Matt Johnson
After narrowly missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past season, San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier went into the summer aggressively looking to improve. With the dead period of the offseason now here, early analysis would suggest the Sharks’ offseason moves paid off.
Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic named the Sharks one of the most improved NHL teams this offseason, ranking them ninth around the league when it comes to most value added via NHL free agency and trades. However, he did raise some doubts about just how much improvement there really will be.
Related: San Jose Sharks Earn Praise for Offseason Move
“That’s the bet the Sharks made on the back end. The problem is that “probably” was fairly marginal across the board and significantly more expensive. The juice probably won’t be worth the squeeze. Up front, the loss of William Eklund is replaced adequately by Mason Marchment. It’s less value, but a different enough element that should help maximize San Jose’s top six. Add an expanded role for Michael Misa, and the Sharks are a better team on paper than they were at the start of the summer. And this doesn’t include the potential impact of Ivar Stenberg either, which would push San Jose closer to the top five.”
The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn on the San Jose Sharks’ additions of Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba and Michael Kesselring
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Grier’s acquisitions are receiving mild feedback, at best. San Jose face criticism for the Darnell Nurse trade with the Edmonton Oilers, both because the club took on the entirety of his contract and it gave away defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin to acquire him.
Likewise, many have been skeptical about the Jacob Trouba signing. While the veteran defenseman brings physicaity and size that Grier wanted on the Sharks’ blueline, it came at a hefty cost. The four-year deal worth $8.25 million per season was viewed as an overpay for a 32-year-old defenseman who has already shown signs of decline.
Related: SJ Sharks Receive Modest Grades for NHL Free Agency Moves
What’s harder to argue against is that San Jose’s blueline collectively got better this offseason. Replacing John Klingberg, Mario Ferraro and Vincent Desharnais with Nurse, Trouba and Michael Kesselring should make that unit closer to league-average or just below it than it ever was during the 2025-26 NHL season.
As for replacing William Eklund with Mason Marchment, that move was about providing the second line with more bite and scoring while also making the long-term move to upgrade the blue line with Keaton Verhoeff. It should also be kept in mind that the Kesselring trade upgraded the blue line and still allowed San Jose to trade up for defenseman Ryan Lin in the 2026 NHL Draft. While the moves in totality might not have been as splashy as some wanted, the Sharks maintained the best farm system in hockey and should be well-positioned to earn a playoff spot next season.
