What Mike Grier has wanted from the San Jose Sharks hasn\u2019t changed. It just took four years of deconstructing and rebuilding to begin to realize his vision.<\/p>\n
Grier took over as Sharks GM in Jun. 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve said it since day one,\u201d he said on Thursday, the opening of training camp, \u201cto win in this league, you have to play fast and be hard to play against, in-your-face, competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Going back to late last season, Grier committed over $125 million to veterans Kiefer Sherwood, Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba, Mason Marchment, and Michael Kesselring, to complement a young core, led by superstar do-everything center Macklin Celebrini.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of taken some time here, but I think this group has a lot of those characteristics,\u201d Grier said, \u201cso it\u2019s a group that\u2019s moving into the direction that I would like it to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
A playoff direction? Grier won\u2019t say that\u2019s the goal, but that\u2019s the goal. The San Jose Sharks are hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019\u2026and to do some damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are still the things I believe win hockey games and win hockey games when it matters the most in the springtime,\u201d Grier said. \u201cSo I think this is probably the closest group we\u2019ve had to having a lot of those elements of physicality and speed, but to go along with the skill and talent that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grier spoke for over a half hour on Thursday, addressing Will Smith\u2019s extension, the captaincy, the team\u2019s defensive depth, and more.<\/p>\n
Here are my thoughts: What do I make of Smith being unsigned, as of now? Grier\u2019s coyness about the captaincy? Should the Sharks add a defenseman?<\/p>\n
What Will Smith\u2019s Extension Look Like?<\/p>\n
The question, in my mind, about Smith\u2019s extension, isn\u2019t if or when he\u2019ll sign, but for how much?<\/p>\n
Recent contracts like Ryan Leonard\u2019s, $80 million for eight years, and Cutter Gauthier\u2019s, $81 million for six years, are setting higher-and-higher comps for Smith.<\/p>\n
Somewhere in between Leonard\u2019s $10 million and Gauthier\u2019s $13.5 million AAVs may be where we\u2019re at now \u2014 Smith and Gauthier\u2019s Point Per Game are similar, but Gauthier is a 40-goal scorer.<\/p>\n
Grier projected confidence with how negotiations are going, and Will Smith<\/a> didn\u2019t seem too worried either.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s in a good spot,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had good conversations, and I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll continue to have conversations as the year goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith\u2019s estimated figure may explode soon, though.<\/p>\n It\u2019s good for the San Jose Sharks if Smith has a breakout year, but it also will make him a lot more expensive.<\/p>\n Mitch Marner is an instructive case.<\/p>\n In the summer of 2018, Marner, coming off a 69-point second season, didn\u2019t sign an extension. His 0.84 PPG was actually under sophomore Smith\u2019s 0.86 PPG last year.<\/p>\n Marner bet on himself, ringing up 94 points in this third season, and earned himself a six-year and $65 million contract, almost $11 million AAV, which is 13.4 percent of the cap.<\/p>\n 13.4 percent is roughly $15 million AAV in summer of 2027 cap language.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s some risk there, but at the same time, if he has a really good year, it\u2019s good for us, and we\u2019ll deal with it from there,\u201d Grier said. \u201cBut I think we have, at least on our side, we have an idea of what\u2019s the ballpark he\u2019ll be in, and I think it should work, hopefully, for both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sharks have locked Celebrini up, but they\u2019ve got a cavalcade of young stars who will be up for massive extensions soon, besides Smith. Can San Jose also fit Michael Misa, Igor Chernyshov, Ivar Stenberg, Sam Dickinson, and Yaroslav Askarov in?<\/p>\n \u201cIf too many people take too much of the pie, then someone\u2019s going to get left out,\u201d Grier said, \u201cand we\u2019ll have to have some tough decisions to make, or someone\u2019s not going to be able to be re-signed.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s the reality of the salary cap, even a fast-rising cap.<\/p>\n Another reality: Celebrini, no doubt, occupies his own stratosphere, in terms of his importance to the franchise. There\u2019s a reason why he\u2019s the first of the young stars to command a staggering financial commitment.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an open competition, which includes Smith, to see who the Sharks deem as irreplaceable as they seek to go from playoff hopeful to Stanley Cup contender.<\/p>\n The recent William Eklund trade should be a lesson to all Sharks fans: There are no sacred cows in San Jose, except those named Macklin.<\/p>\n Mack-aptain?<\/p>\n Speaking of\u2026<\/p>\n Grier says that a decision hasn\u2019t been made about whether the San Jose Sharks will have a captain this year.<\/p>\n And as Grier reminded us, it\u2019s ultimately his decision.<\/p>\n