Mike Grier Reportedly Lands San Jose GM Job

Per insider Kevin Weekes, Mike Grier will be named the San Jose Sharks new General Manager sometime today (Tuesday):

As Weekes suggests, Grier would be the first Black GM in NHL history, a groundbreaking accomplishment for Grier. Grier, drafted #219 in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues, possesses 1060 matches of NHL experience as a player & two seasons of coaching experience. In his 1060 NHL games, he amassed 383 points for five NHL clubs, including five seasons with the San Jose Sharks. It was widely suggested during SJ's GM search that whoever landed the job will have played in the organization & understood what it meant to be a Shark.

Currently a Hockey Operations Advisor with the New York Rangers, Grier--reportedly--will be assuming the GM responsibilities in San Jose just two days before the NHL Entry Draft & eight days before free agency. Therefore, he has his work cut out for him, as the Sharks do not exactly reside in a position of strength at the moment. The Sharks have a meager $5.6 million in salary cap space this summer, missed the playoffs by a wide margin, and they have the NHL's 13th oldest team with an average age of 27.28 years.

With Erik Karlsson earning $11.5 million per season (with a full No-Move Clause, by the way), it is a foregone conclusion that Brent Burns and/or Marc-Édouard Vlasic could be shipped out via one means or another. The two of them together eat $15 million per season & have a combined 72 years of age, so they are the obvious casualties at first glance. Furthermore, the Sharks will need to re-sign eight RFAs including Jonathan Dahlen & Mario Ferraro. Grier isn't exactly walking into a cake-walk.

The good news for Grier & his staff, on the other hand, is that the organization's prospects are held in high regard. William Eklund, taken 7th overall in 2021, is not quite ready for the NHL but looks promising. Thomas Bordeleau out of the University of Michigan already played eight games with the Sharks last season & managed five assists. His highlight reel is pretty nuts:

Truly a do-it-all type of player, it is no surprise Bordeleau has been able to produce in the NHL. He & Eklund will both represent the USA & Sweden respectively at the World Junior Championships this summer.

So it isn't all bad in San Jose, but Grier will inherit a difficult job, should Weekes' reporting be accurate, which it usually is. The official announcement out of San Jose is expected to drop today at some point. Congratulations to Mr. Grier & all the best to him in his first gig as GM.

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