2025 NHL Draft: Lose a ton for Porter Martone

[Juxtaposer]

McQueen being 6'5 center could explode too. Low key I think Smith is going to be better suited as a RW in the NHL and I think drafting another C for second line would make the most sense. Like taking Frondell and making a cute lil Swede line

Musty - Celebrini - Smith
Eklund - Frondell - Zetterlund

Why?

 

[Friday]

Why?

Let me preface this with im sure his game can mature as he gets stronger and adds more stamina. Smith seems to float and cheat a bit in his defensive zone for breakouts. He has spurts where he doesn't want to engage on the boards to dig pucks out. He plays more like a winger already and if he was running with Celebrini I think it would open up his game to be more offensively creative. Which is where he is strongest anyways. Obviously debatable but watching Smith the last couple years those are my thoughts. He's not reliable enough as a 200 foot player (yet)

 

[Juxtaposer]

Let me preface this with im sure his game can mature as he gets stronger and adds more stamina. Smith seems to float and cheat a bit in his defensive zone for breakouts. He has spurts where he doesn't want to engage on the boards to dig pucks out. He plays more like a winger already and if he was running with Celebrini I think it would open up his game to be more offensively creative. Which is where he is strongest anyways. Obviously debatable but watching Smith the last couple years those are my thoughts. He's not reliable enough as a 200 foot player (yet)

So he’s a winger because he doesn’t love boards battles? Plenty of centers are mediocre defensively, and his positioning is far more due to the BC defensive breakout scheme than Smith not wanting to play lower in the zone. Look, it’s not impossible he ends up on the wing but he has literally played only center his entire developmental career. If he really couldn’t hack it at center, why did BC deploy him there and Gauthier on his wing? Why did WC coaches deploy him at center even when he was clearly overmatched? Why was he a center at the WJC? If Will Smith “played like a winger”, don’t you think one of the five or six teams he’s played on in the past three years would have figured it out and deployed him there?

I also really genuinely don’t get the “Will Smith isn’t good defensively” talk. He’s not Celebrini, but he’s not Filip Zadina either. And you’d be taking away a lot of Smith’s strengths as a playmaker by not allowing him to be the primary puck carrier on his line.

We are in an advantageous situation going into the 2025 draft because we don’t need a center. I don’t think it’s fair to act like Smith can’t be an NHL center until he proves otherwise.

 

[spintops]

Is it bad to already be excited for next years draft? We actually got Celebrini but I can't help but daydream about adding another franchise cornerstone player from a draft that looks pretty good at the top.

 

[Friday]

So he’s a winger because he doesn’t love boards battles? Plenty of centers are mediocre defensively, and his positioning is far more due to the BC defensive breakout scheme than Smith not wanting to play lower in the zone. Look, it’s not impossible he ends up on the wing but he has literally played only center his entire developmental career. If he really couldn’t hack it at center, why did BC deploy him there and Gauthier on his wing? Why did WC coaches deploy him at center even when he was clearly overmatched? Why was he a center at the WJC? If Will Smith “played like a winger”, don’t you think one of the five or six teams he’s played on in the past three years would have figured it out and deployed him there?

I also really genuinely don’t get the “Will Smith isn’t good defensively” talk. He’s not Celebrini, but he’s not Filip Zadina either. And you’d be taking away a lot of Smith’s strengths as a playmaker by not allowing him to be the primary puck carrier on his line.

I mean I didn't intend to offend you with that statement. Seems pretty loaded over there with Smith should be a center. No not every center needs a 200 foot game but you can't say a guy who just takes the draws then floats around waiting for a breakout pass is going to be a good center. I don't think his game is very responsible and I dont think that's a controversial statement. Also look, I'm just a guy watching from my couch haha

 

[Juxtaposer]

I mean I didn't intend to offend you with that statement. Seems pretty loaded over there with Smith should be a center. No not every center needs a 200 foot game but you can't say a guy who just takes the draws then floats around waiting for a breakout pass is going to be a good center. I don't think his game is very responsible and I dont think that's a controversial statement. Also look, I'm just a guy watching from my couch haha

It sounds to me like you just don’t like Will Smith, to be honest.

 

[coooldude]

Marleau was drafted as a 200ft center and then spent a fair bit of his time with Thornton (and Couture) on the wing. Smith is more likely to end up on the wing than Celebrini, but we won't know for years. I think you draft centers when you can, unless the wing in question is just head and shoulders better. Martone may be that dude. But if he's not, plenty of centers in the top 10 next year.

 

[Friday]

It sounds to me like you just don’t like Will Smith, to be honest.

Asssss I put him as the 1RW of the future. This is so dramatic haha

 

[Juxtaposer]

Asssss I put him as the 1RW of the future. This is so dramatic haha

I really don’t feel like it’s dramatic at all. It’s literally just a discussion.

