This is a historic day in the NHL. Why? Well, because the San Jose Sharks have named former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mike Grier as their new general manager. This is historic as it is the first man of African American decent to hold the position of general manger for an NHL team in league history.
First, speaking of the hire itself, I think this is a great move for the San Jose Sharks. Replacing the teams’ only other general manager to this point, Doug Wilson, was always going to be an extremely difficult task. But I think Grier is the man for the job.
His NHL upper management resume stands out as one of the best. He was a scout for the Chiago Blackhawks from 2014-18, helping contribute to two of the three Stanley Cups the Blackhawks won in the past decade. After Chicago, he moved on to be an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils from 2018-20, creating one of the best NHL penalty kills during his time.
Then, after a year away from the NHL, he returned as a coordinator for Hockey Operations for the New York Rangers, helping them make it back to the playoffs for the first time in two years.
Clearly, he has the talent to turn the Sharks around.
His only issues will be avoiding the foolish thinking that has doomed the organization, as well as removing the horrific contracts that are destroying the current Sharks roster.
As for the thinking, this team has been in denial about being a rebuilder for years.
The Sharks could have avoided all of the mediocrity and playoff-less seasons they have suffered these past few years if they just accepted that their core of Joe Thorton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, and Brent Burns were not going to win the Stanley Cup. But Doug Wilson and his management team held onto the foolish hope of winning a cup with those players and traded away 1st-round picks for overpaid and washed-up veterans.
And that brings us to the second point: the Sharks horrific contracts. San Jose, a team that has missed the playoffs the past three years, is paying 60% of their cap space on SIX players. Yeah, utterly insane and ridicules.
Even worse, Logan Couture ($8M cap hit), Erik Karlsson ($11.5M cap hit), Brent Burns ($8M cap hit), and Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($7M) are all over the age of 31. So, the Sharks are paying $34.5M on players who are past their prime.
What a mess.
Anyway, I expect Mike Grier to see past the bluster and success of past Sharks teams to realize that this current team is a rebuilder that needs to shed the contracts of old, “past-their-best” veterans.
Now, as for the hire of Mike Grier on a historic/groundbreaking level, I think it is great. Selecting a man with a diverse background brings respect and inclusion to the NHL, which is good for a league that has not always been the foremost sports league in.
Also, it gives anyone with a similar background or story to Mike Grier the opportunity to see that they can make it to the very highest peaks of the NHL management.
Anyway, it will be tough, but if Mike Grier can draft well with the Sharks 11th overall pick and somehow move on from one or two of those contracts this season, he will be getting off to a great start. Hopefully for all Sharks fans, he can.
If you want to see more about the Sharks salary cap problem, I included a link to CapFriendly below. It really is the best place to see how all the NHL teams are doing with their cap management:
Images Source: Featured Image: (San Jose Sharks) (Sharks Welcome Mike Grier as General Manager – YouTube)
Other Sources: (Cap Friendly) (San Jose Sharks Salary Cap, Draft Picks, and Player Contracts – CapFriendly – NHL Salary Caps)
