I think Grier has done an excellent job considering the absolute mess he inherited. Patience is key. Shipping of the likes of Karlsson and Hertl was something I thought wasn't even possible.
For example, Rangers got the #2 overall pick in 2019, while signing Panarin with Fox forcing his way there. Next summer, they got the #1 overall pick. Back then, I considered that quite the haul.
After that, they've made the Conference Finals twice and won the President's Trophy last year but missed the playoffs this one - something that shouldn't have happened. The thing is, no matter how lucky you get, you can still mess things up big time and not get the expected results. They shipped off Kakko and Lafrenière just posted 45 points in his 5th NHL season. The Rangers are sure as hell hoping things start going their way next year, especially with a $11.5M netminder turning 30 late this year and other stars getting older too.
There's no way the Sharks will ever sign a premiere free agent like the Rangers can do. No one is going to force their way to the Sharks. I remember last year people drooling to sign Stamkos at an AAV above $10M. Yikes.
Homegrown talent is the key and that's what the Sharks are, hopefully, growing in bunches. It is not the time to overpay in a trade either. Nothing is going to quick fix this mess.