Grading Sharks’ 2025 Draft + Free Agency Preview
welcome to the San Jose Hockey Now podcast i’m Shang Pang editor and chief of San Jose Hockey Now you can also find my work at NBC Sharks on Twitter Shang_pang and Blue Sky Shank Pang
and I’m Kee Mcnal you can find me on Twitter at half_hockey my website half-hockey.com or at San Jose Hockey Now this week it’s the most exciting week in offseason hockey
well this week Keegan’s back keegan’s back that’s the most exciting thing and it’s the f my favorite time of year which is the draft uh and free agency and tons of trades and tons of talk you know it’s going to be it’s going to be a good week
yep it’s going to be a fun episode tonight too but before we get to that let’s talk about bringing hockey back bringhockback.net i am wearing my Mac Attack T-shirt there you go mac attack right there
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you’re on vacation so it’s all
I’m on vacation but anyway go to bringhockeyback.net use the coupon code sanhockey now for 15% off that means 15% off on any t-shirts including they have a director of vibes t-shirt they have this Mac Attack t-shirt up there they have some cool new stuff too they have a Perry Curse is real t-shirt which is hilarious and also too go to bringhockeyback.net for your hockey jersey needs so you need a hockey jersey for your beer league team for any occasion that’s actually their bread and butter they do great hockey jerseys custom hockey jerseys so anyway go to bring hockey back bring hockey back.net coupon code San Jose hockey now for 15% off uh like we mentioned at the top of the show we got um a lot to talk about um we have we have some news to talk about including um the it felt like this was never going to come but the buyout of Mark Edward Felic
um the uh Thornton 84 years
it’s been 84 years honestly
I love the meme that you put up of uh the ring it’s done i felt like it was never going to happen literally I thought that the earth would uh the heat death of the universe would happen before
I didn’t think it was going to happen too there actually really isn’t unless they show us they do something in free agency that we don’t expect or via trade but there really isn’t a cap reason to do it yeah we’re talk about Thornton going to the Hawk Hall of Fame preview some pre- agency options um because it’s going to be a fun uh July 1st and then we’re going to obviously talk about the draft the Misa Fondell drama that occurred before the draft that Shang has some insights on and then we’re going to cover um just some quick hits about each one of the draft picks or ones that we can talk about because there are some uh interesting ones it was a let’s call it a interesting draft mhm mhm i will preview though just so you guys stay tuned that uh Keegan and I we chatted a little bit before we are not as high on this draft as everybody else is i’m actually kind of taken aback by how much people love this draft for the Sharks but let’s let’s we’ll get that in a second so I want to set up a blastic first really quickly just to give the buyout numbers very quickly i know you guys have mostly have seen it but I just want to put that out there so the Sharks bought Mark Edward Blastic out before the draft he had one season left on a eight-year 56 million contract so because of the buyout his AAV is now 4.67 million in this coming season so they actually just saved 2.3 million uh this coming season not that much really and then they have a 1.17 million hits for the 2026 27 season and before we get to to talk about the bio itself I just want to say very quickly
and you guys know this but I want to make sure that we really remember this that Mark Edward was an incredible player incredible player absolutely um arguably the best defensive defenseman of his generation not just the Sharks not just the Western Conference or whatever like of his generation and great great player not his fault that just he just declined that that happens right so he went from kind of a little bit worse to bad to maybe kind of on the unplayable side last year and so yeah but before we kind of get to that part of the buyout and why the Sharks might have done it just
let’s never kind of forget just how incredible a player that Mark Edwardic was yeah there’s there’s like um a lot of Sharks playoff runs that are owed to Mark Edwardic and
um I think it was the 20 I think it was the reverse sweep against the Kings when he got injured that was like a huge part of that was going down and and the Sharks defense just you know was like Stewart and Hannon behind it and it just couldn’t hold up um without Vic and you know he was the rock for all of those seasons and he deserved the money he got he just
yep
got it eight years after he was past his prime so like
