San Jose Sharks Podcast – San Jose Hockey Now

It’s an emergency episode of the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier has fired head coach David Quinn.

When did Sheng first get wind that Quinn’s job might be in jeopardy? He had an idea on Monday. (1:10)

What’s our first reaction? Sheng argues that the Sharks’ ill-constructed roster wasn’t on Quinn, but more on Grier. (4:33)

So if not the roster, did Quinn get fired because he didn’t develop the young San Jose Sharks players? (23:00)

Were Grier and Quinn on the same page about what they wanted out of the Sharks, their identity?

Keegan wonders if player perception of Quinn doomed him. (26:40)

Sheng and Keegan speculate on other reasons why Grier fired Quinn. Is Grier feeling the heat from above (read: Hasso Plattner) after back-to-back disappointing seasons? (34:40)

Keegan argues there isn’t much downside to letting Quinn go right now.

Was Quinn a fall guy for Grier?

What type of coach should the San Jose Sharks target in this stage of their rebuild? What about David Carle? (43:30)

What are our thoughts about Grier keeping John McCarthy behind the San Jose Barracuda bench? (47:05)

Finally, a note about the San Jose Sharks hoping to sign Will Smith. (53:20)

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This week on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, we welcome ESPN senior NHL writer Greg Wyshynski! Greg recently made the case for Mike Grier for GM of the Year, and we had to dive into that, given some of the criticism we've heard recently about Grier (48:15). 

But before we get to Greg, we start our show with just how important it is that the San Jose Sharks have finished dead-last in the NHL, securing the best odds at the first-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft (2:27).

We cover some of the Will Smith ELC signing scenarios (7:40).

Sheng and Keegan discuss some of the San Jose Sharks games this past week, including a shellacking by the Oilers, a win for Devin Cooley, and much more (14:18). We also go into why Danil Gushchin, Jack Thompson, and Georgi Romanov were able to get call-ups this late in the year.

Luke Kunin has been maligned by the analytics folks all year, but Sheng wanted to share some of the league-wide sentiment regarding Kunin's analytics (23:45).

The San Jose Sharks and Barracuda came out with their 2023-24 awards. Who did Sheng choose for the Sharks/Cuda, and who does Keegan think should have won? (34:30)

Finally, Sheng shares some of his observations from watching Filip Bystedt live. (43:05)

And now, Greg Wyshynski! (48:15)

We recorded this in early April, by the way, before everything happened with the Arizona Coyotes and their move to Salt Lake City.

Greg's praise for Mike Grier as GM of Year on the Mar. 27 episode of “The Jeff Marek Show” really turned some heads around the NHL (49:00). 

https://sanjosehockeynow.com/san-jose-sharks-grier-gm-year-links/

So what happens if the San Jose Sharks don’t win No. 1? Would Greg still think of Grier as GM of the Year? (54:20)

Keegan asks the question, what is Sharks’ deserve-o-meter for the No. 1 pick? (57:13)

There's lots of Arizona Coyotes' talk here that is outdated...so listen if you want, but understand that the speculation did not end up correct.

Sheng wonders about the national perception of the San Jose Sharks' rebuild and the Tomas Hertl trade. (1:06:10)

Greg is a famous New Jersey Devils fan, so what does he think of the Timo Meier trade, and Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek in goal? (1:13:35)

How can the San Jose Sharks avoid protracted rebuilds like the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators are dealing with now, and the Edmonton Oilers dealt with before 2015? (1:19:10)

When does Greg think the Sharks will make the playoffs again? (1:24:15)

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The Frozen Four starts on Thursday!

Top San Jose Sharks prospect Will Smith will be part of it with Boston College.

So we got Cam Robinson from Elite Prospects to talk about Smith. (53:06)

Back during the World Juniors, Robinson tweeted:

https://twitter.com/Hockey_Robinson/status/1742237537999945804

Does Robinson still think that?

