Sharks mailbag: Should Grier swing big and go after top-tier goalie prospect?

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks just completed a busy three-week period in which they added six NHL veterans to their roster, nine prospects through the draft, and signed a potential future franchise cornerstone in Macklin Celebrini.

It was a tidy amount of work for general manager Mike Grier and the Sharks’ front office, who started rebuilding the roster after spending the past two seasons largely tearing it down.

With that in mind, it was a good time for a Sharks mailbag, with another to come later this week.

Does Grier still plan to address the need for a top pairing RD? How does Grier plan to address the log jam at forward on the 3rd & 4th lines? (Does he still plan on making a trade or two before the season starts?) (@chris_robins1)

It would be a major surprise to see the Sharks acquire a top-pair right-shot defenseman or an experienced forward for the rest of this offseason. More likely, a move for an impactful right-shot defenseman would made via trade or free agency next summer (would Brent Burns have any interest in a return if he’s not extended in Carolina?), if at all.

In house, I’m curious to see what Ty Emberson’s ceiling is and how he might look alongside Mario Ferraro or Jake Walman for an extended period. It’s certainly a cheaper option. Now’s the time to find out what Emberson can do.

There’s a huge logjam following Celebrini and (Will) Smith signings; something has to give. Should we expect an impending trade for Sturm, Kunin, or Kostin? (behavior_nyc)

The Sharks are excited to see how the competition for the final few roster spots evolves. If they start with 14 forwards, including Logan Couture, the last three spots, in my opinion, probably come down to the waivers-exempt Collin Graf, Thomas Bordeleau, and Will Smith, plus vets Klim Kostin and Givani Smith. I don’t see Sturm or Kunin being traded right now. At the deadline is more likely.

As we saw last year with Oskar Lindblom, who had a $2.5 million cap hit, the Sharks aren’t afraid to waive a veteran if a younger player earns a spot. In Kostin’s case, if he doesn’t perform, the Sharks might try to trade him before waiving him.

Are we trying to go after (Yaroslav) Askarov? We need better goaltending, and with such a talent, in my opinion, we really should pursue him. (@RickardReinli)

Grier and Predators GM Barry Trotz did business recently with the Ozzy Wiesblatt-Egor Afanasyev deal, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the conversation drifted to Askarov to see what the price tag was/is.

The 6-foot-4 Askarov was named to the AHL’s Top Prospects team after he went 30-13-1 in 44 appearances for Milwaukee, Nashville’s top farm team, this season. He was tied for second in the AHL in wins, ranked fifth with a 2.39 goals-against average, and second with six shutouts.

But Askarov appears to be blocked out of an NHL job right now after the Predators signed Juuse Saros to an eight-year extension — that kicks in next year — and brought in veteran Scott Wedgewood on a two-year deal.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said at the NHL Draft that to entertain an Askarov trade, Nashville would need a good NHL player or a quality prospect forward or defenseman in return. It won’t be cheap, but it could be worth it if Askarov is believed by San Jose’s front office to have franchise goalie potential. The Sharks have some prospects to dangle, although it would hurt to part with such young talents.

Why does it make sense? The Sharks’ future goalie situation is murky at best. Magnus Chrona and Georgi Romanov are not believed to have the same upside as Askarov and are mostly unproven at the NHL level. Plus, Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek are pending UFA’s.

Askarov just turned 22 and could probably use a bit more seasoning in the AHL, but his time is coming, and bringing him in would be Grier’s boldest move.

I always felt that subpar goaltending was part of Grier’s “soft tank” rebuild strategy. While other areas have been addressed, it’s hard be enthusiastic about a Blackwood/Vanacek tandem. Do any prospects have a chance to grab the starting spot? (@sharxfan)

Unless Blackwood and/or Vanecek are injured, then no. The best Chrona and Romanov can probably do at this stage is have a good camp and be ready to play NHL games if called upon. The Sharks only have those four goalies under contract, although a veteran might be added later.

I thought Blackwood was fairly steady last season, all things considered. But we’ll see if he’s part of the team past this season.

What’s the latest on Sasha Chmelevski? Heading to KHL? Sharks trade his rights? (@teal_puck).

Despite some rumors that he might be headed back to North America, Chmelevski in April re-signed with Ufa in the KHL for three more years. Per CapFriendly, the Sharks hold his NHL rights until June 30, 2026.

Thoughts on a captaincy change? Would think having a captain on the ice is far more important than one off the ice. (@JumpRockJ)

That’s not happening. Grier went out of his way in June to say he wasn’t trading Couture, who was injured almost all of last season, adding that he valued the leadership of the 35-year-old career Shark, especially now with the team bringing in some younger players to the NHL.

“He’s our captain, he’s our leader, he had a tough year,” Grier said last month. “But we love him as a person, most importantly. He’s still a heck of a hockey player, so you guys can put any of those thoughts about me looking to trade our captain, you can put to bed.”

Stripping Couture of the captaincy would most assuredly undermine that message.

(Quentin) Musty, does he have a chance to crack the roster, or is he headed back to juniors? (@jmoman7)

He’s most likely headed back to the OHL unless he has an unbelievable camp and a couple of injuries open up roster spots. Musty just turned 19, and CHL players must be 20 by December 31 of this year to be eligible to play in the AHL. He could return to San Jose in the spring, though, if his season ends in the OHL and the Barracuda are still playing games.

The Sharks would love to see Musty get the chance to play for the U.S. at the World Juniors in Ottawa this December and January.

For (Marc-Edouard) Vlasic, is there any update on whether he’s out of the lineup going forward? Or he’d be willing to waive his NTC to be traded? It just seems bizarre his not wanting to go to a contender after mostly everybody has left the team from 5-6 years ago. (@SharkSpoder)

Despite what Vlasic might or might not want, the Sharks would find it difficult to move his contract right now. He’s 37 and has two years left on his deal, which has a $7 million cap hit, and all three of the Sharks’ salary retention spots are tied up through this upcoming season.

The Sharks, though, felt Vlasic had a much better second half of last season than the first when he was a repeated healthy scratch. Coach Ryan Warsofsky said Vlasic “had moments last year where he was really good. He was back to being a steady, shutdown defenseman with a good stick. We need that. We need the best version of Marc to help our hockey club.

“I thought he really stepped up as a leader last year off the ice. I thought his personality came up more than I’ve seen in two years and what I’ve been told since before I got here, so we need more of that from him.”