Confirmed with Link: Zetterlund, Robins, 4th to Ottawa for 2025 2nd, Zack Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor

[Hodge]

Not sure what to make of this apparent Darren Dreger report. It seems to confirm Grier wasn't shopping Zetterlund but Norris is a bit of a weird target for us given his age and injury history. No doubt he's a fast physical goal-scoring 2C when healthy though, and clearly valued enough around the league to return Cozens+2nd. His trade protection also doesn't kick in until 7/1/26 so could have been another pump and dump candidate.

 

[timorous me]

Not sure what to make of this apparent Darren Dreger report. It seems to confirm Grier wasn't shopping Zetterlund but Norris is a bit of a weird target for us given his age and injury history. No doubt he's a fast physical goal-scoring 2C when healthy though, and clearly valued enough around the league to return Cozens+2nd. His trade protection also doesn't kick in until 7/1/26 so could have been another pump and dump candidate.

I'd be very curious to know what else would've been going the other way in addition to Zetterlund to make it work.

I do like the idea of Norris as a quality 2C behind Celebrini, though it would seemingly be consigning Smith to the wing long-term (which, who knows, might be the plan if we're to believe this report). Or maybe for a couple years and then revisit when Smith is like 22 or 23?

Anyway, it's interesting in that it seems to indicate Grier is indeed looking to build, and probably gives a sense of what kind of players he'll be targeting in trades this summer.

 

[Hodge]

I'd be very curious to know what else would've been going the other way in addition to Zetterlund to make it work.

I do like the idea of Norris as a quality 2C behind Celebrini, though it would seemingly be consigning Smith to the wing long-term (which, who knows, might be the plan if we're to believe this report). Or maybe for a couple years and then revisit when Smith is like 22 or 23?

Anyway, it's interesting in that it seems to indicate Grier is indeed looking to build, and probably gives a sense of what kind of players he'll be targeting in trades this summer.

A three-way deal sending Norris and JBD to Buffalo, Cozens to SJ and EDM's 2026 1st, BUF's 2026 2nd and Zetterlund to Ottawa would have been interesting. Sens would have been left without a 2C though.

 

[Friday]

Id guess Grier had a couple of late 1sts to add? If it wasn't built around Zetterlund then who? Fun information though. Swear we used to have to wait 10 years to hear about maybe ass trades like that. Seems premature to lock in a 2C. If the Sharks are picking 2nd OV then Misa is your guy and there is still hope for Smith at 2C, unless Grier already doesn't see it that way.

 

[TheBeard]

Not sure what to make of this apparent Darren Dreger report. It seems to confirm Grier wasn't shopping Zetterlund but Norris is a bit of a weird target for us given his age and injury history. No doubt he's a fast physical goal-scoring 2C when healthy though, and clearly valued enough around the league to return Cozens+2nd. His trade protection also doesn't kick in until 7/1/26 so could have been another pump and dump candidate.

Norris would have made no sense. He’s almost 26, already making too much, can’t stay healthy and only had one decent season.

 

[rekrul]

Herd that Zach kicked Rempe's butt in juniors. Well he does something that the current roster doesn't do

 

[weastern bias]

I'm glad we didn't get Norris, if you're accelerating (you shouldn't, it doesn't work) you should aim higher than that

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I don’t necessarily agree. Beyond Eklund and Toffoli the team’s highest scoring winger is Kovalenko. Until we have a clue what any of Musty or Cherny or Halt can do we don’t really have wingers.

Having scoring wingers that are the most plentiful of position types is why they should be prioritized less than a defenseman. I’d still take a #1D over Eklund in a heartbeat but that’s about it for our team.

 

[Star Platinum]

Having acceptable goaltending and defense will fix a ton problems.

I just hope we actually have both of those things next year. No guarantee those problems get fixed.

 

[weastern bias]

I just hope we actually have both of those things next year. No guarantee those problems get fixed.

Spoiler: The defense will still be very bad

We can win the lottery and have both Dickinson and Schaefer stick with the Sharks but they still won't be holding down even a league average defense

Teenagers don't turn pro teams around, they need to mature and grow into difference makers

 

[Patty Ice]

Sens would have been left without a 2C though

I would argue they still don't with how things played out. Cozens is a winger masquerading as a center.

 

[Star Platinum]

Spoiler: The defense will still be very bad

We can win the lottery and have both Dickinson and Schaefer stick with the Sharks but they still won't be holding down even a league average defense

Teenagers don't turn pro teams around, they need to mature and grow into difference makers

I think there's almost no chance Dickinson is on the Sharks next year and even if we get the #1 pick and draft Schaefer, I'm not certain that he starts his career immediately in the NHL. Whatever our defense ends up being next year, it's going be made up mostly of vets with possibly Mukhamadullin the only still developing guy.

 

[coooldude]

I think there's almost no chance Dickinson is on the Sharks next year and even if we get the #1 pick and draft Schaefer, I'm not certain that he starts his career immediately in the NHL. Whatever our defense ends up being next year, it's going be made up mostly of vets with possibly Mukhamadullin the only still developing guy.

