Mike Grier still doesn’t believe it’s a full rebuild, but the sale of Timo Meier is a strong reminder that it won’t be a quick and painless process going forward for of the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks sent Meier, who scored 66 goals since the start of last season, to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday in a large, complex trade that included nine players and four draft picks.
“We’re trying to get this thing out of the way as quickly as I can, but also get the right people and take the right steps and not rush it,” Grier said. “You can see what we’ve done with our young players at the Barracuda. It’s a step-by-step plan. It’s a retool, rebuild … I’ll leave that to (the media) to put even what word do you want it.
The three key pieces to return are Shakir Mukhamadullin, a divisive defense prospect who was selected in the first round in 2020, a first-round pick (likely in 2023) and a second-rounder who will be the first (likely in 2024). . Forward Fabian Zetterlund and defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk are young players who can play right away in San Jose.
Veteran forward Andreas Johnsson will also join the Sharks. He is in a deal to make the salary cap work for New Jersey. Johnsson was sent to the AHL for most of this season, and is an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Grier explained the other offers are more focused on draft picks. The Daily Faceoff Frank Seravalli reported the Sharks turned down offers from two other teams. One includes first, second and a top prospect. The other is a first, a recent first rounder and a mid-range prospect.
“I think it speeds up the process,” Grier said. “There are some scenarios out there where I can take all the options. We believe that the players that we have regained are moving enough on the development path that they will help us soon.
“It’s not easyto part with someone like Timo, but the assets we got in this deal really kind of push things forward.”
The immediate reaction to the trade was not particularly positive, whether it came from fans or members of the media on social media. The AthleticCorey’s Corey Pronman likes San Jose’s return more than the initial consensus.
Giving away one of the best players in the league at his position is hardly a recipe for “winning” a trade. Mukhamadullin’s development will be a big part of San Jose’s future and what the feelings are about this transaction age.
When the Devils drafted him, there was a lot of debate about how good Mukhamadullin was and what his ceiling was. He was one of the most debated and scrutinized players at the World Junior Championships when he logged heavy minutes for Russia.
“I personally think (Mukhamadullin) is going to be a great player in the NHL,” Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald said. “But that’s the cost of doing business, giving up a prospect like that. Yeah, his name isn’t (Luke) Hughes or (Simon) Nemec in recent drafts, but he’s still a day- day NHL player we believe will be top-four (male).
He did not carry the name-brand value in February 2023 of players like Dawson Mercer, Alexander Holtz or Simon Nemec with the Devils, Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs or Jimmy Snuggerud of the St. Louis Blues – all teams that have reportedly had interest in Meier at some point during the process.
“We really like the player,” Grier said. “You don’t see a lot of 6-4 (defenders) who are mobile and can defend but also add some offense. … I think there’s a lot of versatility in this kid.”
Zetterlund, 23, has six goals and 20 points in 45 games for the Devils. He was a “competitive prick” who had a productive season in the AHL a year ago and has become a regular for New Jersey this year. Okhotiuk, 22, is a defense-first defenseman who likes to hit people and will become a regular in the NHL as a third-pairing guy who plays on the penalty kill.
But this deal, and the direction of the franchise, will be up to the Sharks as to what happens from here. Grier noted several times while meeting with the media after the trade that Meier and Erik Karlsson had excellent seasons, but the team’s place in the standings is the ultimate indicator of where they are now. He said they don’t want to keep “spinning their wheels.”
This is a step back, with a plan to eventually move forward. Grier needs to make more trades like this, where the immediate reaction is likely to be negative.
The Sharks need more dynamic young players to build around. They need more future salary cap flexibility.
Grier said he knows it might be easier to make a trade involving Karlsson in the offseason, but he’s open to doing it before the March 3 deadline. That could be the next big domino that fall
Between Meier and Brent Burns, the Sharks’ first-year general manager has now fired two of the club’s five core players from the past four seasons. San Jose is on the verge of missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fourth straight season, the longest stretch in franchise history.
This is uncharted territory for San Jose in more ways than one. The Sharks have never done business like this before. They have never traded a player of this caliber so far in his career. Always.
This franchise has spent three decades looking to add players like Meier, not cut them. Here is a list of the best players traded by San Jose, back when the Sharks acquired Doug Wilson from the Blackhawks in September 1991:
PLAY | YEAR |
---|---|
Doug Wilson | 1991 |
Sergey Makarov | 1993 |
Owen Nolan | 1995 |
Ed Belfour | 1997 |
Mike Vernon | 1997 |
Mike Ricci | 1997 |
John McLean | 1997 |
Vincent Damphousse | 1999 |
Teemu Selanne | 2001 |
Adam Graves | 2001 |
Joe Thornton | 2006 |
Bill Guerin | 2007 |
Brian Campbell | 2008 |
Dan Boyle | 2008 |
Dany Heatley | 2009 |
Brent Burns | 2011 |
Erik Karlsson | 2018 |
This is a long list of famous names. The Sharks also acquired Evgeni Nabokov late in his career, and even traded Mark Messier’s rights, though that was to use a CBA loophole at the time involving draft pick compensation.
There are some current and future Hall of Fame members on that list, and a significant percentage of the most impactful players in franchise history. The list of players traded to the Sharks before Sunday doesn’t come close to matching this.
PLAY | TRADE |
---|---|
Igor Larionov | 1995 |
Sandis Ozolinsh | 1995 |
Pat Fallon | 1995 |
Viktor Kozlov | 1997 |
Mike Vernon | 1999 |
Owen Nolan | 2003 |
Miikka Kiprusoff | 2003 |
Jonathan Cheechoo | 2009 |
Dany Heatley | 2011 |
Devin Setoguchi | 2011 |
Ryane Clowe | 2013 |
Brenden Dillon | 2020 |
Patrick Marleau | 2020 |
Barclay Goodrow | 2020 |
Brent Burns | 2022 |
Timo Meier | 2023 |
Its best players – Igor Larionov, Owen Nolan, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns are all past their primes. Jonathan Cheechoo was replaced by Heatley. Devin Setoguchi was traded for Burns.
Now Burns and Meier are gone, and Karlsson will be out between this week and the start of next season. Karlsson, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are all under contract for at least the next three seasons after this one.
More of them will likely need to be completed elsewhere before the Sharks compete for playoff spots and the Stanley Cup again. The organization needs Mukhamadullin, William Eklund, Thomas Bordeleau, Filip Bystedt and others to become NHL quality players.
They, along with a top-five draft pick in the 2023 class (and maybe 2024 as well, at least) could be the foundation of the next great Sharks team. It could still be a few years away.
Grier believes the collection of young players and prospects he received for Meier will help speed up the process, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be more pain and more losses to come.
“I’m excited about what we’ve accomplished as a staff here,” Grier said. “When you take away players like (Burns and Meier), it’s always tough. I think we did a great job filling out the prospect pool in last year’s draft and the changes we made.
“I think it’s pushing us in the right direction, getting us on the right path pretty quickly to turn this thing around.”
(Image: Kavin Mistry / NHLI via Getty Images)