San Jose Sharks manager Mike Grier has options ahead of the NHL trade deadline
SAN JOSE – Several of the teams the San Jose Sharks are competing against for one of the last few playoff spots in the Western Conference have been busy adding signings ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
It is unlikely that those moves – by themselves – will influence the decisions made by Sharks general manager Mike Grier.
Still, that doesn’t mean the Sharks will sit quietly before Friday’s deadline, as Grier could look to address roster needs by acquiring players who will be there next season.
The Sharks only had two defensive players signed this past offseason, and it’s unclear how much interest they’ll have in this summer’s class of free-agent blueliners. Instead of waiting until then, perhaps Grier’s front office and the Sharks’ front office can accomplish some of that work now.
That the Sharks, when viewed where they are as an organization, probably doesn’t have the motivation to spend money to get players hired for one push of the game. Although things can change, getting deep into the Western Conference arms race appears to be in the plans for the Sharks.
“I’m not going to do something blind,” Grier said in January. “It’s all about continuing to grow and building the team.”
Western Conference teams like the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and Utah Mammoth have already used early draft picks to acquire players for extra help, and the Seattle Kraken could do the same.
The Sharks (30-25-4) enter Friday three points behind the Kraken in second place in the Western Conference wild card, with two games in hand. Three-time winners, San Jose could be in a postseason position by the end of the weekend, as they host St. Louis Blues on Friday and the New York Islanders on Saturday to close out the six-game homestand.
Perhaps if the Sharks weren’t already in the playoffs, Grier might look to trade one or more of the remaining seven free agents, especially defensemen Mario Ferraro and John Klingberg and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.
Ferraro, this season, leads the Sharks in blocked shots (110) and short ice time (202:30). Klingberg was part of the Edmonton Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, while Nedeljkovic, who starts Jan. 6, is 6-1-0 with a .928 save percentage in his last eight games. Any of these players can be useful to the opponent.
Other Sharks pending UFAs include forwards Pavol Regenda and Ryan Reaves, and defensemen Timothy Liljegren and Vincent Desharnais.
Ferraro, the heart and soul guy who has averaged almost 21 minutes of ice time per game this season as one of the second defenders, statistics that will generate a lot of interest among the teams that will play him. His dismissal will be heard throughout the Sharks locker room.
Does Grier trade Ferraro or another pending UFA if there is interest? Are you keeping them for a long time, and are you in danger of letting them go for free in the summer?
“That would be the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make (before) the deadline, I’m trying to figure that out,” Grier said in January. “Where the team is, where the team is, what is the best decision for the team in the short term, but also in the long term.
“But if we’re going well and things are good, and we decide to just go through it and see what happens, it’s something we’re ready to do.”
The Sharks have already said they will not have another auction this month by signing center Alex Wennberg to a three-year extension in January and outfielder Kiefer Sherwood to a new five-year deal on Wednesday.
After a three-year layoff, Grier and the Sharks knew it was time to start building a roster. However, there is a chance that Friday can bring surprises.
“You don’t want to see anybody go,” said Sharks forward Adam Gaudette, who is signed for next season. “It’s sad to be sold. It’s nice to have guys traded, especially when you’ve got a team like this, and you’re in an amazing city, and you’re getting sunshine, and you’ve got a brand new place here, and everything’s going really well here.
“It would be nice to see everyone stay, but we all know the business, and it’s not personal. So, whatever happens, happens, and we have to move on. But you don’t want to see our colleagues go.”
MORE ON FERRARA
Ferraro did not practice on Thursday, the Sharks said it was a maintenance day. Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said the team is “very confident” that Ferraro will be able to play on Friday. In Thursday’s practice, Liljegren replaced Ferraro on the Sharks’ second team defense, swinging with Shakir Mukhamadullin. Ferraro has played in all 59 games for the Sharks this season.
THOMPSON TRADED
On Thursday the Sharks acquired Vancouver Canucks defenseman Jett Woo for Barracuda defenseman Jack Thompson. Both are suitable images. Woo, 25, was a second-round pick by the Canucks in 2018 but has yet to play in the NHL. He had eight points in 25 games with Abbotsford this season, has 91 points in 293 AHL games, and is a pending UFA.
Thompson, who turns 24 this month, had 12 points in 42 games with the Barracuda this season. He had 10 points in 33 games with the Sharks, with 31 points in those games coming into the 2024-25 season.
Thompson, a pending RFA with arbitration rights, was originally acquired by the Sharks in March 2024 from the Tampa Bay Lightning for midfielder Anthony Duclair. San Jose also received a 2024 third-round pick, which they used on Carson Wetsch, who remains in the WHL and is on the Sharks’ roster.
