General manager Mike Grier didn't wait for the March 7 trade deadline to start selling some of the San Jose Sharks' best assets as another season spiraled downward.
The Sharks were 10-13-5 with a three-game winning streak on Dec. 3. They were much more competitive than last season, but that didn't stop Grier from trading starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood six days later.
The Sharks seem destined to finish with the NHL's worst record for a second straight season. They've won only five of their last 29 games since their so-called high-water mark. And their outlook doesn't look any better with Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci traded off the roster.
That didn't keep the Sharks general manager from staying true to the big picture. And in his two notable trades, the Sharks have added draft capital. They've got another 2025 first-round pick to go with their own, which could be the No. 1 choice again. Fourth-round and fifth-round picks could be upgraded if conditions are met in those deals. They have an additional 2026 second-round pick.
The Sharks are very much in the teeth of a rebuild. But as he did in parlaying an extra first-round pick and a couple of prospects into promising young goalie Yaroslav Askarov, Grier may not use all his draft capital to make selections.
"I'm open to anything really," Grier recently said. "I think it's just how you line up the value. But I think we're also open to getting players that can help us right now. Whether that's someone in their mid-20s or someone who's in their early 20s or something like that, or a young prospect that maybe just needs a year or two -- I think everything's kind of on the table for us. It's not in the mode of gathering picks for the sake of gathering picks."
Where else might Grier turn as the deadline approaches? Let's look through the Sharks roster at those potentially available and those who are off-limits.
Macklin Celebrini
The No. 1 overall pick's rookie season is playing out in an ideal way. Last year's Hobey Baker Award winner as a freshman made an impact in his first game and has begun his trajectory as an impact center who can be a star No. 1 pivot. Celebrini is already at nearly a point per game while leading all rookies with 17 goals. He doesn't turn 19 until June. Greatness may be ahead.
Yaroslav Askarov
Askarov has had some peaks and valleys in his Sharks starts but the 22-year-old's talent is undeniable. The path to being a starting NHL goalie -- previously blocked by Juuse Saros in Nashville -- is there for him in San Jose. With Evgeni Nabokov overseeing him, Askarov is set to become their next lead netminder.
William Eklund
While it's probably a stretch to call the 22-year-old Eklund untouchable, you would imagine the Sharks only considering moving him if a landmark player was to become available. Eklund has taken another step this season and will top the 29 assists and 45 points he had last season, while putting up better possession and defensive metrics.
Shakir Mukhamadullin
Called up from the AHL on Feb. 3, Mukhamadullin is still getting his feet wet with the Sharks. There will be a lot to learn defending against NHL players, but the 23-year-old is 6-foot-4 and could project as their next mobile shutdown blueliner. "We just think there's tons and tons of upside in this kid," Grier said when he acquired him as part of the Timo Meier trade.
Will Smith
Whatever concern there was about the former Boston College star adapting to the NHL, and whether he needed time in the minors to marinate, has dissipated over the last few weeks. Smith, 19, looks like a young player who is "getting it" now. He had a recent six-game point streak and has two goals and eight points in his last nine games. Better yet, he's a plus-8 over that span.
Fabian Zetterlund
Among the players in this category, Zetterlund probably is the one that you could see in a trade, since quality wingers are usually more attainable than impact centers or defensemen. However, the 25-year-old Swede is much more of an extension candidate right now. He's been a very good return in the Meier deal. Zetterlund led San Jose with 24 goals last season, and he could reach that number again this year.
Mario Ferraro
After the addition of Jake Walman and Ceci this season, Ferraro's workload has been lessened by two minutes on average after he was overtaxed last season. He hasn't had the best season, but the 26-year-old is still an attractive target for his age, skating ability and average ice time, and his $3.25 million cap hit through next season makes him appealing for a team that might want him for two playoff runs.
Luke Kunin
Kunin has been an example-setter for the Sharks, and that's reflected in being one of their four assistant captains. The grinder is in a scoring drought with just one goal in his last 20 games, but he's got 11 on the season and can add energy while chipping in an occasional goal in a team's bottom six. But an argument could be made to extend him again.
Jan Rutta
Ceci, one of the Sharks' veteran right-hand shots on defense, has been dealt, and now the other one should be in play. Rutta, 34, is a third-pairing type who can be additional depth for a playoff team, and he has played 49 postseason games with Tampa Bay, 40 of them across 2021 and 2022 when the Lightning won their second consecutive Stanley Cup and got back to a third straight Cup Final.
Nico Sturm
Sturm won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022 and could aid a contending team as a fourth-line center who can double as a faceoff specialist. A deeper Sharks lineup up front has cut into his ice time this season, but his $2 million cap hit on an expiring contract is manageable for an acquiring team.