When you say a guy just “floats around waiting for a breakout pass”, it doesn’t sound like you like him very much.

 

[Hodge]

Hopefully Smith establishes himself as the long term 2C because there's definitely an advantage to having a left shot and right shot center in your top six.

Eichel-Karlsson, Mackinnon-Kadri, Point-Cirelli. Panthers had Reinhart capable of taking right side draws. Obviously we had Jumbo and Pavs in 2016.

 

[Friday]

I really don’t feel like it’s dramatic at all. It’s literally just a discussion.

When you say a guy just “floats around waiting for a breakout pass”, it doesn’t sound like you like him very much.

Should be a winger because he's offensively gifted but doesn't want to put the shift in defensively doesn't = "I dont like Will Smith". I also hope Smith becomes the 2C for 15 years

 

[landshark]

Is it bad to already be excited for next years draft? We actually got Celebrini but I can't help but daydream about adding another franchise cornerstone player from a draft that looks pretty good at the top.

Appetite for (regular season) destruction, eh?

I hear you tho. I'm like, one more top-of-the-draft guy? Just one more... maybe?

 

[Friday]

Appetite for (regular season) destruction, eh?

I hear you tho. I'm like, one more top-of-the-draft guy? Just one more... maybe?

Lol its because the Sharks could draft like 15th(Vegas) and 3rd next year, its too much fun

 

[matt trick]

Hagens and Martone look awesome, but in general it looks like a really good year to have any top 5 pick. This year, there was one guy we had to get, and got him! Martone would perfectly compliment the young forward core. Looks like a Rantanen-level player. Maybe a bit more pesky, and projects to be better early I'd say- though Rantanen exceeded all expectations.

 

[landshark]

Lol its because the Sharks could draft like 15th(Vegas) and 3rd next year, its too much fun

There's that, but it's sort of also like...

New coach... check (one that will likely implement an actual system)
New blue chip prospects... check
If the Sharks accidentally get some defense and the goaltending exceeds expectations and the kids hit... Fudge! We're picking 10th or 8th...

I know it's a big points jump from last year to that. But having a coach and a system and players ready to buy into that system can maybe lead to a "the whole greater than the sum of its parts" type situation and dropping 7-9 slots on the draft order, while also no ploffs.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Should be a winger because he's offensively gifted but doesn't want to put the shift in defensively doesn't = "I dont like Will Smith". I also hope Smith becomes the 2C for 15 years

Again, I just fundamentally disagree with this statement.

 

[one2gamble]

I think a lot of people are discounting Smith. Look at him right now vs last camp. I think he has a competitive drive in him that he keeps lower key publicly and Macklin is going to drive that even more.

 

[gaucholoco3]

So he’s a winger because he doesn’t love boards battles? Plenty of centers are mediocre defensively, and his positioning is far more due to the BC defensive breakout scheme than Smith not wanting to play lower in the zone. Look, it’s not impossible he ends up on the wing but he has literally played only center his entire developmental career. If he really couldn’t hack it at center, why did BC deploy him there and Gauthier on his wing? Why did WC coaches deploy him at center even when he was clearly overmatched? Why was he a center at the WJC? If Will Smith “played like a winger”, don’t you think one of the five or six teams he’s played on in the past three years would have figured it out and deployed him there?

I also really genuinely don’t get the “Will Smith isn’t good defensively” talk. He’s not Celebrini, but he’s not Filip Zadina either. And you’d be taking away a lot of Smith’s strengths as a playmaker by not allowing him to be the primary puck carrier on his line.

We are in an advantageous situation going into the 2025 draft because we don’t need a center. I don’t think it’s fair to act like Smith can’t be an NHL center until he proves otherwise.

I agree, Smith can provide more value as Stanley Cup contending scoring 2C.

He can also complement Celebrini well when chasing a goal at the end of a game.

The two princes complement each other perfectly. (I want a nickname for both and like this with Fresh Prince and Prince Charming)

 

[Stewie Griffin]

Hopefully Smith establishes himself as the long term 2C because there's definitely an advantage to having a left shot and right shot center in your top six.

Eichel-Karlsson, Mackinnon-Kadri, Point-Cirelli. Panthers had Reinhart capable of taking right side draws. Obviously we had Jumbo and Pavs in 2016.

This must've been Quinn's thoughts when Granlund-Kunin were our 1-2 punch.

 

[Star Platinum]

If Granlund is having a good year, I'm guessing we might re-sign him. Our youth will still be overwhelmed against much of the league, our D corps will still suck absent a big trade or somehow convincing Trouba to move his family west after a waiver claim.

It's time to try to build this team up rather than trading for even more futures. That process will still take years. And we will still have high 1 and 2 round picks plus a second 1 this year. Trading Granlund would possibly only happen if both Smith and Celebrini look the part and we don't think we need Granlund on the wing in the coming transition years. If we're still selling big pieces at the deadline AND our prospects aren't ready to fill that gap, we're just staying flat at the bottom of the tear down, in my opinion.

