The latest Sharks buzz we heard during the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage at San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
LAS VEGAS — Do the Sharks have a major surprise for the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday night?
Joe Thornton is in Vegas to celebrate the Sharks acquiring the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
San Jose Hockey Now had dinner Thursday night with the family of a 2024 draft-eligible player who was on the same plane to Las Vegas as Thornton.
Will the 1997 first overall pick herald the 2024 first overall pick? Stay tuned. …
We know the Sharks will select Celebrini at No. 1 overall, and yes, according to SJHN sources, there’s a strong belief he’ll turn pro for the 2024-25 campaign. But who will the Sharks select at No. 11, the selection acquired Thursday ahead of the No. 14 and No. 42 picks?
Two sources within the league believe the Sharks have moved to target a top-class defender, although one of them admits: “[Cole] Eiserman could be real.”
There’s some buzz that the Sharks are crossing the line for the polarizing sniper, who was Celebrini’s teammate at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota. …
Speaking of polarizing, SJHN learned a fascinating tidbit about the Sharks’ No. 1 defenseman, Mario Ferraro, who is viewed around the league as either a defenseman in a tough situation with San Jose or simply a defenseman on a legitimate playoff team.
Ferraro was available at the 2023 NHL trade deadline, and the Sharks wanted a first-round pick and a prospect in return… and they almost got it.
Elliotte Friedman previously reported that the Carolina Hurricanes made a strong offer for Ferraro in 2022-23. A league source confirmed that the offer was for a second-round pick and left-handed center Jack Drury.
One historically bad Sharks season later, the source mused, “If they trade [Ferraro]it will be for a lot less than what they had on the table at the trade deadline two years ago.” …
Speaking of heavy-handed, the Sharks traded defenseman Kyle Burroughs to the Los Angeles Kings for winger Carl Grundstrom.
“Grundstrom is a pretty straight forward guy,” an NHL scout told SJHN. “North-south winger, actually a pretty good shooter, but doesn’t get on the net much and doesn’t make a lot of plays. Can get hot and score at times. Physical on the forecheck.
“He’s a winger, third-line at his best. He’s track-minded. Skate, hit, change.”
Grundstrom has scored at a 15-goal pace in 82 games over the last three seasons, so he should provide the Sharks’ bottom six with secondary scorers. He also fits the profile of a “tough-to-play” player that Sharks general manager Mike Grier has focused on so far this offseason, such as Barclay Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea. …
Finally, why did Grier fire David Quinn?
That surprising dismissal in April was still a topic of discussion this week. It may be water under the bridge with Ryan Warsofsky announced as head coach last week, but SJHN heard from multiple sources that there was little communication between Grier and Quinn over the past two seasons — essentially the duration of their GM-head coach partnership .
The reason for this is unclear – it could simply be Grier’s management style – but it certainly paints a different picture of what was seen as a close relationship with Boston University.
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