it sucks because all we remember of this contract of his is like bad Sharks hockey pretty much except for one year essentially um right I think the one year
signed in 2017 so he had two two years of Sharks playoff hockey under that contract
oh it might have kicked in though i’m trying to think the extension was signed July 2017 so I don’t quite sure exactly which year
i think it might have been only the one year maybe yeah of of playoff hockey with that egregious contract and it kind of was just the you know it was the pin the tail and the donkey of like that’s the reason you know like all these big contracts San Jose bloated uh
not egregious though I would say at least I mean it looked egregious and end but it was actually perfectly reasonable even at the age he signed it that uh that
I think it’s reasonable so still so good yeah
but not forward thinking and that was the problem it was like reasonable as like he deserved it but it it did it just showed the GM not understanding the aging curves of his own players and what’s going to happen in two years or less
i would argue that that’s a whole another podcast it’s not an understanding thing i think they just had too much confidence in terms of they had it with Joe Thornton in terms of the aging curve worked out with Patrick Barlo and if you talk you know if you look at they they thought they knew something like you say “Oh we’ve looked at this and we’re not worried.” Right they they really thought they knew something that’s at least what they try to project right so
and it didn’t that’s what I mean it’s like it didn’t work out it was kind of like I don’t know you’re hoping more than anything else so and like I love Lassic but um that was what it was it was hope and and it’s interesting because everybody was like “Burns is older he’s never going to live up to that contract.” And honestly Burns lived out his contract
oh yeah yeah
completely and Velic did not
right
so that’s interesting to think about too
and then they cut they they cut bait on Jovvelski too early
who was also the guy that aging curve yeah so
So
I think they just called the wrong shots there but it’s not Blas’s fault he He deserved the money
yeah he did
so But why so yeah you you mentioned like why would they do this i think the the answer is pretty clear he a he’s not very playable and then b they need the roster spot for for other players to make them at least better
i think fans have been saying some fans have been saying he’s been unplayable for three four years i don’t agree actually i think that
the first year with David Coin he actually got he actually revived a little bit not like Eric Carlson revival nor a trophy revival but Mark was better that year he was play he was playable and I think he yeah he he was playable that year maybe even the next year to some degree but this year there was kind of another drop I I thought
and in terms of the why I yeah it’s not a catchbased thing I mean now instead of 40 million they have 44 million or something so
never gonna spend it probably
yeah I think it’s just simply to just clear the roster spot and it’s just one year of a buyout so it’s not too painful and the Sharks aren’t too worried i think it’s more of an indication the Sharks aren’t too worried about their cap in 2026 27 either because they just tacked on a million dollars for kind of where no player was not going to be there at all for them
so I think that’s what it’s more indicative of i know some people were hoping oh it means Mitch Marner it means Aaron Eblad it means all kinds of things and it could mean that it is what is it June 29th so frequency hasn’t happened yet so we could be wrong but I would say temporary expectations i think they just want to clear just not have a someone taking up a roster spot and they don’t want to send the barracuda and all that kind of stuff just disrespectful and so yeah
I think this does kind of like it’s been you know talked about for since like we got Cabbrini but I think this kind of marks the spot of okay
we’re going to try to get better
like we’re not just like we’re we’re going to try to add obviously this summer i think they’re going to try to add more than anything else but I think marks the like we’re not just going to try to run out the same team and run out like what we know is a bad team let’s try and get better and makes it it’s like putting a line in the sand um in some way at least yeah maybe symbolic yeah
symbolic right like Velastic’s gone couture is is retired so I think it’s like a line in the sand kind of thing too
