Mike Grier isn’t sounding like a GM ready to hit the panic button.
At the Toronto GM’s meetings, the San Jose Sharks executive acknowledged the rough start and made it clear he’s willing to give Ryan Warsofsky time as the team works through its early-season growing pains.
“Higher expectations is something that the group is still learning, to have some expecations, and sometimes that can lead you to looking down the road instead of going day-by-day and game-by-game,” Grier told Pierre LeBrun.
That message fits the reality Grier pointed to: this is still a young group, and there are a lot of new faces trying to figure out their roles in the organization. The learning curve, in Grier’s view, is part of the process right now.
Elsewhere around the Sharks, Mason Marchment was fined $5,000 by the NHL Department of Player Safety for roughing Islanders forward Victor Eklund. The league handed down the maximum allowable fine under the collective bargaining agreement after Marchment received a double-minor for roughing in Monday’s game against New York.
There’s been no shortage of other Sharks-related notes, either. The club had a players-only meeting after the loss to the Kings, Yaroslav Askarov set a San Jose Sharks record, and Eric Pohlkamp’s NHL debut came in the middle of the team’s losing streak.
On the Sea Lions side, the new chapter keeps building. San Jose Hockey Now noted the team’s arrival at SAP Center, while Laila Edwards described her “swiss army knife” role.
Edwards, Rory Guilday, and Kristin O’Neill also reacted to the new logo, and Guilday added a goal in USA’s rout of Austria at Women’s Worlds. Natalie Mlýnková scored twice in a loss to Germany.
Around the wider hockey world, Joe Pavelski is among potential Hall of Fame candidates, Jacob Trouba talked about his art studio, and Victor Eklund was back in San Jose with Ivar Stenberg weighing in on facing him. The NHL also had plenty of other headlines, from Sidney Crosby climbing to sixth on the all-time scoring list to Connor McDavid extending his point streak to 19 games.
In Other News...
Sharks Comeback Showed Fight But One Problem Still Lingers
The Sharks found some late life at SAP Center, erasing a two-goal deficit with third-period goals from Macklin Celebrini and Mason Marchment to push Pittsburgh into overtime. For a team still trying to build consistency, the comeback offered a reminder that San Jose can keep coming even when a game looks like its slipping away.
Still, the night ended with another frustrating finish in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Penguins, and the margin for error remains thin when games go beyond regulation. San Jose had a chance to complete the rally in the extra session, only for a potential tying moment to be wiped away on video review, leaving the Sharks with effort to build on but another lingering issue to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
How Erik Karlsson Still Shapes The Sharks Rebuild Today
Erik Karlssons exit from San Jose on Aug. 3, 2026, was more than just a star defenseman changing teams. The Sharks sent Karlsson, Dillon Hamaliuk and a 2026 third-round pick to Pittsburgh and brought back Mikael Granlund, Mike Hoffman, Jan Rutta and a 2024 first-round pick, a package that quickly became part of the organizations broader reset. What looked like a clean break at the time has continued to echo through the rebuild, with the assets from that deal helping shape the next wave of prospects in the system.
The ripple effect is still visible in how San Jose has used those draft picks, turning them into a deeper prospect base as the franchise tries to move past the Karlsson era. Even now, the trade remains part of the conversation because the Sharks are still carrying a piece of the financial aftermath, and the final chapter on his contract is still playing out. For a team trying to stack young talent and clear the books at the same time, that deal keeps mattering in more ways than one. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Face A Simon Edvinsson Decision They Wanted To Avoid
Simon Edvinssons situation has become one of the more intriguing contract watch items around the league, and the clock is now working against the Red Wings. With a December 1 deadline looming, Detroit is staring at the possibility of a holdout involving one of its top young defensemen, a scenario the organization clearly would have preferred to avoid as it tries to keep its long-term plans intact.
The wrinkle for the Sharks is obvious: a player of Edvinssons profile would fit a need, and the possibility of a trade has only added another layer to the speculation. If Detroit cannot get the deal done in time, the conversation shifts quickly from a simple contract dispute to whether a team like San Jose can put together the kind of package that changes the picture before the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]