Latest news with #MikeGrier
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Henry Thrun Says This Is The Skill He's Most Excited To Bring To The Maple Leafs
Henry Thrun was immersed in the movie 'Top Gun' when his phone lit up with a call from San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier. The Toronto Maple Leafs had just acquired the defenseman for Ryan Reaves.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chargers place WR Mike Williams on Pup List 'The Insiders'
Sharks General Manager Grier Discusses New Acquisitions, Sets Expectations For Next Season Mike Grier spoke with the media after the San Jose Sharks acquired Ryan Reaves and Jeff Skinner earlier this week. The Sharks' general manager has high expectations for both of the acquisitions, but also for the team as a whole this coming season. 2:20 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
San Jose Sharks' 2025-26 projected depth chart, after veteran offseason additions
Being in the lower rungs of the NHL – and on the lowest rung for the last two years – has had some silver linings for the San Jose Sharks. They were in position to draft Will Smith at No. 4 pick in 2023, then Macklin Celebrini at No. 1 in 2024 then Michael Misa at No. 2 last month. Being terrible again could be a smart strategy, given that Gavin McKenna is the big prize in the 2026 draft. But the Sharks also learned, in this year's draft lottery, that having the worst record doesn't guarantee the No. 1 pick. And with a new core being built, they need to show Celebrini and other top youngsters that winning games — and not aiming for another top-five pick — is the franchise's direction. Advertisement Flush with a boatload of salary cap space, Sharks general manager Mike Grier didn't tie up his club with long-term, unmovable contracts this offseason that could block paths for his most promising prospects. But he did add several veterans. And in the case of Nick Leddy, John Klingberg and Dmitry Orlov, he added three veterans who been in 326 playoff games and know what's it like to play game-deciding minutes. 'It's important,' Grier said recently. 'Guys who have been kind of through the wars and knows what it takes to win. Our group's trying to figure that out. The third-period collapses or one-goal losses – these are the guys who've been in those situations where stakes are the highest and they've done well. All this stuff hopefully can rub off on our group and kind of push us forward a little bit.' The Sharks did some retooling while still knee-deep in their rebuild. How might their depth chart shake out? Among the flurry of moves Grier made to retool his roster, an important one addressed the future. Coming off an age-22 season in which he was second in points to Celebrini and increased his points-per-game from 0.56 to 0.75, William Eklund signed a three-year bridge extension on the first day he was eligible to do so. It's an indication of the young Swede being viewed as a true core piece. 'They obviously want to build something here and I want to be a part of it,' Eklund said. 'I think we got a good vision of what we want to do here with the Sharks.' This looks pretty good at the top, with Celebrini leading the way, Eklund and Smith at the front of a young supporting cast and Tyler Toffoli as the veteran influence who can still crush a meaty role. But the rest of the group leaves a lot to be desired when stacked up against deeper lineups. Trading Fabian Zetterlund might have involved some long-term strategy, but he was a certain second-line presence they could use now. Advertisement Adam Gaudette and Philipp Kurashev could be described as boom-or-bust bets. Gaudette rode a career-best 21.1 shooting percentage to 19 goals for Ottawa and is now benefitting from it with a two-year, $4-million contract. Even in his career season as a goal scorer, the 28-year-old averaged just 10:25 in ice time. Kurashev, 25, fizzled in Chicago after a glow-up 18-goal, 54-point season in 2023-24 in which he ran shotgun with Connor Bedard. He's on a one-year, $1.2 million deal, so maybe there will be contract year motivation. Until Friday's signing of Jeff Skinner, Gaudette and Kurashev were the best bets for the Sharks in terms of experienced offensive types to fit into their top two lines. The Sharks need someone who can produce secondary offense and they're the latest team to take a chance on Skinner. The 33-year-old seemed like a good fit for Edmonton last season as a potential finisher for all-world playmakers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. But Skinner was a big disappointment for the Oilers, as he had only 16 goals and 29 points in 72 games. Those totals were his lowest over a full 82-game season. After long stays with Carolina and Buffalo, in which those teams never advanced to the playoffs, Skinner finally got to the postseason with the Oilers but played in only five games. But with San Jose needing to get above the $70.6 million cap floor, taking on Skinner for one year and $3 million is worth trying to see if he can squeeze out a 20-goal season — he has 10 in his career — and be a potential trade piece in a few months. Swapping defenseman Henry Thrun for physical forward Ryan Reaves on Thursday added another $350,000 to the cap number. With all the moves, San Jose still has more than $20 million in cap space, and that factors in Logan Couture's $8 million cap number along with the buyouts of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Martin