I think regardless of how Celebrini and Smith do, you trade Granlund because you want to make sure you get something you can control back for him instead of losing him for nothing. We can always make another trade to bring back another center if we feel they'll still need to be sheltered.

Building the team up happens when Celebrini and Smith are ready for the responsibility of being the top two centers on the team IMO.

 

[coooldude]

I think regardless of how Celebrini and Smith do, you trade Granlund because you want to make sure you get something you can control back for him instead of losing him for nothing. We can always make another trade to bring back another center if we feel they'll still need to be sheltered.

Building the team up happens when Celebrini and Smith are ready for the responsibility of being the top two centers on the team IMO.

I don't agree. If you trade a guy who fits in to the puzzle (which will still be a bottom 5 team puzzle) with the intention of trading to fill in the gap, unless you're really lucky/good with the trades, you're net neutral on assets. Signing a Granlund type in free agency won't be easy. The prospects we get next year won't be debuting in the NHL until 2027-28 as it is, most likely. So if you really want to build this team from historically bad, to bottom 3, to bottom 5, to bottom 10 over the next 3 years, you don't stay on the "trade away one of your top 2 centers for assets" plan, again unless Mack and Smith are ready to take the reins or Logan is healthy, neither of which I think is likely.

 

[gaucholoco3]

I don't agree. If you trade a guy who fits in to the puzzle (which will still be a bottom 5 team puzzle) with the intention of trading to fill in the gap, unless you're really lucky/good with the trades, you're net neutral on assets. Signing a Granlund type in free agency won't be easy. The prospects we get next year won't be debuting in the NHL until 2027-28 as it is, most likely. So if you really want to build this team from historically bad, to bottom 3, to bottom 5, to bottom 10 over the next 3 years, you don't stay on the "trade away one of your top 2 centers for assets" plan, again unless Mack and Smith are ready to take the reins or Logan is healthy, neither of which I think is likely.

There is no guarantee that Granlund will resign with the Sharks. Unless you extend him before the deadline you move him for assets.

 

[Star Platinum]

I don't agree. If you trade a guy who fits in to the puzzle (which will still be a bottom 5 team puzzle) with the intention of trading to fill in the gap, unless you're really lucky/good with the trades, you're net neutral on assets. Signing a Granlund type in free agency won't be easy. The prospects we get next year won't be debuting in the NHL until 2027-28 as it is, most likely. So if you really want to build this team from historically bad, to bottom 3, to bottom 5, to bottom 10 over the next 3 years, you don't stay on the "trade away one of your top 2 centers for assets" plan, again unless Mack and Smith are ready to take the reins or Logan is healthy, neither of which I think is likely.

Resigning Granlund also won't be so easy. I'd rather have the sure thing of having something back. But it doesn't need to be a pick. I'd take a prospect or prospects back who's close to being ready for the NHL, but maybe not ready for important minutes on a playoff team.

 

[StrawHatEklund]

Looks like Martone is pretty popular if no Hagens haha. Would be amazing if Hensler fell to Vegas pick or we could trade up to snab him.

 

[coooldude]

There is no guarantee that Granlund will resign with the Sharks. Unless you extend him before the deadline you move him for assets.

Resigning Granlund also won't be so easy. I'd rather have the sure thing of having something back. But it doesn't need to be a pick. I'd take a prospect or prospects back who's close to being ready for the NHL, but maybe not ready for important minutes on a playoff team.

Yes, my point is that they WILL very possibly try to re-sign him. Just for clarity's sake:

In Jan/Feb, if the Sharks are 5-10th worst in the league: this almost certainly means Celebrini and Smith are doing pretty well. I think in this case it's 50/50 whether they trade Granlund for assets or whether they sign him on to keep climbing out of the gutter more quickly than we thought. Note: I do not think this is that likely, but in this scenario I don't think it's a given they move him.

If the Sharks are bottom 5 but not embarrassing, and he's having a decent year, I think they try to re-sign him, assuming that he can be C depth or play on the wing with our young C's as they keep developing. Grier et al have been talking up his leadership and mentorship. Sure, if they can't agree on term/AAV, they move him for assets but I bet they try hard to sign him.

If the Sharks are bottom 5 and he's having a rough/mid year, I think they try to move him.

If the Sharks are dead last and suck, I think it's 50/50. If he's having a good year, you could argue he needs to help us not be completely embarrassing, or you move him for more assets because we're tanking again. If he's having a bad year, you move him to get something back for him, or you sign him for cheap hoping that everything turns around next year (less likely). But in this situation it sucks for everyone. We are tankers again and we stay at the bottom of the bottom-out one more year.