when they signed Tomas Shuro resigned Tomas Shuro I think it’s three years ago now it was under the premise that they were not going to rebuild and that’s why Thomas came back because he thought they weren’t going to rebuild and I remember doing the podcast with my old co-host my buddy Nick Flor and the only way that Sharks back then they were not flushing cap space obviously and the only way it seemed reasonable to create cap space was to buy out last it would have been really really painful but I think that there were pretty good cap savings though back then and that seemed like okay if the Sharks really are going to try to do something just try to stay competitive whether we think they should or not if that’s a course that they’re going to try to take during the offseason 2022 offseason that they’ve got to buy a classic and so yeah it just kind of speaks to what you’re saying in terms of just that it is a demarcation you know demarcation demar you know what I’m saying
yeah it’s a it’s a break
demarcate i I I pronounce Yeah the the the Russian defenseman’s name right now anyway everyone knows what I’m trying to say so and you’re right Kagan um yeah and and I’m excited
guys a lot of drinking it’s true um I’m excited to see the the younger guys try you know we’re going to we’re going to try a Sam Dickson in camp we’re going to see what Canon is going to do in camp and
um yeah I I cannot wait for Ilasmagul Sultan to make the roster and I’m kidding um but anyway it’s uh you’re trying to get um you’re trying to clear a spot and I think there’ll be a little bit more definitely there’s a little bit more room on the defense now this that that he’s um he’s gone
yeah yeah
all right uh Thornton got inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame
congratulations the best San Jose Shark ever
another great Shark expected totally expected uh totally Joe too holy doodle whatever that means that’s amazing
bring hockey back people have said this to me do you bring hockey back you got to be making got to make a holy doodle shirt
holy doodle i’m going to say that to every single free agent signing we have now it’s holy doodle he got that much i love that
it’s very Joe
yeah very very Joe so just well deserved and maybe we’ll talk more about it in in November when the induction actually happens excit i’m excited to see the schedule hopefully it can work out that I can get up there even though I know usually those kind of things like there’s a lot of games around that time but anyway though uh one thing that we did think about though is well when will Patty get in and someone asked me I don’t remember who it was but someone asked me before hey do you think the Angel cares you know get Thornton and Patty in at the same time i was like I don’t think they care
no and they don’t care
they do not turns out they don’t
and honestly too like Mil Gilney should have been in here years ago i know that people are going to point oh his stats aren’t as great as Patty’s or a lot of other guys but Mooney literally there’s a great story that if you haven’t seen it but literally I think Mike Keenan and uh when Moilian was in Vancouver Mike Keenan was saying some [ __ ] to him and Mgillian’s like was in phased and I think his teammate asked him why isn’t this you know and oh actually no what it was was no no Mike was maybe trying to get a rise out of Moy M
and Mini said back to Mike my family and I literally thought we were going to die trying to cross the Soviet border to wherever we’re trying to get to whatever you say doesn’t matter to me and I’m paraphrasing very extreme paraphrasing you guys should just look up the story yourself
but and Mike Iron Mike Keenan had nothing to say to that and so that’s not that’s not why he’s in the Hall of Fame but it’s he’s a builder basically in some ways
he is uh the you one of the original kind of defectors and so that’s a big part of his story too
and so that’s why he should have been in the Hall of Fame years ago and that’s why he should have he should have been ahead of Marlo and Patty will get his time uh don’t worry about it it just may not be as soon as you guys want and it may not be obviously it’s not going to be with Jumbo and that would have a nice moment i no no no no no questions i wouldn’t have an issue would have had an issue if Patty had gone in with with Jumbo but anyway he’ll get his day in his son
yeah that’s uh yeah it it’s Thornton’s number one on that that um on that list and Marlo’s gonna have to wait a little bit longer yeah can’t argue with the other first ballots too right it was Charara and who was the other player um somebody price Price got passed over yeah Price got passed over it was somebody it was easy though
yeah yeah it was another easy one just going to double check just so recognize recognize that that that dude oh Duncan Keith duncan Ke
yeah there you go
yeah two of the best defenseman of all time
that dude yeah
yeah two of the best defenseman of all time
