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Mike Grier

Snapshots: Czechia, Columbus, Landeskog

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The Czech Foreign Ministry has told the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators that they will not welcome Russian-born players into the country for the Global Series games, scheduled to be held on October 7 and 8 in Prague. A report from the Associated Press confirms that a letter has been sent to the NHL explaining that visas are not to be issued to Russian players because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

However, deputy commissioner Bill Daly has expressed “no concern” to the AP about players traveling to Czechia, and Sharks general manager Mike Grier told reporters including Corey Masisak of The Athletic that the NHL is handling the situation. Grier also explained that his position is “we all go or we don’t go,” suggesting he will not take the Sharks to Prague if Alexander Barabanov and Evgeny Svechnikov, the team’s two healthy Russian players, are not allowed to participate.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have made several changes in their hockey operations department, naming Trevor Timmins assistant director of amateur scouting, and hiring Marshall Davidson, Dale Derkatch, and Roman Polak (previously reported) as scouts. Zac Urback has been promoted to director of hockey analytics, and Mike Eaves, formerly the head coach of the Cleveland Monsters, will now serve as a pro scout.
  • Gabriel Landeskog “won’t skate anytime soon” according to Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, who told reporters including Peter Baugh of The Athletic that the captain is still dealing with an injury from last season. Landeskog is expected to miss the start of the year.

Latest On Timo Meier

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There are few players as important to the San Jose Sharks as Timo Meier. The Swiss forward led the Sharks in scoring last year, setting career highs in goals (35), assists (41), and points (76). He’s a spectacular scoring winger without many weak spots in his game, and he would be expected to lead the Sharks into their next period of contention alongside Tomas Hertl.

But speaking today at the NHL’s European Player Media Tour, Meier said he’s had no discussions yet on a contract extension with the Sharks, aside from an introductory phone call with new general manager Mike Grier on July 5. Meier is entering the final season of a four-year, $24MM contract signed in 2019.

He will again be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer, meaning he’s due a qualifying offer. Meier’s actual salary in 2022-23 is $10MM, which should raise some eyebrows about the value of that qualifying offer, and rightfully so. But a change to the qualifying offer rules in the 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement extension means that Meier can’t receive a qualifying offer greater than 120% of his previous deal’s cap hit, meaning he’s only owned a one-year, $7.2MM deal as compared to a one-year, $10MM deal from the Sharks.

Financially, for Meier, this is the most important season of his NHL career. At 26 years old next summer, he’ll undoubtedly sign a long-term deal that should take him well into his 30s, whether it’s with the Sharks or someone else. If his production takes a step back next season, though, the Sharks may very well want to settle for a one-year contract awarded through arbitration.

The Sharks, in any event, will likely need to make a cap-clearing move next summer as they turn the corner back toward competitiveness. The anchor contracts of Logan Couture ($8MM), Erik Karlsson ($11.5MM), and Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($7MM) don’t expire until 2026 and 2027, so relief from those deals won’t come for quite a while.

San Jose Sharks Make Five Hockey Operations Hires

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The re-shaping of the San Jose Sharks under new GM Mike Grier continued today, with the team announcing five hires to their hockey operations department. The hires are as follows:

  • Scott Fitzgerald as Director of Player Personnel
  • Tom Holy as Assistant General Manager
  • Todd Marchant as Director of Player Development, Senior Advisor
  • Chris Morehouse as Director of Amateur Scouting (connection to San Jose first reported by The Athletic’s Corey Masisiak)
  • Ryan Stewart as part of the Pro Personnel department, and as Senior Advisor

Grier previously announced other changes to his hockey operations department, including the hiring of former New York Islanders head coach Doug Weight to a senior position, as well as a turnover of the team’s coaching staff, with a new bench boss in David Quinn.