Jones and retained amounts of Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. There is still ample room to take on some salary and beef up the other lines, but the Sharks could choose to foster competition from within. Advertisement Where does Misa fit into this? After dominating the Ontario Hockey League, he could go play with his older brother, Luke, on a suddenly loaded Penn State club. But the 18-year-old center could win a job with the Sharks and be a potential 2C who pushes Smith to the wing, where he found great chemistry with Celebrini down the stretch last season. Misa isn't the only prospect who could push for a roster spot. A huge preseason from big, young forwards Quentin Musty, Igor Chernyshov or Kasper Halttunen could result in some early looks in a top-six role. When you consider that all three have only 13 total games of pro experience between them, it's quite a leap to go from mostly playing junior hockey right to putting up goals and points in the NHL. Collin Graf has enough playmaking to play up in the lineup. They've also got Cam Lund, Patrick Giles, Filip Bystedt and Ethan Cardwell to push for spots. Shane Bowers was also acquired from the New Jersey Devils for Thomas Bordeleau in a swap of minor leaguers who have had trouble sticking in the NHL. Again, it's too many bodies and not enough spots – with not enough of those available bodies being able or ready to be a top-pair bedrock. But it's a more credible San Jose blue line than the one that finished last season. There's been a heavy retool, with veterans who have capably handled top-four minutes — even if their best days may be behind them. Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg aren't a top pairing, but they could be the best for the Sharks right out the gate. If they can stay healthy, Orlov can handle some of the matchup minutes that have been loaded up on Mario Ferraro's plate, and Klingberg can give them a true power-play quarterback who is also a right-hand shot. The 32-year-old didn't have a good Stanley Cup Final with Edmonton, but he proved to be a valuable piece in the Oilers' playoff run. There are eight names listed above, and that doesn't include Sam Dickinson or Luca Cagnoni. The six defensemen who end up playing on opening night could be very different than what's listed above. Grier cleared some of the logjam by trading Thrun, who played in 60 games with San Jose. There will be incentive to play Leddy after the Sharks claimed him off waivers from St. Louis. But Dickinson will get a chance to crack the roster. Cagnoni got a six-game look after a big year with the Barracuda. The 19-year-old Dickinson doesn't have anything left to prove at the junior level after a monster OHL season in which he was the named the top defenseman in all of Canadian major junior hockey. There could be a path in which he plays a few games with the Sharks and mixes in a few games on an AHL conditioning stint before a try at winning World Juniors gold with Canada. And Grier floated the possibility that he might return to the London Knights as their captain. Advertisement Having Ferraro, Leddy, Klingberg, Timothy Liljegren and Vincent Desharnais in the lineup makes sense to enhance their trade value. Shakir Mukhamadullin's strong 30-game introduction should be something the Sharks build on. In his zeal to beef up a woeful defense, Grier has created a numbers game, and there will be more movement — whether it's before opening night, during the first few months of the season or just before the trade deadline. The difference in Yaroslav Askarov's numbers with the Sharks and with the AHL's Barracuda shows how much of a leap it is, not only to be a starting goalie in the NHL but also to have lasting success. At 23, Askarov is still in his NHL infancy with just 14 career starts, and there were up-and-down moments with the Sharks last season. But there is no denying the amount of raw talent he has, and now it's time to stick in the NHL for the long haul. The Sharks traded for Alex Nedeljkovic to support Askarov – and to give him a partner who is good enough to push him for starts. The 29-year-old Nedeljkovic hasn't duplicated his terrific rookie season, in which he was a Calder Trophy finalist for Carolina, and he's been below average on some middling Detroit and Pittsburgh teams. Basically, he isn't going to lift a club up a club for a full season, but he can be sparkling on given nights and is serviceable enough to provide 30 to 35 starts. As of now, Gabriel Carriere could become the No. 3 with a strong season. Carriere, 24, doesn't have a ton of pro experience but he did get in 22 games with the Barracuda last season and had an .894 save percentage with two shutouts. He had another 25 in the ECHL with the Wichita Thunder and performed well to earn the bump up in levels. The Sharks did sign Jakub Skarek, 25, on Thursday as an experienced AHL goalie to pair with him. (Photo of Will Smith: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
NHL free agency gets hotter as $7.5 million salary cap surge fuels wild bidding wars