some of the best defenseman of all time and then McGilly who needed it 10 years ago and yeah and Jumbo all right let’s uh let’s talk about free agency we got free agency in like tminus 48 hours i don’t know something like that somewhere around that time frame
yep
um and some names are already speculated like the biggest name obviously Mitch Barter is already speculated to be going to uh Vegas so our dream is is gone it’s over
well it really was a dream i don’t I like as I wrote last week I don’t think the Sharks were going to get him but I actually think that I’m looking to confirm it but I’m would I would say I’m fairly sure that they were going to have a meeting with him
and why would Mario come to San Jose well Mario obviously wants to escape Toronto
and he did I think he does want to go somewhere a little less media raid and also too he is friends with with Jumbo and with Patrick Marlo and so that I don’t think that hurt either and the Sharks are exciting they’re team on the rise with Mlin obviously and the other part too this is the way that Sharks could have really thrown their hat in the ring with all their cap space they they could have blown the doors out of any offer that I think Marner would have received from will receive from the Golden Knights because that’s where it looks like he’s going or the Kings or probably even the Ducks and there were rumors that and we’ll see what Mner signs for but there were rumors that Mner was willing to accept a shorterterm contract so that would not go against Mike Greer said has said a couple times this off season that he wasn’t looking to hand out any six sevenyear contracts to any UFA which I agree with totally by the way we both agree on we’ve talked about this extensively but it’s not the time for the Sharks to be doing something like that they’re not a player or two away but imagine you we we actually did this in the mailbag uh a couple months ago but I think someone asked us about it you give Mner two years $38 million 19 million a year which is the most I think you can give a player under the current cap and he’d always think about it i mean yeah I think it’s a if he was willing to accept the short-term deal if it was real you know
um then yes absolutely i mean the rumor is I don’t know how accurate it is and we’ll find out but the rumor is that he’s going to take four years 48 million from Vegas which is still a good amount of money but he is significantly less than he could get it is less than he can get an open market which I think shows that he does care about winning
but if you blow the doors out of that let’s say two again 238 even 234 you know you want to go you don’t want to go extreme but 234 I mean that’s pretty impressive money right and you have to think about it at least i think also there’s a little bit of um I’ll call it uh agent gamesmanship here cuz like the agents are all kind of looking at the rising cap and going okay yep
maybe my guy is going to do 12 million for three years and then in three years the cap’s going to be $115 million and he’s going to make you know 17 18 so guys like in this off seasonason specifically might not take the seven-year deals maybe they’re going to take the shorters which is interesting um now obviously like the Marner like the the wisdom has always been like take the money when you can get it right like take the sevenear guaranteed contract
why wouldn’t you so maybe it’ll be interesting to see if they don’t guys like Eklad and Gabov and stuff they’ll probably still do sevens because you’re not Mner you know you’re not superstar so
right I think that’s Marner’s calculation that he’s Mner whereas these other guys they’re good players but they’re not
Yeah
like Mner is
i did want this is a little bit of a side but I did ask an agent because I was really curious and this is a topic with right now with the tampering right and is that is that Toronto just trying to blackmail Vegas into into giving up something for for Marner but anyway though I asked an agent just Mhm
i asked an agent uh just like these agents are clearly talking to GMs now like there isn’t any question to that and it’s a very gray area and I if you if you guys saw the press conference the pre-draft press conference with Mike Reer I alluded to that mike was like “Oh we uh we’re not actually supposed to talk with agents right now.” But that’s you know that’s like the wink wink like I’m not talking to any agents and then oh I just happened to find him in a bar and I didn’t realize who he was wow
or five minutes after the call’s over he calls an agent right
um
but this agent kind of specified the the gray area at least his his view of it i think other people may have different views of it but I just was really curious what he thought what the gray area was and so okay so this is this is this is what he said and I quote “So if you’re curious what one