Before Cam, we talk about the San Jose Sharks’ week that was, touching on William Eklund’s hat trick, Devin Cooley’s first win, Collin Graf’s NHL debut, and the Luke Kunin conundrum. We also touch on the Danil Gushchin to KHL rumor. (2:50)

We chat a little about Filip Bystedt’s AHL debut. (26:05)

Keegan shares his takes on what the scouts are saying about the San Jose Sharks’ top-10 prospects. (27:55)

https://sanjosehockeynow.com/san-jose-sharks-graf-cagnoni-musty-mukhamadullin-scouts-prospects/

And now, Cam! (53:06)

Does Robinson still think that Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault are better than Smith? (54:00)

We talk about Smith’s strengths and weaknesses. (57:48)

Which San Jose Sharks prospect does Robinson think might be better than Smith? (1:01:45)

What does Robinson think the Sharks see in Smith? (1:04:45)

Who was your pick at #4 if you’re San Jose in 2023? Matvei Michkov and non-Michkov category? (1:09:32)

Why is Cam so high on Quentin Musty? (1:10:57)

Going into the 2024 Draft, if the San Jose Sharks don’t get Macklin Celebrini at No. 1, who should they target at No. 2 or 3? (1:13:55)

Who does Cam like as his top defenseman in this Draft? (1:19:06)

Using Ivan Demidov as the barometer, how would Robinson compare the 2024 and 2023 Drafts?

Robinson also shares prospects who he likes in the potential Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2024 first-round area. (1:23:11)

Does Cam like any other San Jose Sharks prospects a lot? What are his thoughts about Collin Graf? (1:25:50)

Make sure to check out the Elite Prospects Draft Guide, their flagship product, coming out soon!

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Welcome to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

Joining us this week are long-time broadcaster and hockey executive Pierre McGuire and Bruins insider Jimmy Murphy, hosts of The Eye Test Podcast! (50:40) They're joining us to talk all about their recent Mar. 20th episode of their podcast where they shared some less-than-optimistic views of the current state of the San Jose Sharks.

But before we get to the interview, what do we want from the Sharks before the end of the season? Can we get Devin Cooley a win in San Jose? (1:55)

Klim Kostin has taken advantage of his ice-time after his trade to the Sharks, what's behind his recent success? (6:05)

Another bright spot lately has been the play of Mackenzie Blackwood, who posted a rare San Jose Sharks shutout this week. (13:30)

We turn our discussion to the NCAA tourney, and the play of Will Smith and 2024 prospect Artyom Levshunov in the NCAA Tournament. (17:30) 

Filip Bystedt, San Jose's 2022 first-rounder is coming to San Jose! (29:10)

Lastly, Sheng and Keegan discuss the Jack Studnicka recall to the San Jose Sharks, why it happened, and what this means for Danil Gushchin. (36:35)

Finally, we have Pierre McGuire and Jimmy Murphy to get some perspective on the Sharks from outside San Jose (50:40). 

Setting the stage, Sheng outlines some of the statements by Jimmy and Pierre on the Sharks' rebuild, made of the Mar. 20 episode of "The Eye Test" podcast. He also lays out what Grier has done differently since being hired in the summer of 2022. (52:30) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be784-b3JOI

Pierre admits Mike inherited a bad situation, but asks the question about how the Sharks are planning on being better next year? (1:00:00)

Jimmy jumps in and shares his thoughts about the perception of the Sharks' lack of a positive environment around the younger players in the locker room. (1:04:13)

Sheng thinks Grier is going to reset this offseason and sign more "character" guys to help mentor the young guys. (1:07:10)

Pierre has spoken with other hockey executives and he thinks it's another 5-7 years to "fix" the San Jose Sharks. (1:08:40)

Pierre also talks about the art of team-building and why it may be difficult to attract free agents to San Jose. (1:10:20)

Pierre mentions an upcoming 2024 Draft prospect (not Macklin Celebrini) that he thinks the Sharks may target in they don't land the No. 1 pick. (1:11:20)

Jimmy would put a focus on veteran depth to improve the culture heading into the offseason. (1:14:30)

Pierre thinks the goal-differential (the San Jose Sharks are -133 currently) is the most important thing to correct next year by changing the defense. (1:17:00)

Pierre doesn't put stock into the idea of Noah Hanifin coming to San Jose in the off-season, and Jimmy brings up that taxes in California may be a real issue. (1:26:00)

Sheng defends Erik Karlsson's Norris Trophy, specifically how his plus/minus was affected by a ton of empty net goals. (1:30:05)

Keegan brings up a misstep by Doug Wilson extending veteran players in hopes of winning a Stanley Cup, after they never won a Stanley Cup in the first place. (1:31:05)

Jimmy points out that almost every Sharks defender is at best a third-pairing defender, aside from Mario Ferraro. (1:33:35)

Finally Keegan asks Sheng, Pierre, and Jimmy, would they have traded Tomas Hertl? (1:39:15)

Sheng defends the trade!

Thanks so much for watching, listening and subscribing on YouTube!

