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