Sharks 'not afraid' to trade No. 2 pick in 2026 Draft, GM says

SAN JOSE -- The San Jose Sharks are entering the first round of the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) with three picks, including the opportunity to select either Ivar Stenberg or Gavin McKenna at No. 2.

But after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs by four points this season, Sharks general manager Mike Grier said he's open to trading the No. 2 pick, which they won in the second drawing in the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5. San Jose also has the No. 9 selection, which it acquired Tuesday in a trade that sent forward William Eklund to the Ottawa Senators, who also received forward Kasper Halttunen and the rights to forward prospect Brandon Svoboda. Ottawa acquired the No. 9 pick from the Florida Panthers on Sunday in the trade for forward Brady Tkachuk.

"If the player fits and makes us better and is in the right age group, then I think we'd be in on them for sure," Grier said. "It's all about the fit and the age, and so if those guys become available, for sure (we'd be willing to trade). It's something we're not afraid to do and try to get in on. I think we're at the right spot in our path here to possibly add a big piece.

"There's probably been probably five teams that have been very consistently serious about (the No. 2 pick). We've received a couple of legitimate offers that we've had to really think through and have conversations about. I expect that'll continue over the next three days."

Grier said he's also received offers for the No. 9 pick since the trade with the Senators. San Jose also has the No. 27 selection; it swapped first-round selections (No. 20) with the Buffalo Sabres on June 17 in the deal that landed the Sharks defenseman Michael Kesselring.

"There were lots more calls on (No. 9), yeah, and probably two more on (No. 2)," Grier said on Wednesday. "One that was one that's real interesting, but yeah, it's picked up,"

Up until the Chicago Blackhawks traded the No. 4 pick to the Sabres for defenseman Bowen Byram on Tuesday, no top-five selection in an NHL Draft had been moved since 2008, when the New York Islanders traded No. 5 to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In return, New York received the No. 7 pick, a third-round selection (No. 68), and a second-round pick in 2009.

Grier said he's not willing to part with the No. 2 selection for a short-term fix, even if San Jose hasn't qualified for the playoffs the past seven seasons.

"It would have to make sense for us to move off the second overall pick and potentially get a new player like that who can be on our roster for a long time," he said. "It (has) to be a very good young player or young players who are maybe a little bit further along in the line than an 18-year-old that could step in and do the same thing (and) be part of our lineup for a long time."

Upgrading their defense is a focus for the Sharks after center Macklin Celebrini finished fourth in the League this season with 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) in 82 games. Celebrini, the No. 1 pick at the 2024 NHL Draft, turned 20 on June 13. Another defenseman could complement Sam Dickinson, the No. 11 pick in the 2024 draft; Dickinson, who turned 20 on June 7, had 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) and averaged 16:45 of ice time in 72 games in his rookie season.

Whether it happens during this weekend's festivities at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, when free agency begins July 1 or later this offseason, Grier said it's on him to improve the roster.

"That's an ideal-world thing; it's not just this week, but we've got a couple of months to make our team better, and you know we'll continue to look to do that," he said. "We've been pretty clear about wanting to improve the back end, and we'll continue to look to do that."