NHL (via Getty Images) The National Hockey League's ( NHL ) 2025 free agency season is going to blow up with activity, thanks to a record $7.5 million jump in the salary cap. With numbers going from $88 million to $95.5 million, general managers leaguewide are preparing for a crazy summer. While there isn't as much superstar depth in the free agent class, there is so much cap space available that it will create a heated bidding war for mid-tier players and role players. Salary cap increase propels NHL into an aggressive offseason The raise of the salary cap by the NHL to $95.5 million has turned the offseason into an open market frenzy. The Florida Panthers have already made a move to secure playoff MVP Sam Bennett, and the Mitch Marner situation remains front and center. The potential 100-point seller might be traded out of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and his rights have reportedly been coveted by the Vegas Golden Knights before he can technically become an official open-market player. General managers such as the San Jose Sharks' Mike Grier expect a very busy season. 'I think it'll be busy,' San Jose general manager Mike Grier said. 'You have some teams that are coming out of their rebuild. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Barefoot Shoe Has Seniors Walking Off the Weight Barefoot Vitality Learn More Undo You got some teams that want to take the next step as far as playoffs-wise, stuff like that. And you have maybe a situation where it's not the strongest free agent class. So, I think you have to kind of combine all these things with the cap going up. ' Is The NHL Salary Cap Good Or Bad For Hockey? - Hockey Fan Network Also in the mix are star names such as Mikael Granlund, who paced eligible players in scoring last year with 66, and Nikolaj Ehlers, who produced 0.91 points per game. The Florida Panthers will have either Brad Marchand or Aaron Ekblad on the market if they decide to move him. While some teams have loaded war chests to pursue free agents, others are signaling a more conservative approach. Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois stated, 'I do expect us to be quiet. I want to manage expectations. I don't expect anything from us—certainly nothing major.' The Florida Panthers, who are two-time Stanley Cup champions in a row, also look for minimal additions. With Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart's roster being the foundation, the focus is on internal continuity rather than external spending. One surprise mover has been the Utah Mammoth, which traded for and extended rising winger JJ Peterka in a bold move to accelerate their playoff hopes in just their second year. But even aggressive general managers like Bill Armstrong caution against short-sighted spending. "We do have to be smart about it. You see those teams last year that they won the summer. They crushed it. They didn't win the winter,' he warned. Also read: NHL Free Agency: Connor McDavid's next decision could reshape the league's power structure this offseason Be it a retooling on purpose or a fearless push to win it all, the fiscal choices made within the next few days may reverberate throughout the league for generations to come. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
New York Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How will the Sharks approach this offseason?: ‘We could use a lot of things'
Long-range vision is what carries the San Jose Sharks through these days as they imagine eventually moving out of the NHL basement into higher floors, leaving a collection of disheartening and ugly losses for another team to rummage through. In this vision, Macklin Celebrini is putting fans on the edge of their seats — and then lifting them out of them — while Will Smith is creating magic alongside him, or dictating the game on his own line. Quentin Musty and Igor Chernyshov are providing a power complement to the slender and surprisingly feisty William Eklund as three wingers who can make plays and finish around the net. Sam Dickinson is directing and attacking from the back end for added dynamism. Yaroslav Askarov is stoning opposing forwards with game-changing saves. Advertisement The Sharks have amassed a bevy of young top-of-the-lineup type talent. Six straight years outside the playoffs — including the worst record in the league for two years running — helps a team build a new core in a major rebuilding effort. And they added to that on Friday by drafting Michael Misa with the No. 2 overall pick, which had been long projected. The Sharks have collected prized prospects. They're developing them into NHL players. Now they've got to construct a full team. Building one that can win and moving into the NHL penthouse is the hardest step. 'We've got to surround them with the right pieces,' Sharks general manager Mike Grier said. 'We don't want to put too much on these kids and feel like they got to carry the franchise. We got to surround them with the right pieces, right vets. The right guys that are maybe in their mid-20s or so. 'We got to put some pieces around them and keep building. And not get complacent in any parts in the organization, from myself to the coaching staff to the players. To get better and turn the corner, everyone's got to put in the work and be willing to push themselves and try and be better every day.' The Sharks started that process last offseason by signing Tyler Toffoli, a past Stanley Cup champion, to a four-year, $24 million contract, but even his team-leading 30 goals weren't nearly enough to generate more victories. They've got Alex Wennberg and Barclay Goodrow as other example-leading veterans and they used draft and prospect capital to acquire Askarov, who's expected to grab the No. 1 goalie job. It has been a patient rebuild to this point. And it figures to stay that way for now. The Sharks have more than $44 million of salary cap space, and that's counting Logan Couture's $8 million, which will help them reach the cap floor of $70.2 million even though the center will no longer play because of injury. With no potentially expensive restricted free agents to re-sign this summer, Grier has all sorts of financial flexibility to upgrade his roster and make it more competitive. Advertisement But unless he's sending out a giant smokescreen, Grier has signaled his preference to target free agents that won't be seeking max-term contracts. Think deals closer to four years than something in the seven-year range. 