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Welcome back to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast! This week, Keegan is going to reveal his current top-16 of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft! (23:50) 

But before that, we talk about the week that was for the San Jose Sharks. (00:30)

We cover the recent improved play of Thomas Bordeleau, and we talk about a shift in his playing style and his mindset with the Sharks during this call-up. (1:30) 

Sheng and Keegan discuss William Eklund's demotion to the fourth line, and how a change was needed to spark Eklund. (9:00)

Will Smith made some waves this weekend during the Hockey East tournament. Sheng and Keegan discuss his chances at the Hobey Baker award after his performance. (14:55)

Sheng has a quick note on the possibility of Barracuda call-ups in the last dozen games of the season. He was told that the San Jose Sharks have just one regular call-up left, but that they could also use emergency call-ups to play some Cuda prospects in the NHL. (18:30)

Finally, we touch on the recent signing of Akim Aliu to a PTO with the San Jose Barracuda. (19:50)

Now, Keegan reveals his current 2024 Top-16 ranking, broken down by tiers! (23:50)

Is there anybody besides Macklin Celebrini in Tier 1? (26:10)

In Tier 2, who does Keegan rank behind Celebrini...Ivan Demidov, Berkly Catton, Cayden Lindstrom, Artyom Levshunov, Anton Silayev, or Cole Eiserman? (29:30)

Keegan has a bunch of defensemen in Tier 3, will the San Jose Sharks grab any of them with the Pittsburgh Penguins' pick? Where does he rank Levshunov, Silayev, Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson, Zeev Buium, and Carter Yakemchuk? (39:27)

Where do forwards Konsta Helenius, Tij Iginla, Andrew Basha, Terik Parascak, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård fit in?

How far into the first round does Keegan's Tier 4 go? Who just missed the top-16 cut? (56:40)

Finally, what is Keegan's perfect 2024 San Jose Sharks' first round?

Thanks for listening and watching! Subscribe on YouTube! 

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Who are our top-10 San Jose Sharks prospects, post-Trade Deadline?

Before we share our rankings, we talk about the San Jose Sharks’ week that was, and the performances of Klim Kostin, Magnus Chrona, Devin Cooley, Thomas Bordeleau, and William Eklund. (3:05)

What do we think about the Tomas Hertl trade, one week later? (30:08)

We make sense of reassigning Ozzy Wiesblatt to the Milwaukee Admirals. What about Sasha Chmelevski’s NHL future? What was the hidden message from GM Mike Grier’s candid comments about the San Jose Sharks firing Igor Eronko? (40:22)

Also, thanks to all those who have helped Sheng travel this year! (1:08:30)

Finally, who are our top-10 San Jose Sharks prospects? Where do new additions David Edstrom and Jack Thompson fit in?

From No. 10 to No. 6, where do Luca Cagnoni, Ethan Cardwell, Kasper Halttunen, Jack Thompson, Cam Lund, Henry Thrun, Thomas Bordeleau, and Danil Gushchin fit in? (1:15:26)

Between David Edstrom and Filip Bystedt, who ranked higher? (1:37:32)

How did our top-three of Shakir Mukhamadullin, Quentin Musty, and Will Smith shake out? (1:45:00)

We also touched on some honorable mentions like Eric Pohlkamp, Jake Furlong, Mattias Havelid, and more. (1:55:42)

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Tomas Hertl to the Vegas Golden Knights?!?

We react to all of the San Jose Sharks’ Trade Deadline moves, and talk about why we like the Hertl trade for the Golden Knights.

But before we get there, we talk about Logan Couture ruling himself out for the rest of the season, a perfect way to cap off perhaps the worst day in San Jose Sharks history. (1:12)

Sheng describes a surreal day around Sharks Ice.

We get in deep about the Hertl trade, both the on and off the ice implications and emotions. (13:43)

The Hertl trade, obviously, was the star of the show, but we also talked about all of the Sharks’ moves today and yesterday.

Why we had “no notes” for the Anthony Duclair trade? (51:45)

Keegan really liked the Kaapo Kahkonen trade: Why was it a sensible swap for Vitek Vanecek? (57:05)

Sheng’s favorite San Jose Sharks’ Trade Deadline move was Radim Simek for Klim Kostin. (1:08:15)

Why didn’t Nikita Okhotiuk pan out for the San Jose Sharks? (1:15:45)

Finally, we end with a thought about Devin Cooley. (1:20:45)

We grade the San Jose Sharks’ 2024 Trade Deadline. (1:24:25)

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It's our San Jose Sharks' Trade Deadline predictions! We dive deep into 12 potential players that could be traded this week from the Sharks and try to predict potential returns (32:30)

But first, we talk this past week of Sharks' action.

