Grier not opposed to trading Sharks' 1st-round pick
San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier says he won't be hanging up the phone if teams call about his first-round pick.
The Sharks' last-place finish in the regular season secured the top 2025 lottery odds, giving them the best chance at picking first overall in this year's draft.
"I'm not gonna say no," Grier told reporters Friday. "Someone wants to make a really good offer of established young players - it's not something I'm gonna close the door on. Last year, I probably shut the door on everything that came my way. You never know. If there's a Ricky Williams, Herschel Walker-type offer up, I think we'll listen."
The NFL's New Orleans Saints surrendered eight draft picks in 1999 to move up with Washington and take running back Ricky Williams. In 1990, the Dallas Cowboys traded running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a haul of assets that helped catapult their dynasty. The football references might seem odd, but Grier's brother, Chris, is the GM of the Miami Dolphins. Their father, Bobby, is a longtime football coach and executive.
Grier admitted that he received some Williams and Walker-type offers for the No. 1 pick last year, but he never gave them much thought.
"I got some good (offers), some that were probably pretty comparable to that," Grier said. "As crazy as a couple of them were, we didn't really think about it for more than 30 seconds."
The Sharks selected center Macklin Celebrini first overall in 2024, and holding on to the pick proved to be wise. The 18-year-old is expected to be a Calder Trophy finalist after producing 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games during his rookie season.
Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer is the projected top pick in this year's draft. A slew of forwards are expected to follow, including Michael Misa, James Hagens, Porter Martone, and Anton Frondell.
"After Schaefer, it's probably more forward-heavy, I would say," Grier added.
The Sharks already have a nucleus of young forwards in the system, but 2024 No. 11 pick Sam Dickinson is their only blue-chip prospect on the back end.
In addition to its own pick, San Jose also possesses the Dallas Stars' first-round selection in this year's draft.