SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier has not had any serious contract negotiations with his large group of pending unrestricted free agents and said it’s unlikely he’ll sign any of those players to extensions before the NHL trade deadline on March 7.
The Sharks have seven pending UFAs on one-way contracts in forwards Mikael Granlund, Luke Kunin and Nico Sturm, defensemen Cody Ceci and Jan Rutta and goalies Vitek Vanecek and Alexandar Georgiev.
The most significant player in a contract year is Granlund, the Sharks’ No. 1 center right now who leads the team with 44 points in 51 games, plays in all situations and leads all forwards in average time on ice (20:52).
While Grier is open to keeping any of his pending UFAs, he also has to keep the big picture in mind. What the player wants in his next deal has to match up with what makes sense for the franchise.
“I have to do what’s best for the organization, short-term and long-term,” Grier told reporters Tuesday night at SAP Center. “Granny’s been great for us. He’s been good on the ice. He’s been good in the room. I haven’t had any conversations about extensions with any of our guys, any of our UFAs or any of our (restricted free agents), but that’s not to say it won’t happen prior to the deadline, after the deadline, in the summer, or whatever it may be.
“I think it’s important for me to have an open mind about where we’re going and what another team might be willing to offer for one of our players and weigh it against the value of keeping those players around and having them with their group.”
Granlund, who turns 33 on Feb. 26, in the final year of a four-year, $20 million contract he signed with the Nashville Predators in July 2021. He was traded to Pittsburgh in March 2023 as a trade deadline addition, but his time with the Penguins was brief. With the Pens under new management, Granlund and Rutta were both shipped to San Jose in Aug. 2023 as part of a three-team deal that also sent Erik Karlsson to the Steel City.
Granlund had 60 points in 69 games in his first year with the Sharks and became one of the team’s leaders after captain Logan Couture was injured for most of the season and Tomas Hertl was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights at last year’s trade deadline.
“I have an idea of what all the UFAs are looking for, or what they think their value is,” Grier said. “I don’t think there’s any harm (in talking). But I don’t know if there’s any real advantage or point of really locking into negotiations or anything, if we’re going to keep an open mind of not really knowing what’s going to happen and exploring.
“All those players and their agents know how I feel about the players, and the players know I feel about them. It’s just that time of year where I’ve got to take the short end the long-term view of things.”
Granlund has said he enjoys San Jose and both Kunin and Ceci are open to re-signing with the Sharks. Sturm told Bay Area News Group last month that he expects to be traded if he and the Sharks do not agree to an extension before March 7.
“I haven’t had any real extension talks with any of these guys,” Grier said. “But who’s to say? As you get into it a little bit, and you kind of see what’s out there, and if it’s not what we think, then you know what? Maybe it goes the other way and maybe you start working on an extension.”
Grier spoke with reporters after he, team president Jonathan Becher and coach Ryan Warsofsky held a question-and-answer session with some of the team’s elevated season-ticket holders.
The Sharks enter Wednesday in last place in the NHL’s overall standings with 36 points and appear to be at least two or three years away from being legitimate playoff contenders.
“It’s just where we are, right? I think it’s important for me to be thorough and do the due diligence, and listen to what’s out there,” in terms of trade offers, Grier said to media members. “We have a certain value on our players, what we think they’re worth in the market, and what they’re worth to us, individually, internally, to our group.
“So we’ll just kind of see how it goes over the next month or so. I’m not ruling anything out as far as if those guys, if they get moved, or if they end up staying here long term. They’re good players, guys that we like, and guys who have been good soldiers.”
All of the Sharks’ pending UFAs are in the same category right now.
“They’re all kind of in the same boat,” he said. “We’ll just kind of see what happens, and I’ll have conversations with them as we move forward, and kind of let them know where they are and how things stand.”
The Sharks do not have any salary retention spots left, but none of the Sharks pending UFAs are on exorbitant contracts, at least compared to players Grier previously traded like Karlsson, Hertl and Brent Burns.
Besides Granlund’s $5 million cap hit, Kunin’s is $2.75 million, and Sturm’s is $2 million. On defense, Ceci’s is $3.25 million, and Rutta’s is $2.75 million. The cap hits for Vanecek and Georgiev are $3.4 million and $2.924 million, respectively.
Grier, though, said not having any salary retention spots left would not necessarily make trading a player any harder.
“It adds a little layer to it, I guess,” Grier said. “But I don’t think any of the guys are at salary points that are outrageous for a team to be able to — if they really want the player — to make it work.
“It’s not like in the past with (Karlsson) or those guys, where you’re asking someone to take on $8 million or $10 million, whatever it may be. I think Granny’s the highest guy (at $5 million), and I think if a team really wants him and thinks he’s going to help them win a Stanley Cup, then I think that’s a number that can probably be swallowed.”
There is the possibility of the Sharks trading a player, getting an asset in return, and then attempting to sign him once the free agency window opens on July 1. Grier said if that was something he wanted to do, he would speak directly with the player about the possibility.
The Sharks have six picks in this year’s draft, with one in each of the first five rounds and a seventh rounder. With so many teams, particularly in the Eastern Conference still in the playoff hunt, perhaps this becomes a seller’s market.
“I think there’s a lot of teams that still think they’re in it,” Grier said. “It’ll be interesting. I think we have some good players available, and I think there’s guys that can impact winning and help teams win rounds or win the Stanley Cup. So there’s a steep price to pay for that.”
Originally Published:
Source: Paradise Post
