{"id":311352,"date":"2026-05-12T03:04:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T03:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/311352\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T03:04:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T03:04:19","slug":"sharks-grier-always-willing-to-listen-but-trading-for-2nd-pick-will-be-expensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/311352\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharks’ Grier Always Willing To Listen, But Trading For 2nd Pick Will Be Expensive"},"content":{"rendered":"

The San Jose Sharks lucked out at the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery<\/a>, as they moved from the 9th pick to the 2nd pick.<\/p>\n

Despite not showing emotions on the broadcast, Sharks GM Mike Grier<\/a> was elated about the move up the draft. The 2026 NHL Draft<\/a> is the third straight draft in which Team Teal has selected a top-two pick, and the fourth straight in the top four.<\/p>\n

After securing the No. 1 overall selection in 2024 and the No. 2 overall selection in 2025, the San Jose Sharks have secured the No. 2 overall selection in the 2026 NHL draft\u203c\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/OGGXgS1rbk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ESPN (@espn) May 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cShocked, really. You never know what\u2019s going to happen and how the\u00a0balls are going to bounce. It\u2019s kind of happy and\u00a0excited. It\u2019s a good day for the organization,\u201d Grier told reporters following the lottery. <\/p>\n

Then came the questions about whether he\u2019d be open to moving the No. 2 overall pick.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always open to listening to what\u2019s out there, and if people have ideas or thoughts, I\u2019ll listen. We\u2019ll kind of go from there,\u201d Grier said. <\/p>\n

Sure, he\u2019s willing to listen to offers; it is his job, too. On multiple occasions since taking over as the GM of the San Jose Sharks, Grier has said he will listen. He admitted to listening to calls for the 2024 No. 1 pick, which was Macklin Celebrini<\/a>. He also admitted that the amount of time he listened to offers for that pick was very short.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got some good [trade offers]. There were probably some [deals] that were really comparable to [Ricky Williams or Herschel Walker],\u201d Grier said. \u201cAs crazy as a couple of them were, we didn\u2019t really think about it for more than 30 seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the price tag for the 2026 2nd-overall pick isn\u2019t as high as the 2024 1st, it\u2019s still very expensive. Grier was already open to moving their 2026 1st-rounder before the lottery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if it makes it unlikely, but it\u2019s obviously a different price tag [than] trading the ninth pick,\u201d Grier said. \u201cThat\u2019s\u00a0probably what the\u00a0part of the equation that changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reports from NHL Insiders have added more smoke to the Sharks\u2019 interest in trading the No. 2 pick. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period recently wrote<\/a> that the \u201cVancouver Canucks<\/a>, New York Rangers<\/a>, Calgary Flames<\/a>, and Winnipeg Jets<\/a> may be among the teams interested in moving up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure, they want to move up, but there is a reason why they all finished down in the standings. They are all starting a rebuild or retool. And what NHL team wouldn\u2019t want to move up and trade with the San Jose Sharks? Grier has amassed a top-two prospect pool in the NHL, but it is filled with forwards. Ivar Stenberg<\/a>, a forward, is the projected No. 2 pick, making San Jose a trade-back candidate for a d-man.<\/p>\n

Grier has maintained that wherever the Sharks select in the first round, it will be the best player available.<\/p>\n

While appearing on the DFO Rundown Insider Edition<\/a>, Pagnotta said, \u201cI think San Jose is serious about wanting to listen, excuse me, willing to listen on that second-overall pick. I could see Vancouver with motivation to move up, I could see the Rangers with motivation to move up. I think Calgary with motivation to move up. We\u2019ll see kind of where that goes. It\u2019s super fresh, and we\u2019ve got what, five-six weeks? But there\u2019s runway there where San Jose is going to be a pretty attractive team for clubs looking to move up to get basically, again, argument\u2019s sake, Stenberg at #2.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Pagnotta certainly has the knowledge to speculate options, SHD believes the odds of the Sharks trading No. 2 are slim. No team has traded a top-three pick in the NHL Draft since 2003. It just doesn\u2019t happen much. The price of acquiring the pick will be a haul, and with the talent level of young players going up, picking Stenberg still seems like the best plan. Yes, adding to the blue line is needed, but passing up on a player like Stenberg is a hard pill to swallow.<\/p>\n

At the time, the Sharks didn\u2019t realize their first-round pick in 2020 would\u2019ve been a top-three pick in the Erik Karlsson<\/a> deal with the Ottawa Senators<\/a>. Tim Stutzle was selected with that pick. It worked out in the end, as they now have Celebrini and Michael Misa, but in hindsight, trading a would-be top-three pick didn\u2019t turn out well.<\/p>\n

Grier wouldn\u2019t be doing a good job as the GM of the San Jose Sharks if he didn\u2019t at least listen to trade offers. Celebrini might be the only true untouchable player of the franchise. A good GM is always willing to listen, even for 30 seconds.<\/p>\n