Fitzerald, the new head of player personnel, is tasked with focusing on “pro and amateur scouting, including potential top-two round selections at the NHL Draft and college free agents,” per the team announcement. Fitzgerald previously served in various roles as a scout for the Boston Bruins, most recently as their Director of Collegiate Scouting. The Bruins have been active in the college free agent market under Fitzgerald’s close watch, perhaps indicating that targeting NCAA free agents will be a strategy under Grier.

Holy, now an assistant GM, was previously a widely-respected media and public relations manager for the Dallas Stars, Sharks, and Cleveland Barons. Per the team, Holy “will oversee the analytics department, staff budgeting and contracts” as well as overseeing various business-related responsibilities.

Marchant becomes the team’s new head of player development, an increasingly important role in a league full of teams fixated on improving their draft-and-develop process. The team states that Marchant will “oversee the player development department,” as he has in the Anaheim Ducks organization since 2011-12. Under Marchant’s watch, the Ducks have been among the NHL’s best teams in terms of delivering young talent to the NHL, especially with defensemen. The Sharks are eager to introduce more young talent to their lineup and that will be Marchant’s primary responsibility going forward, a responsibility he’s well-versed in handling.

Morehouse, the team’s new head of amateur scouting, functioned in the role of Director of Scouting for the New York Rangers. Before his stint in New York, Morehouse was the head of amateur scouting for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Like any scouting director, Morehouse’s draft resume has its fair share of hits and whiffs. What sets Morehouse apart, though, is his six years of experience running a scouting department despite now being just 35 years old.

Finally, Stewart joins the organization as a senior advisor and part of their pro personnel department. Stewart joins the Sharks after being relieved of his duties as assistant GM of the Chicago Blackhawks in March. Stewart was with the Blackhawks for over a decade, rising from the position of video coach to assistant GM. Stewart brings a wealth of experience to his new role and three Stanley Cup rings.

In total, these hires represent a total makeover of the Sharks’ hockey operations department. After the long and fruitful tenure of former GM Doug Wilson, who won just about everything outside of a Stanley Cup, the Sharks have been a bit lost, missing the playoffs for multiple years. It’s a thought that just a few years ago would have been unthinkable. Grier has targeted experienced people to staff these roles, all with extensive resumes.

The biggest responsibility for turning the Sharks around falls on their players, of course, but with these hires Grier is attempting to build a hockey operations department that can best support and complement the efforts of the Sharks’ players.

 

San Jose Sharks Sign Luke Kunin, Kaapo Kahkonen

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The San Jose Sharks have signed Luke Kunin to a two-year contract, according to PuckPedia. The deal will carry an average annual value of $2.75MM. Kunin was eligible for salary arbitration this summer but chose not to file. Sharks general manager Mike Grier also announced Monday afternoon that the team has signed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to a two-year contract. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the deal carries a cap hit of $2.75MM.

Kunin, 24, was acquired from the Nashville Predators this offseason in exchange for John Leonard (who also signed today) and a third-round pick. The young forward has changed his game in recent years to lean into his physicality, and after racking up a whopping 223 in 2021-22, he offers something new to the San Jose bottom six.

There’s also a bit of offensive skill in the 2016 first-round pick, who has double-digit goals in each of his last three seasons, all of them coming at even-strength or while short-handed. That kind of scoring upside will come in handy as the Sharks start to tear apart the old core and rebuild it under new general manager Mike Grier.

Notably, it will leave Kunin as a restricted free agent at its expiry, giving the Sharks a chance to re-assess whether he can be a long-term solution. He will once again be up for arbitration at that point.

Kahkonen excelled after San Jose acquired him at the Trade Deadline from the Minnesota Wild. The 2020 AHL Goalie of the Year had just a 2-6-1 record, but that was no fault of his own, posting a more-than-respectable .916 save percentage in 11 games played (10 starts). Kahkonen has a career .908 save percentage through 65 NHL games, 54 of which came with the Wild. He’ll join a crowded crease in San Jose next year that also includes James Reimer and Adin Hill.

The 25-year-old Finn will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 when his new contract expires.

San Jose Sharks Sign Three Players

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San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group that the team has signed three more free agents, inking Nico Sturm, Markus Nutivaara, and Matt Benning.

