.
Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils
About one week before the 2024 NHL trade deadline, Grier sent Timo Meier and other assets to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a large group of players, including Fabian Zetterlund, Andreas Johnsson, Shakir Mukhamadullin and Nikita Okhotyuk, along with a first-round pick in 2023. He used the first-rounder to select Quentin Musty. Zetterlund and Mukhamadullin will be pieces of the Sharks’ core moving forward. Moreover, Musty had 102 points in 53 games in the OHL and will also be a core piece to San Jose’s success in the future.
Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins
After months of anticipation, the 2023 Norris Trophy winner was dealt to Pittsburgh. Mikael Granlund, Mike Hoffman, and Jan Rutta came back the other way. Granlund showcased his playmaking ability by notching 48 assists on a team that really struggled to score goals. However, he is 32 and in the final year of his contract, so Grier will likely look to move on from him during the season. Hoffman is currently an unrestricted free agent and is not likely to head back to the Bay. Grier also acquired a 2024 first-round pick in the deal that he later flipped for the 11th overall selection. That pick turned into defenceman Sam Dickinson, who many regarded as one of the top defensive prospects in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Tomas Hertl to the Vegas Golden Knights
It’s not often that you see a team trade a high-calibre player to their biggest rival, but that’s exactly what Grier did at this year’s trade deadline. He sent Hertl to Vegas for David Edstrom and a 2025 first-round pick. Edstrom is a two-way centre who projects to be in the top six of San Jose’s lineup.
Mike Grier’s Sharks Draft History Going back to the 2022 NHL Entry Draft
Grier was hired two days before the 2022 draft, so he wasn’t able to have full control of scouting and player evaluation. Despite the change in management, San Jose was able to come away with solid players who will have an opportunity to impress the Sharks brass at training camp, including Filip Bystedt, Cam Lund, and Mattias Havelid. Given the short time between being hired and the draft, Grier was able to select some good talent.
The Sharks 2023 Draft
After the first full year at the helm, Grier had nine picks to make, two being in the first round. With the fourth overall pick, he took Will Smith, who is going to be an integral part of the Sharks roster moving forward. As mentioned before, Musty was taken with the other first. In the second round, San Jose selected Kasper Halttunen, who is coming off a Memorial Cup win with the London Knights, who netted 17 goals in 18 games during London’s run. Grier also took Brandon Svoboda and Luca Cagnoni.
Finally the Most Recent 2024 Draft
The 2024 draft proved to be a franchise changer for San Jose. The Sharks selected first overall for the first time in franchise history, landing the consensus number-one prospect, Macklin Celebrini. Grier also landed Dickinson, who bolsters the Sharks’ defensive prospect pool. Grier gave the Sharks a cornerstone at both defence and centre. He also landed Igor Chernyshov, Leo Sahlin-Wallenius, and Carson Wetsch, each of whom figure to develop in the Sharks system.
There is no better source to confirm the news than himself.
Please say hello and hear from our new #SJSharks General Manager, Mike Grier.
pic.twitter.com/kIrBGAU14i
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) July 5, 2022
Future Outlook
Grier took control of a team that had not even started their rebuild. The team had a lot of big contracts on fan-favourite players and Grier made tough decisions to let some of these players go. Given the low-leverage position that Grier was in due to the contracts of players and the short time that he was in office, Grier was able to collect assets to kick off their long rebuild. He was also able to find franchise cornerstones both upfront and on the back end, in Celebrini and Dickinson. San Jose’s prospect pool is deep in all areas and, after a few long years of losing, San Jose will be in a spot to contend.
Main photo credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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