We haven't established that 25 is too old, we just know that Grier didn't want to pay one particular 25 year old what he was asking and decided to move on instead
I don't know a good option to look for, and we're in a hard spot, but that's what Grier's job is now, to find a distressed/undervalued asset to bolster our backend
I simply don't like Power as a target at all, he's huge but plays very small, his main strengths are his puck skills and skating ability but he doesn't put up huge point totals, he's one of the worst defensive players on the worst team in the Eastern Conference and he makes $8.35M on the cap until 2031, he's not a very attractive asset
Even Eklund has limited trade value, he's young and talented but he's an undersized winger who is scoring at a 60 pont pace right now while providing adequate but not elite defense, that player doesn't return a top-pair D in a trade without adding a massive plus to the deal, I'd much rather just keep him and trade a prospect instead since we actually know that Eklund is a good NHL player
This is the time where Grier really gets tested, he's shown he can maximize extracting value out of limited resources, now he has to consolidate some of his assets into tangle pieces that can begin improving the actual roster, this summer will be a crucial pivot-point in his tenure
I agree! it tends to be much easier to tear down than build up, especially when you can have two consecutive dead last rosters and people still sing your praises. That's gotta be the worst easiest job. To be honest, I could sign some mid tier UFA's to overpriced one year deals, have a dead last season, then sell them at the deadline and claim "Look at me, I just got a ___ round pick for free!"
Grier shied purposely away from the word 'aggressive'. He hinted that he will use some of the pick assets to add players, but I would be very surprised if he makes a big trade acquisition this summer, aside from a 23 or younger top 4D.
Get ready for a small army of Wennberg deals:
Jack Roslovic (1 yr, 5M)
Dmitry Orlov (2 yrs, 16M... 8 per)
Tanner Pearson (1 yr, 4m)
Or whatever....
This fills the roster, add some potential top 9 forwards. With top 9 minutes for these guys, they will increase production. Maybe one increases enough to be worth a 1st, like granny or walman. All will be sold next deadline for a basket of '26 and '27 picks. Gunna be tough to find cap dumps with picks attache, but those always will take precedence (ala walman).
I would temper expectations this summer. Trading Zetterlund (who we would surely have next year if wanted) and Walman (who was signed thru next year) means that next year is NOT the focus. makes no sense to make a blockbuster move for a player 25+ at this stage. if it doesnt work out because its jumping the gun, then you lose the prime years. its too early to "go for it", so instead to fill the roster with kids and solid vets on short deals.
One of the big upsides to all the deals, especially kunin, sturm, granny, ceci, Blackwood, and vanecek is that signing short term with the sharks basically all but guarantees you a chance to play in the Playoffs and a bigger payday going forward. Either the sharks have a surprisingly great year, you play great, and get a PO berth, or far more likely, you get a real chance in SJ to boost your value, you then get traded to a PO team, and then resign longer term at a higher AAV due to your opportunity to shine in SJ. This is the walman path, the granny path, and maybe even the vanecek and blackwood paths. All four of those guys got a great chance to shine in SJ, got dealt to PO teams, and now get a chance to compete for the cup and resign at max value.
The sharks can be a great jumping board for any player looking to increase their value and play in the playoffs.
