Curtis Pashelka: San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier on if buyouts are an option that is on the table: “Right now, I would say no. It’s not something we want to continually down the road with. So I would say no, but things can obviously change if there’s moves that we need to make or deals that happen. But right now, I would say probably not.”
Curtis Pashelka: Grier said that they won’t be coming back next season with the same goaltending tandem. Their decision on James Reimer would be about his on-ice performance and not his stance on Pride Night.
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Curtis Pashelka: If the Sharks were to win the draft lottery or pick in the top two, Grier doesn’t want that to alter their plans and speed up the process in free agency.
Grier doesn’t want to “go out and spend money (on a UFA) and then in three years we’re regretting what we did. We still have to kind of stick to our plan.”
Curtis Pashelka: GM Grier on the future status forward Kevin Labanc: “I can’t say whether he’ll be here. We’ll see what happens in the summer and what presents itself … always looking to improve the roster or do things that I think are right for the organization.”
- Curtis Pashelka: Labanc on his future in San Jose: “I don’t know what’s gonna happen, trades happen around the draft. So we’ll see where things go. if I do get traded then it’s been great in San Jose, but we’ll see. right now, I don’t have any plans for that.”
Curtis Pashelka: Grier on defenseman Erik Karlsson: “If there’s interest in him, we’ll listen and see if it makes sense and if something does come up. we’ll take it to Erik. But as it stands right now, he’s a big piece of our team.”
Corey Masisak of The Athletic: San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson on the speculation if he’ll be with the Sharks for the 2023-24 season.
“There’s going to be a lot of talk and speculation and stuff, but I remain the same — I don’t really know what the future holds,” Karlsson said. “I can’t predict that. I’m trying to take care of the present and I think I did a good job of that this year. That’s how I’m going to handle the next little bit as well.”
Karlsson has said the wants to win. Teams will have more cap flexibility this offseason to take on his four remaining years at $11.5 million. he’ll be 33 years old next season.
“(Grier and I) haven’t really had those discussions yet. We’ll see. I think it was tough losing Timo. That hurt, but at the same time I think that tells a little bit too on where we are at, at least that’s the way you as a player look at it.”
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Age and his contract will be an issue for some. There were talks at the deadline with the Edmonton Oilers but the Sharks wouldn’t retain enough money for the Oilers to be able to do it.
The Sharks will pick in the top six this year, and if they trade Karlsson this offseason, they’ll likely have another top pick next year and some financial flexibility.