Absolutely. Even if we're incredibly lucky and draft Schaefer, he's not going to jump to the NHL right away. Great way to ruin a defensive prospect. What D man jumped straight to NHL in their D+1 and was truly successful? Not Hughes, not Makar.

Dickinson is a candidate for 9 games, or for a pressbox treatment, but I'd bet the most likely thing is he just goes back to London and has to carry a heavier load as their team loses a ton of firepower.

 

[weastern bias]

I think there's almost no chance Dickinson is on the Sharks next year and even if we get the #1 pick and draft Schaefer, I'm not certain that he starts his career immediately in the NHL. Whatever our defense ends up being next year, it's going be made up mostly of vets with possibly Mukhamadullin the only still developing guy.

I wouldn't be shocked if they give Dickinson the same path as Smith, play him in the NHL even if he isn't a clear fit at the beginning of the season because they think he's too good for the OHL (and in his case he can't go to the AHL next year), but that all points to a bad defense next year

 

[timorous me]

I wouldn't be shocked if they give Dickinson the same path as Smith, play him in the NHL even if he isn't a clear fit at the beginning of the season because they think he's too good for the OHL (and in his case he can't go to the AHL next year), but that all points to a bad defense next year

The right partner would be really important for Dickinson in this case. I'm actually for it--I think, while there would be rough moments, he could handle it and benefit from it. But that decision doesn't have to be made until after nine games, as you said, and I feel like the Sharks will likely have the flexibility (with guys like Thrun and Thompson possibly waiting in reserve, maybe even Vlasic still) to give it a shot.

I'll say right now that I don't think Desharnais would be a great partner; you need a right shot guy but one more adept at moving the puck to get the zone cleared. Maybe Liljegren? It would, in a way, be ideal if he's pushed down to the third pairing anyway, but, uh, yeah, there's a work to do to bump him down like that (even if they decide to stick with Ferraro and Mukhamadullin as one pairing--which I kind of hope they don't) and you count that as one of the top two pairings.

 

[LilLeeroy]

Anybody else even more optimistic about Grier after this trade than they were before? Feel like the first real test as GM was going to be whether to overpay Zetterlund or let him go and have casual fans be furious at you.

It's really hard to be a contender in a hard cap league while overpaying guys, in the NBA they have shorter contracts and a soft cap, and teams still got themselves in a lot of trouble with the "oh the cap is going up" logic that a lot of people in here are repeating.

 

[TheBeard]

Anybody else even more optimistic about Grier after this trade than they were before? Feel like the first real test as GM was going to be whether to overpay Zetterlund or let him go and have casual fans be furious at you.

It's really hard to be a contender in a hard cap league while overpaying guys, in the NBA they have shorter contracts and a soft cap, and teams still got themselves in a lot of trouble with the "oh the cap is going up" logic that a lot of people in here are repeating.

The real test is when he has to take chances on bringing in guys for prospects and picks instead of just sending them out. I can only be cautiously optimistic at best but mostly skeptical he can do the job until he does that. Not saying that he can’t, just until the team is something close to contending everything he’s done means very little. We’ve seen teams tear it down and build up prospect pools and never see it go anywhere.

 

[TheBeard]

The right partner would be really important for Dickinson in this case. I'm actually for it--I think, while there would be rough moments, he could handle it and benefit from it. But that decision doesn't have to be made until after nine games, as you said, and I feel like the Sharks will likely have the flexibility (with guys like Thrun and Thompson possibly waiting in reserve, maybe even Vlasic still) to give it a shot.

I'll say right now that I don't think Desharnais would be a great partner; you need a right shot guy but one more adept at moving the puck to get the zone cleared. Maybe Liljegren? It would, in a way, be ideal if he's pushed down to the third pairing anyway, but, uh, yeah, there's a work to do to bump him down like that (even if they decide to stick with Ferraro and Mukhamadullin as one pairing--which I kind of hope they don't) and you count that as one of the top two pairings.

I’m hoping they bring in a bonafide top 4 guy from outside the organization to pair with him.

 

[Jargon]

The real test is when he has to take chances on bringing in guys for prospects and picks instead of just sending them out. I can only be cautiously optimistic at best but mostly skeptical he can do the job until he does that. Not saying that he can’t, just until the team is something close to contending everything he’s done means very little. We’ve seen teams tear it down and build up prospect pools and never see it go anywhere.

It’s where I’m at. I really like what Grier has done and the guy has been aggressive in the pursuit of his vision, I appreciate it. I will also say MANY of his trades are at first maligned and then end up aging very well.

But despite all that, I need to see now if he can construct an actual roster that can win games. I’m really, really curious what he does this summer but the next year is a pretty big one I think, where we have to start seeing some kind of growth here.

 

[Sharkz4Fun]

Zetterlund>Norris and it's not really even close, so no way MG should've had to add something. What makes even less sense is choosing an even worse deal than Norris. I don't understand why Grier couldn't have just kept countering Staois with Tkachuk like I said days ago if that report is true.

Someone said they need to stop trading with Ottawa and yea, completely bent over on 2 deals so really no need to make it a 3rd time.