Five Sharks musings: Should Mike Grier continue to add? Trouble with Sherwood?

The San Jose Sharks put themselves in playoff contention with how well they played through the first three-plus months of the season, and general manager rewarded the group this week by acquiring forward Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks for second round draft picks in 2026 and 2027.

Now it’s a matter of whether Grier will continue to add.

The Sharks, per PuckPedia, will have close to $8 million in salary cap space by the NHL trade deadline in March. While Grier will likely continue to keep his eyes open, it likely only makes sense for him at this point to bring in players who fit in for the medium and long-term.

The Sharks have spent the last three or four years building up a prospect pool thought to be the best in the NHL. They also have a combined three first-round draft picks this year and next, giving them an opportunity to add long-term difference-makers.

Those picks and prospects could help keep the Sharks’ competitive window open for a long time.

While it might be tantalizing to add Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers or Alex Tuch of the Buffalo Sabres to this group, it’s tough to imagine Grier sending one of his top prospects or first round picks out the door for short-term help. Both Panarin, 34, and Tuch, 29, are pending unrestricted free agents and might be more expensive than Sherwood was to acquire.

Could the Sharks have interest in a defenseman that has term? Considering they have just two blueliners – Dmitry Orlov and Sam Dickinson – signed past this season, and only so much NHL-ready talent in the pipeline, that seems like a possibility.

Still, this isn’t a ‘go for it’ type year for the Sharks. Kind of like the Montreal Canadiens of last season, they’re probably a year ahead of schedule, and not one player away from competing for a Cup.

The Canadiens had the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference in 2023-24 and were also ready to be sellers the following year. But Montreal got hot in the second half – thanks in part to a Calder Trophy winning season from defenseman Lane Hutson – and general manager Kent Hughes kept the team together. The Canadiens then made the playoffs as the second wild card team.

What the Canadiens didn’t do before last season’s deadline was trade young players, picks or prospects for short term help. Instead of a selloff, or a spending spree, they stood pat.

The price tag for Sherwood, a pending UFA, was palatable for the Sharks (25-21-3) since it appears, at the moment, that this year’s pick will fall somewhere in the middle of the second round, not near the start.

There could come a time when the Sharks trade first rounders for immediate help, but that time is not right now. At least, it shouldn’t be.

THE COURTSHIP BEGINS

Grier and Sherwood’s camp have had initial discussions about what the pending UFA’s next contract would look like, and the two sides are reportedly not on the same page.

The 30-year-old Sherwood, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic, could be asking for as much $30 million – presumably spread out over at least five or six years — in his next contract.

If Sherwood, who has 36 goals in his last 122 games, gets a deal with a $6 million annual average value, that would match next season’s AAVs for both Alex Wennberg and Tyler Toffoli, the highest-paid forwards on the Sharks’ active roster (for now).

The AAV might not be a huge problem for the Sharks, considering the NHL’s salary cap is projected to be $104 million next season and $113.5 million for 2027-28. But the term could be.

No NHL player over the last two-plus seasons has been credited with more hits than Sherwood (906) and if his hard-nosed style of play continues, there would be legitimate concern about how well his 6-foot, 194-pound body would hold up as he moves into his early to mid-thirties.

Still, he’s the type of player who Grier has long coveted: fast, skilled, and in your face.

ROSTER DECISIONS LOOMING?

Sherwood is on injured reserve, hasn’t played since Jan. 10 and it’s not completely clear how much longer he’ll have to be out of the lineup. The same can be said, it seems, for forward Philipp Kurashev, and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin, who are on IR with upper body ailments.

If all three players are healthy enough to be activated before the start of the Olympic break, that could make for some tough decisions for the front office about who gets sent down to the AHL, and if anyone has to be placed on waivers.

The Sharks play six more games before their Olympic break begins on Feb. 5.

RISING PAYROLL

Macklin Celebrini is eligible to sign a contract extension this summer, and whatever number he gets — whenever he gets it — is sure to make him one of the highest-paid players in the NHL.

In the meantime, at least a couple of Sharks players who are set to become restricted free agents in July stand to get raises this offseason, notably Collin Graf, who is in the third and final year of his own entry-level contract that carries a $942,000 cap hit.

The versatile winger, who has played up and down the Sharks’ lineup all season, is, perhaps surprisingly, tied for third on the team with 14 goals in 48 games. He also has 13 assists.

Perhaps one contract comparable is Calgary Flames forward Connor Zary, who signed a three-year extension with a $3.775 million AAV in September as a restricted free agent. Zary had 61 points in his first 117 NHL games and although Graf is not quite at that points-per-game pace for his career, he is a top penalty killer and plays more minutes than Zary.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Sharks went into Christmas on a three-game losing streak. But despite Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, they still had the best points percentage (.667) of any Pacific Division team since the break.

Starting with a 6-3 win over the Canucks on Dec. 27, the Sharks have an 8-4-0 record. The Vegas Golden Knights are second in the division at .615 (7-4-2) and the Seattle Kraken are third at .577 (6-4-3).