The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is sponsored by Bring Hockey Back!

It’s part 1 of a mega-2025 Draft Lottery mailbag!

Part 1 will focus on how to improve the San Jose Sharks next year, especially on defense.

Part 2 will center on what the Sharks should do with the 2025 No. 2 pick.

Let’s get to the questions!

Falco5: What stats/measurables equate to a “winning” player? (3:25)

Gary To: Would any 2025 or 2026 Draft prospects make the San Jose Sharks this fall?

James R: Thoughts on Mattias Havelid? Guess on whether Joe Pavelski or Logan Couture re-join the Sharks as development coaches or front office staff?

Brucellus: Should Sharks trade for…Erik Karlsson? (23:55)

Ty Comes: What were Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith’s Draft Combine interviews with the Sharks like?

SJShorky: Are there any goalies worth grabbing in the 2025 Draft? Thoughts on Tom Willander?

Connor: Why are there no Draft night trades of players after they get drafted in the NHL a la the NBA?

Joshua Carey: Is there any defenseman that the San Jose Sharks could sign to an offer sheet either this year or next? (47:41)

Daniel Almaraz: Could the Sharks trade for one of the Chicago Blackhawks’ top defensive prospects?

free_slice: Of the “available” defensive trade targets, who do you like, Noah Dobson, Simon Nemec, or Brandt Clarke?

Patrick: What’s the Sharks’ best pathway to upgrading the top-four of their blueline? Trade or free agency? (1:04:45)

CeleBeauty: Who are some 2025 Draft prospects with some snarl?

Steven: If the San Jose Sharks knew how good Mackenzie Blackwood would end up being, do you think they still would have made the Yaroslav Askarov trade?

Miguel Lenhart: Should Sharks target Matt Duchene in free agency? (1:24:54)

Rothgar: Any top European free agents that Sharks can target this off-season?

Chris R: Two dream (but realistic) trades for Mike Grier this summer? Would Mario Ferraro take bottom-pairing money to re-sign with the Sharks?

Part 2 is coming soon!

The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is sponsored by Bring Hockey Back!

Keegan, Sheng, and JD Young team up to form a three-headed GM monster! (28:01)

We discuss the next step of the San Jose Sharks’ rebuild with the Locked On Sharks host.

But before we get to JD, we talk about the San Jose Barracuda’s playoff run and preview their series against the Colorado Eagles. Patrick Williams of the AHL and FloHockey shares insight on Barracuda-Eagles. (16:55)

And now, JD Young! (28:01)

What’s the strategy if the San Jose Sharks get the No. 1 pick?

Who would we pick at No. 2 or 3, if the Sharks lose the Draft Lottery? (44:45)

Should the Sharks chase big UFA fish Mitch Marner? We each have a different opinion. (58:30)

How should the San Jose Sharks improve the defense? JD has a smart under-the-radar suggestion. (1:17:12)

What about in goal? Who should San Jose pair with Yaroslav Askarov? Sheng offers a fun (but wildly improbable) scenario. (1:31:40)

Are there any sneaky trades that this three-headed monster would pursue?

The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is sponsored by Bring Hockey Back!

Mike Grier knows that the San Jose Sharks have to be better next year.

We discuss Grier’s end-of-season availability, and the direction of the Sharks this off-season (3:12).

If the San Jose Sharks get the No. 1 pick in the Draft Lottery, could they trade it? Grier revealed on Friday that he got massive offers for the 2024 first-overall that became Macklin Celebrini. We also made up huge offers from the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes last year…would you have taken them?

What’s next for the Sharks' free agents? (36:18) We discuss why Alexandar Georgiev didn’t work, besides the obvious, and what free agent goalies could make sense to pair with Yaroslav Askarov? Keegan had a good one.

What do we think about the Nikolai Kovalenko situation? (57:00)

What do we think of Grier being in no hurry to name a captain for the San Jose Sharks?

Does moving Will Smith back to center preclude the Sharks from signing a center in free agency? Sheng doesn’t think so. (1:15:08)

Speaking of, did Grier take the Sharks out of the Mitch Marner sweepstakes by saying that he’s not excited to offer seven or eight-year contracts to a free agent? (1:20:30)

The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is sponsored by Bring Hockey Back!

Logan Couture’s playing career is over.

Sheng and Keegan discuss Couture’s legacy in an emergency podcast!

We touch briefly on the San Jose Sharks’ cap situation and why Couture is not officially retiring.

Sheng shares some anecdotes from Couture’s farewell press conference and elsewhere, including telling insights from Dan Boyle and Ryane Clowe. (4:20)

Keegan has a fan’s perspective of Couture, and how happy he was to see the San Jose Sharks captain smile again in his good-bye presser -- it’s been a long time! (16:14)

Who does Keegan think will be the next captain of the Sharks? (18:50)

Couture’s legacy as a Shark is probably being an all-time great playoff performer. (21:20)

Who does Sheng think will be the next captain of the Sharks? (27:28)

Sheng talks about Couture’s last game and post-game media session as a Shark in Jan. 2024, it was in Anaheim and he was there. (35:10)

What about Couture missing the playoffs in the last five years of his career? (42:21)

Sheng shares his thoughts about the media breaking the news of Couture stepping away, instead of letting Couture do it. (43:35)

The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is sponsored by Bring Hockey Back!

Quentin Musty (and Igor Chernyshov?) are coming to San Jose!