Four losses since the last podcast, who stood out for the San Jose Sharks in these losing efforts? (2:22)

Sheng answers the question that many people had on Twitter; why did David Quinn call a timeout down 7-1 to the New Jersey Devils in the third period? Quinn explains. (2:55)

We discuss the quality start that Magnus Chrona put up this week against the Dallas Stars, and we do a little reminiscing about the 2021 Trade Deadline when Doug Wilson acquired Alexander Barabanov and Chrona for very little. (14:50)

After the San Jose Sharks' loss to the Minnesota Wild this week, we revisited the Kaapo Kahkonen/Jake Middleton deal from the 2022 Trade Deadline. (21:02)

Finally, here are the official San Jose Hockey Now Trade Deadline predictions! (32:30)

What do Sheng's sources think the Sharks will get for their players? Read this article as a reference for our discussion:

https://sanjosehockeynow.com/san-jose-sharks-trade-deadline-scouts-value-scouts/

Do Sheng and Keegan think that these players will get traded...and for what?

Mikael Granlund (37:30)
Kevin Labanc (42:15)
Mike Hoffman (44:28)
Mario Ferraro (46:45)
Anthony Duclair (51:00) (plus what young player does Keegan think Duclair could get traded for?)
Kaapo Kahkonen (58:25)
Luke Kunin (1:00:15)
Jan Rutta (1:04:10)
Alex Barabanov (1:06:55)
Nico Sturm (1:10:02)
Ryan Carpenter + Justin Bailey (1:11:30)

Catch us later this week for our Trade Deadline wrap-up show and to see how many predictions we got right!

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Why are the San Jose Sharks so easy to play against? And how unhappy are the players?

But before the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast digs into that, Keegan and Sheng discuss Anthony Duclair’s recent play (2:22) and touch on David Quinn and Kevin Labanc not seeing eye to eye (4:50).

What is Sheng hearing about the Sharks’ top Trade Deadline targets (8:30)?

Last week, Frank Seravalli said on the DFO Rundown Podcast that Sharks players “feel like they aren’t even playing on an NHL franchise” -- his podcast co-host Jason Gregor agreed, “I’ve heard some ridiculous stories about lack of preparation.” (18:00)

Sheng investigates, talking to Sharks players and people closely associated with them. What did he find?

Finally, we dig into why the San Jose Sharks are so easy to play against (41:12).

SPORTLOGiQ stats from last year to this season give a stark contrast (43:00).

There are the things that Mike Grier couldn’t control (46:35) -- and something that he could control (50:00).

How could all this shape the San Jose Sharks’ coming off-season (1:00:05)?

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This week on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast we have an interview with Mike Santos from Team 33, an independent scouting service that consults for NHL teams around the league. He joins Sheng and Keegan to discuss the relative value of many of the Sharks' players that may be available at the trade deadline. (39:20)

Before that though, we have our news of the week. (02:00) This week, it was announced that both Hertl and Couture would be out somewhat long-term with injuries. We break down some expected timelines (or lack thereof) for both players. (02:45)

We cover the two games this week, a 1-0 loss to Winnipeg and a 6-3 win against Calgary, while touching on the play of Kaapo Kähkönen and Filip Zadina, who shined in those two games. (10:40)

Our final topic before the interview with Mike Santos, we take a dive into some of the recent comments made by Kevin Labanc. We go into the comments and why a change of scenery needs to happen for Labanc to find his game. (23:40)

Now the Mike Santos interview!  (39:20)

People have been asking, what exactly is Team 33? Mike covers the structure of their scouting service and highlights some of the teams that use their services. (39:50)

Sheng and Keegan ask Mike Santos about possible trade candidates for the Sharks, and how the Team 33 scouts are rating these players, and their trade values. (45:34)

How much are the following players worth? 

Anthony Duclair (47:00)

Alexander Barabanov (53:05)

Mike Hoffman (1:00:40)

Kevin Labanc (1:03:55)

Mikael Granlund (1:07:20)

Nico Sturm (1:13:40)

Mario Ferraro (1:20:30)

Kaapo Kahkonen (1:28:24)

Lastly Mike shares some of his general thoughts on who he would keep going forward from this Sharks roster and who is most likely to be traded. (1:36:25)

Thank you all for watching, listening, and subscribing to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

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