Nikolai Kovalenko
Kovalenko is on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury, and the Sharks are still in the process of finding what role he can play to maximize his ability. Kovalenko, 25, profiles as a winger who can play with some bite but also display some offensive upside in the middle of a lineup. Obtained from Colorado in the Mackenzie Blackwood trade, Kovalenko has youth on his side.
Henry Thrun
Thrun has played up and down the Sharks' defense and occasionally logs big minutes. He doesn't get a lot of special-teams action but he's further along in terms of handling the NHL rigors than the club's top defensive prospects. Thrun is on a cheap contract through next season so it's more likely he becomes a permanent fixture, gets surpassed in the lineup or becomes part of an upgrade deal.
Timothy Liljegren
Essentially airlifted out of a deteriorating situation with the Maple Leafs, Liljegren is providing some value as a right-shot defenseman who can move the puck and chip in a little offense from that side. The cost for him was just two draft picks and veteran Matt Benning, who has played exclusively at the AHL level this season. Liljegren has another year left on his contract.
Tyler Toffoli
Toffoli was San Jose's big free-agent signing last summer and he has fulfilled his job as a goal-scorer, leading the club with 20. The 32-year-old is just one year into a four-year, $24-million contract, and he earned a full no-move clause after bouncing through a few teams the previous five seasons. The Sharks still need a veteran scorer in this transition to the new core, and he's still getting it done.
Jake Walman
Walman is another Grier acquisition who has paid off in terms of getting value out of distressed assets. Lacking a clear role in Detroit, Walman is now flourishing in the Bay Area as he leads the defense in scoring by a wide margin and is on his way to a career season. But he could attract some attention as an affordable offensive blueliner with another year on his deal.
Alexander Wennberg
Signed to a two-year deal in the offseason, Wennberg has a no-trade clause that switches to a modified one in 2025-26. That's where his trade value will increase, since he'll be on an expiring deal then. In the meantime, Wennberg can continue to handle the third-line center position. He's currently out due to an upper-body injury but could return after the break.
Alexander Georgiev
Perhaps it was unlikely, given that he struggled in Colorado and was traded to a worse team, but Georgiev might have given the Sharks a trade asset had he rediscovered his game. But he has an .875 save percentage in 14 games. Georgiev is on an expiring contract but he's only going to be traded if a club is in desperate need of an NHL goalie with playoff experience.
Barclay Goodrow
The Sharks brought back Goodrow on a waiver claim to provide leadership for a young team. San Jose had no problem absorbing his $3.6 million cap hit. In fact, it can help them stay above the cap floor as it rises. But it doesn't feel like he's bringing a ton of on-ice value with his play.
Klim Kostin
Kostin was activated off injured reserve just before the break after dealing with a lower-body injury. His last game was on Jan. 10. He's been unable to build on the end of last season, when he had five goals and 10 points in 19 games after being acquired from Detroit.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
The Sharks' all-time games leader for a defenseman recently moved past 1,300. He's been in and out of the lineup since becoming active on Jan. 2. The Sharks could buy out the last year of his contract ($7 million cap hit) or have the 37-year-old finish it out next season as a part-time player.
Ty Dellandrea
The Sharks sent a fourth-round pick in this year's draft to Dallas for Dellandrea, who is signed through next season with a $1.3 million cap hit. Dellandrea has played some at center in addition to the wing, but he's basically a fourth-line energy grinder who can take some penalty-killing shifts.
Walker Duehr
An undrafted South Dakota-born right wing, Duehr was claimed off waivers from Calgary on Jan. 22. Duehr has moved between the NHL and the minors over his five pro seasons. He's getting a chance with the Sharks and has scored two goals in seven games while averaging approximately nine minutes of action.
Carl Grundström
Grundström signed a two-year contract after spending six years with Los Angeles. The 27-year-old is among the hits leaders on the Sharks with 120 but the winger often has been a healthy scratch. He's got a heavy shot but has only contributed two goals in his 38 games.
Vitek Vanecek
It's been a difficult season for the veteran netminder, who has had mixed results in falling to a backup role and missing several weeks of action after a wayward puck struck him in the face. He's on an expiring contract but his numbers (4.01 goals-against average, .878 save percentage) have been hurt by a few rough outings.
Logan Couture
Couture is the Sharks' inactive captain, and his role isn't going to change. On the possibility of having a new captain who is playing, Grier said of Couture, "As long as he's here, he'll be the captain. I'm not someone who's going to go out and feel like there's a need to name a new captain the next day. All that stuff is earned over time." The 35-year-old Couture's last game was on Jan. 31, 2024. It isn't clear when his next one will be. If there is a next one.