OHL expert Brock Otten of McKeen’s Hockey joins the pod to talk about the seasons of these top San Jose Sharks prospects. (1:33:16)

But before we talk about Musty, Chernyshov, Sam Dickinson, Kasper Halttunen, and more?

Let’s talk about the San Jose Sharks’ recent play, including the end of Shakir Mukhamadullin’s season and their lack of response to Frank Vatrano. (5:13)

Let’s be honest, Lane Hutson has moved ahead of Macklin Celebrini for the Calder Trophy.

Our thoughts on Cam Lund and Luca Cagnoni’s NHL auditions. (30:32)

Keegan is upset that Nikolai Kovalenko, Danil Gushchin, and Thomas Bordeleau haven’t gotten enough of a shot with the San Jose Sharks. We also talk about Barclay Goodrow, Zack Ostapchuk, Ty Dellandrea, Noah Gregor, Patrick Giles, and Carl Grundstrom in the bottom-six. (40:13)

Logan Couture made waves by following and unfollowing the San Jose Sharks on Instagram. (1:10:55)

We also talk about the San Jose Barracuda and Yaroslav Askarov’s return. Sheng also shares his thoughts about Musty’s trade request earlier in the season. (1:16:04)

And now, Brock Otten and his OHL expertise! (1:33:16)

We talk Musty and Chernyshov, their NHL comps and ceilings, and why Otten is more excited about Chernyshov at the moment. Who’s more ready for pro hockey? (1:34:07)

What’s Dickinson’s ceiling? Otten is a big fan, but he’s also aware of Dickinson’s possible shortcomings. (1:56:56)

How much has Halttunen’s overall game grown?

Otten is super-high on Matthew Schaefer. Who does he have at No. 2 or 3 for the 2025 Draft? No. 3 is a surprise! (2:09:22)

Otten also shares some under-the-radar OHL prospects in the 2025 Draft.

Check out the McKeen’s Hockey 2025 Draft Guide, coming soon! Their Prospects Report is also coming soon…the San Jose Sharks rank high there!

The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is sponsored by Bring Hockey Back!

Let’s talk about the state of the San Jose Sharks’ rebuild, post-Trade Deadline!

Steve Werier, former Florida Panthers assistant general manager, who now writes for Puckpedia, joins us to share his thoughts. (58:13)

But before we get to Steve, let’s talk about the latest Sharks news!

What have we thought of Luca Cagnoni in the NHL so far? (4:32)

What about Shakir Mukhamadullin, Patrick Giles, Will Smith, Mario Ferraro, and William Eklund’s recent play?

Cam Lund has signed his entry-level contract! (35:37)

What’s Sheng hearing about new San Jose Sharks defenseman Noah Beck? (53:15)

And now, Steve! (58:13)

What are Steve’s general thoughts about Sharks’ rebuild? What have they done better than other rebuilding teams like the Chicago Blackhawks? (58:56)

Are there any RFA’s that the San Jose Sharks should target this summer? (1:14:18)

Steve thinks that it might be time for the Sharks to make a move on a big UFA like Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers.

How can the Sharks avoid the forever rebuilds that the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Utah Hockey Club have endured? (1:19:50)

What does Steve think of the NHL finally getting out of the cap constraint era?

Steve worked with Aaron Ekblad with the Florida Panthers, is he a good UFA target for the San Jose Sharks? (1:51:47)

The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is sponsored by Bring Hockey Back!

Who are the San Jose Sharks' top-10 prospects, post-2025 Trade Deadline? (29:01)

Before that, we cover the post-Fabian Zetterlund trade fallout, including the response from William Eklund and some anger from fans. Is there any concern about Eklund's response? (4:05)

We also talk about the recent play from the San Jose Sharks, highlighting the play of Macklin Celebrini, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Will Smith, Collin Graf, and William Eklund. (14:01)

And now, our top-10 Sharks prospects! (29:11)

Hear what NHL scouts had to say about these prospects!

1. Sheng: Leo Sahlin Wallenius, Keegan: Filip Bystedt
2. S: Graf, K: Sahlin Wallenius
3. S and K: Zack Ostapchuk
4. S: Bystedt, K: Luca Cagnoni (45:54)
5. S: Cagnoni, K: Graf
6. S and K: Quentin Musty (57:12)
7. S and K: Mukhamadullin
8. S and K: Igor Chernyshov
9. S and K: Sam Dickinson (1:15:11)
10. S and K: Yaroslav Askarov

How about San Jose Sharks prospects who missed the cut like Kasper Halttunen, Danil Gushchin, Thomas Bordeleau, Jack Thompson, Cam Lund, Ethan Cardwell, Brandon Svoboda, Carson Wetsch, Mattias Havelid, and Eric Pohlkamp?

Thanks for watching, listening, and subscribing!

The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is sponsored by Bring Hockey Back!

This week on San Jose Hockey Now: the NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. What do we think of all the San Jose Sharks moves, including our thoughts on Walman and Zetterlund being traded?

First we cover all the trades made by San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier in the days leading up to the deadline (3:05).

We discuss all the possible reasons behind the Jake Walman deal and why Grier seemingly sold a player at the peak of his value (4:08).

The Zetterlund trade to Ottawa caused quite an outpouring of emotion from the fanbase. How do we see the value, both on and off the ice, that was traded with Zetterlund (18:35)?

We cover all the other trades briefly, including a surprise Sheng-favorite that got traded. Hint: this time it isn't Luke Kunin! (46:05)

Finally our trade deadline grades for the San Jose Sharks finishes the episode. (1:04:43)

Thanks for watching!