Sturm, 27, has agreed to a three-year deal worth a total of $6MM, giving him a substantial raise over the $750K he made in 2021-22. The Stanley Cup champion can be a valuable bottom-six forward, though his offensive limitations make this kind of contract something of a surprise. In 132 games in the NHL, Sturm has scored 20 goals and 39 points. What he does bring is a big, physical presence that can win faceoffs and contribute at the defensive end of the rink, something that should bring stability to the Sharks as they transition into a rebuild.

Nutivaara, 28, signed for just one year, coming off a 2021-22 season that was almost entirely lost to injury. The left-handed defenseman played just one game for the Florida Panthers and because of that, is eligible for performance bonuses in the upcoming season. PuckPedia reports that his deal will carry a salary of $1.5MM, while also including bonuses for games played up to a maximum of $250K. Once a very promising option for the Columbus Blue Jackets, his recent history has been ruined by injury, with ust 68 games played over the last three seasons.

Benning’s deal is for four years keeping him in San Jose through the 2025-26 season. That’s an impressive get for a player who rarely more than third-pairing minutes, and has moved in and out of the lineup for basically his whole career. Still, the 28-year-old defenseman offers a physical presence and does have more than 350 games of NHL experience under his belt.

San Jose Sharks Hire Mike Grier

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After news broke yesterday that the San Jose Sharks would be hiring Mike Grier as their next general manager, the official news came today from the club. Grier himself announced the historic hire in a short video for fans:

Really excited to get to work and be back in the Bay area. I know there have been lots of ups and downs but I’m ready to work hard, get at it, and get this thing back on the tracks. We’re going to start winning some games in the Shark Tank and get it going again. See you soon.

Grier, who played three seasons for the Sharks during his long playing career, is the first Black general manager in NHL history. He isn’t the first Grier to hold a sports executive position like this though. His brother, Chris Grier, is currently the general manager of the Miami Dolphins, while his father Bobby Grier worked for years with the New England Patriots in various roles.

Over a career that spanned 1,060 regular season games, Grier registered 162 goals and 383 points, while receiving Selke Trophy votes on five different occasions. The two-way winger retired in 2011 and a few years later was working for the Chicago Blackhawks as a scout, while also coaching at the high school level. In 2018 he was named an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils, and last season he served as a hockey operations coordinator for the New York Rangers.

Though his front office resume isn’t that long, Grier’s name has been floated in searches for the last few years as his profile as a future general manager grew. Chris Drury, who brought Grier into the Rangers, gave a strong endorsement to Sharks’ president Jonathan Becher during the search, according to Corey Masisak of The Athletic. He’ll now take over a franchise that has had just one full-time GM in nearly two decades. Doug Wilson, who led the team for the past 19 seasons, stepped away to focus on his health, leaving Joe Will there on an interim basis.

Some would also say he’s coming into quite a mess, given the Sharks’ lack of recent success and huge, long-term contracts on the books. Five players carry at least a $7MM cap hit for the club and only one of them (the recently-extended Tomas Hertl) is under the age of 32. Timo Meier is heading into the final year of his current deal and will need a $10MM qualifying offer to be retained as an RFA next summer, and the team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019.

There are other changes to the front office coming, according to Becher, and one would expect many to the roster and coaching staff as well. Just a few days ago the team fired head coach Bob Boughner, giving Grier “full autonomy” to make the staff. David Quinn, who has a connection to Grier through their shared alma mater of Boston University, has been floated in the early stages as a potential candidate.

The roster though will be more difficult to rearrange. Eight different players hold some sort of trade protection in their contracts, including basically all of the expensive ones. The organization is also dealing with the uncertainty surrounding Evander Kane’s grievance, which is still not scheduled for another hearing and could take quite a bit of time to resolve.

Grier will have his work cut out for him as he moves into this new position, starting with the team’s first-round pick later this week. The Sharks are scheduled to select 11th overall.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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