'I'm not in any rush to hand out a seven- or eight-year contract to someone in their late 20s or early 30s,' Grier said in a pre-draft availability last week. Besides, it's possible that most of the biggest free agents won't make it to market when it opens Tuesday. Sam Bennett was determined to stay with the Florida Panthers and Mitch Marner could be headed to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade. Does that mean the Sharks will make plays for next-level players such as Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, Nikolaj Ehlers or even Brock Boeser? It doesn't seem likely. But could they address a subpar defense by targeting Dmitry Orlov, Nate Schmidt, Nick Perbix or Matt Grzelcyk? Any of them should be available for a deal that won't be long and prohibitive. Going after Vladislav Gavrikov or Ivan Provorov wouldn't seem to make much sense, because they don't want to block Dickinson's development or that of fellow youngsters Shakir Mukhamadullin (23) and Luca Cagnoni (20). With plenty of cap space, the Sharks will be active. They need help in 'everything,' as Grier recently said. Just don't count on them emptying the financial tank now. 'You watched the games, right?' Grier quipped. 'We got a lot of work to do up here. We're starting to lay the foundation, but we need to get better on the back end. One, we got to keep the pucks out of our net, for sure. That's probably priority one. We've got to get a goalie to kind of support Asky here and push Asky. And then up front, there's holes up front, too. We got some good vets that played well — Wenny and Goody and Toff. Those guys played well for us last year. Mack and Will played well. And then we'll have some internal competition with (Collin Graf) and Chernyshov and Musty and those types of guys. Advertisement 'Yeah, there's lots of holes. We could use a lot of things.' Misa should help at some point soon. The 18-year-old might not be a phenom on the level of Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in 2026, or even Celebrini, but Misa led Canadian major junior hockey with 134 points (including 62 goals) in just 65 regular-season games this season as captain of the Ontario Hockey League's Saginaw Spirit. The Sharks view Misa as a center because of his well-balanced, 200-foot game, as he combines good defensive presence with an ability to set up teammates and finish plays himself. Grier insisted that the Sharks had Misa at No. 2 on their board 'for quite a while' even though rumors circulated that they were considering Anton Frondell or Porter Martone. 'He's a dual threat,' Grier said of Misa. 'Can score and shoot and make plays and competes hard. He's got pretty much everything you look for at someone in the middle of the rink. We're excited to be able to get him.' Added Chris Morehouse, the Sharks' director of amateur scouting: 'His defensive play isn't talked about as much because of the offensive production. But he does have strength. He does have ability to maintain and hold in the middle of the ice. Obviously, yes, it'll be up to him, but we are projecting him as a center.' The Sharks are considering moving Smith back to center, but he struggled there in the first half of his rookie season before improving in the second half when he was moved to wing and found great chemistry with Celebrini. And while he played on the wing for the Spirit in 2023-24, Misa took off last season in the middle, and he could be the Sharks' second-line center of the future. Or sooner, if Misa has his way. It is possible that he will head to Penn State and play with his older brother, Luke. But making the San Jose roster out of training camp also is on his mind. Advertisement 'I think that's kind of for my game to decide,' Misa said. 'I've got to prove myself. You know, I believe when I'm at my best, I'm making guys around me better. I think I play with good offensive ability. We'll see what happens.' As for the Sharks, it's all about the vision and not straying too far from it. While it may be tempting to bag another season and try to land McKenna next summer, it's time to show Celebrini and the greater hockey world that San Jose is moving upward and can be an attractive location for free agents, for reasons beyond great weather and lifestyle. 'I would say the focus is more to try to improve the roster,' Grier said. 'But there's 31 other teams and GMs out there that have all big ideas this time of year like ourselves. Things they want to do and things they hope they can accomplish. You never know. You might get to August and maybe you need to take a contract on and get a sweetener to take that on. Get a pick or a prospect or something to help build this thing. 'But for sure the plan is to try and push it forward and be a better team and improve the roster for this season.' (Photo of Michael Misa: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
