San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier’s muted reaction to getting the second-overall pick tells you everything you need to know about the team’s depth of talent in their prospect pool. Of course, Grier was excited, but San Jose has so many good young players that another top pick feels redundant, and likely leaves him with more questions than answers. Will the Sharks use the draft pick, trade down to accrue more assets, or trade the pick altogether for a top player that puts them closer to a playoff berth?
With Macklin Celebrini’s rise to being one of the league’s top players, San Jose wants to put their team in a position to win now. With that in mind, it’s likely that Grier thinks long and hard about trading the second overall pick for potentially a great defenseman. However, if they do use the pick to draft one of Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, they could get creative with landing a defenseman, according to Jeff Marek via the Sekeres and Price Show.
“If they keep the (#2) pick, I don’t necessarily think they take a defenseman. But if they take a forward, I think they use one of their other young players, William Eklund might be the obvious one here, to go out and get a defenseman… Everybody knows what the San Jose Sharks need. They need blueline,” Marek pondered.
The Sharks don’t have just three NHL defensemen under contract for next season, but they likely won’t fill those voids with depth pieces. Grier will likely take a big swing this offseason, but whether he connects on a deal remains to be seen.
San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier’s muted reaction to getting the second-overall pick tells you everything you need to know about the team’s depth of talent in their prospect pool. Of course, Grier was excited, but San Jose has so many good young players that another top pick feels redundant, and likely leaves him with more questions than answers.