one player agent views as tampering what is tampering in the pre- agency pro free agency process people talk you can’t really have substantial sub substantive conversations about money and term
so that’s the kind of difference so
if you’re San Jose you can be like Mitch interested in coming talk to somebody his agent probably you want to talk with Martin directly and the agent will be like yeah he that sounds like something he’d be interested in or there’s there’s we can see that working
mhm and you can ask is your player going to market so that’s let’s so for right I’m sure that his agent Darren Ferris has been receiving a lot of calls from teams
is Mitch going to hit free agency is Mitch going to be a free agent right and again and you see this joke a lot right but like if you follow the letter of the law of tampering that they would be finding 32 teams every player agent in the league I just hope it doesn’t get to you how like you know how like the uh expansion draft was was spoiled
and you know how like it used to be that Thanksgiving was its own holiday and Black Friday wasn’t part of Thanksgiving but now Black Friday has like kind of eaked into Thanksgiving so now like Black Friday deals start at like 5:00 PM i don’t want it to be like June 30th or like the draft is when we start signing free agents you know like it just keeps ekking back a little bit more
you know what’s exactly like this too actually uh like Black Friday
movie openings i’m gonna see Superman on opening night because I’m a big I’m a my favorite comic book character is Superman
I’m a big comic book guy too as you guys probably know i probably mentioned before but
anyway I’m going on I was looking and I know it’s been creeping for a number of years last like decade two decades but I was looking at Superman if you look at a poster it says opening on July 11th you can literally go to the theater on July 10th a day before at 2 pm watch Superman so what is that that’s a good 10 hours before midnight and you and I I think yeah like we grew up in a generation like I love the midnight showings man yeah
like that was that was so fun like I I went to midnight showings of
Matrix Reloaded
Star Wars
right star Wars right like the Phantom Menace and
Lord of the Rings lord of the Rings i went to all these midnights early as a kid
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
so and then they did a they then started off with the 900 PM ones it’s like okay I guess like when a movie is over it’s going to be after you know
it’s going to be the next day it’s going to be past midnight but then they just kept pushing it you know more and more ahead
i’m trying to remember my last like midnight showing like maybe it might have been the reboot Star Trek honestly I think they did that and I remember going in high school and being super jazzed
i’m not sure yeah it could have been around that time it might have been Dark Knight Rises
maybe yeah
yeah I remember going to that because I want to see it in True IMAX and back then I lived in New York and as some of it’s eophiles know there’s actually only I don’t know like 30 40 true IMAX size sound all that kind of stuff right uh a lot of screens are advertised as IMAXs but are not true IMAXs so anyway in New York City there were only two true IMAX screens one of them was at the Natural History Museum and they weren’t going to show Dark Night Rises and the other one was at Lincoln Lincoln Center Lincoln Square
um and so we couldn’t get midnight so I want to see that movie so bad so we just got 4 a.m
nice 4 in the morning
4 in the morning
but yeah
it was cool the experience was cool though see people wearing Batman costumes that’s all part of it the the midnight fun see the freaks you know the real movie freaks come out
yeah that’s the But like everything’s kind of just like Yeah we we release on the 27th but maybe the 26th maybe or like certain places so it’s
Yeah I don’t know i don’t know what changed
yeah just because they made more money doing it
I guess so
but yeah I don’t I don’t love it and also too yeah things like I you talk about the kind of the pageantry right the Star Wars right like I remember watching I think Midnight I probably it was the Revenge of the Sith or something like that
and seeing these like no no offense big Star Wars fans out there but seeing these idiots like not idiots they’re not idiots but they’re lightsabering like
I was a kid i mean I was not a kid i was like a teenager
sorry Kegan was that you so they weren’t idiots i I’m being I’m being harsh but they’re literally lightsabering doing uh doing like they’re having fun and I’m being I I’m being mean for no reason like no it was it was great they’re a lot more committed than I was i never went to any of these midnight showings in costume but yeah like I would like to go to Superman midnight showing and see people dressed up as Superman or or whatever right people wearing bald caps as Lex Luthther so
