See you in the 2029 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Canadiens?<\/p>\n
The San Jose Sharks showed some of their best \u2014 and worst, almost blowing a 5-2 third period lead \u2014 in a thrilling 7-5 Tuesday victory over rising Eastern power Montreal.<\/p>\n
In particular, and it\u2019s just one night, but it was a vision statement for some of Mike Grier\u2019s boldest moves as GM.<\/p>\n
Will Smith<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Michkov is a fabulously-talented winger, and it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Collin Graf ties it up for #TheFutureIsTeal<\/a>! \u2014 JD Young (@MyFryHole) March 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Kiefer Sherwood<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n It\u2019s fine if they flip Sherwood, but stop the slander. What an effort. \ud83d\udcaa #SJSharks<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/c9LrUUW2Mj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 SnipeCity420 \uea00 (@SnipeCity420) March 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s 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 \u2014 Sherwood also scored the game-winner\u2014 is a combination of attributes that aren\u2019t widely duplicated around the league.<\/p>\n \u201cHe would help 32 teams,\u201d an NHL scout said about Kiefer Sherwood<\/a> in January.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 first Macklin Celebrini-led contender.<\/p>\n Yaroslav Askarov<\/p>\n Grier was also aggressive in his acquisition of top-flight Nashville Predators\u2019 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\u2019 2025 first-round pick.<\/p>\n And while Askarov\u2019s .865 Save % tonight won\u2019t inspire awe \u2014 it\u2019s been an up-and-down rookie campaign for the 23-year-old \u2014 the talent is undeniable.<\/p>\n YAROSLAV. ASKAROV. pic.twitter.com\/Q48Pv0AaK0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 JD Young (@MyFryHole) March 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n This is the puck-stopping ability that can win you a playoff series or two.<\/p>\n Remember that Askarov is a rookie \u2014 give him a chance to grow into the No. 1 job.<\/p>\n Zack Ostapchuk<\/p>\n The Ostapchuk trade and the Barclay Goodrow waiver claim have been the most widely-panned moves of Grier\u2019s regime.<\/p>\n Essentially, Grier traded fan favorite Fabian Zetterlund to the Ottawa Senators for Ostapchuk and a 2025 second-round pick.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought Chucky was flying tonight,\u201d Warsofsky said of Ostapchuk.<\/p>\n An NHL scout recently told San Jose Hockey Now that he\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n Giant, gritty, truly defensively-polished fourth-line centers, even if they don\u2019t score a lot, are highly-valued around the NHL, especially in the post-season.<\/p>\n And just 22, Ostapchuk has still got legitimate upside.<\/p>\n Look, tonight was just one game \u2014 Grier still has a lot of work to do to build a true Cup contender.<\/p>\n But tonight, if you squint a little, you could absolutely see his vision.<\/p>\n Kiefer Sherwood<\/p>\n Sherwood, on his forecheck puck battle win on Kirby Dach, which led to Alex Wennberg goal:<\/p>\n Yeah, just try to get in on the forecheck and hunt pucks\u2026I was just trying to look up after I got it. I was telling Wenny that I was just hoping someone was open. He\u2019s obviously smart and got himself in that position and then had a great shot.<\/p>\n Macklin Celebrini<\/p>\n Adam Gaudette<\/p>\n Gaudette agreed that #SJSharks<\/a>-Habs was a playoff-like atmosphere: “The way those guys play, is intense. Saw them a lot last year\u2026with 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\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Ryan Warsofsky<\/p>\n Warsofsky gives #SJSharks<\/a> 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.”<\/p>\n Winners of three-straight, I think they’re sending a message to GM Mike Grier<\/p>\n \u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1-1 pic.twitter.com\/zOynFDOkYe<\/a><\/p>\n