apparently we’re doing the death of Hollywood right now that’s what we’re doing
are we
that’s a good story anyway okay let’s get back
although I will say I will say before we move on it is kind of like a I don’t know seems like a Hollywood summer like I was looking at the movie lists right now like here like you say Superman you’ve got uh there’s 28 years later there’s Jurassic uh world something or other um you’ve got uh the F1 movies like a big Hollywood production
pretty well y
so seems like a Hollywood summer whereas past couple summers is like I don’t even know what released in the past couple summers
well we had Barbie and Oenheimer so
that was Yeah many That was a good four summers ago maybe
yeah yeah
four summers ago what are you talking about like
I don’t know maybe
it was like two years ago
i don’t know man might have been two i don’t know time gets wibbly wobbly um but yeah so anyway I don’t want it to be that we’re getting free agent release news on like the draft day to be like well Marner’s going to sign with you know the Predators
right right so basically when you see like the exact terms and whatnot then that’s the kind of thing that Angel might look into tampering so yeah
um I think there was like like Besser like something that I think Nick Kipri’s put out like Brock Besser is definitely going to sign with a something like that’s how he phrase it like pretty close to definite that might be considered tampering that was like literally a week ago it is it’s interesting that this um Marner Vegas deal isn’t solidified yet this is interesting because like
Yeah yeah yeah it’s been a couple days now and he’s getting real close
he was rumored to be a part of it nick Heg has just been traded to Nashville so So who knows maybe maybe Vegas is going to trade one of the players he received back for from Heg in the deal to Toronto for the rights who knows uh it’s Well we just assume Vegas is going to win uh like the the Jesse Pinkpin meme that we were talking about can’t he keeps getting away with it
keep getting away with getting away with this it’s literally Vegas it doesn’t m like I hate it i hate it because they under they understand like fully how like you just grab the best players and then when they’re no longer useful you just put them somewhere else well like two three years in advance yeah oh yeah
not even a year before right
so annoying um a very well-run organization those Vegas Golden Knights vegas actually in its way they’re they’re the ones who ruined July 1 because who’s going to be the premier agent free agent on July 1 if not Mitch Marner right it might be Brock Besser and anyway um so I did I did report that I believe the Sharks are interested in Brock Besser but from what I have gathered that the Sharks are not on the top of Brock’s list of course that could just be a a message to the Sharks show me the money
maybe
but I think well usually it is so even if the Sharks met Marner be the same idea what do the Sharks have that LA and Vegas don’t have
right vegas LA have great weather they have better teams
sharks have money
yep just money
just money
i think we should
So
I think we should pick a a free agent let’s Let’s pick like right off the cuff one that’s going to sign with the Sharks that’s our like our just our will sign with the Sharks that’s our prediction I guess
oh okay okay sure
what do you think
uh I’m going to go with Matt Grizzlick
matt Grizzlick okay cool why
because we need defenseman
well they need a power someone on a power play and there are actually a decent number of guys that you can kind of plug into for the Sharks would be their top pairing but for a better team like a middle pairing and do a good job killing penalties playing defense
guys like Cody Cece Miller face Ryan Lingren Brian Dumlan couple other guys like that right so a couple guys like that that can can can can go to a playoff caliber team and play 20 minutes a night and maybe not be the championship caliber top four guy but be a playoff caliber top four guy on a more defensive side of things there’s not a lot of guys who can run a power play out there in in his free a free agency class there’s Grizzlick there’s Nate Schmidt is who had a a really nice playoff
but I think Schmidt from what I’ve gathered is wants to win which is obviously why he signed in Florida for the minimum when he could have signed for more last year maybe not a lot more but he could have signed for more elsewhere and so you assume that Schmidt’s if not Florida he’s going to go somewhere where the team is much better it is really hard as you guys are going to find out this this summer i think you guys will find out this summer where I think the Sharks are going to be in on a lot of things and try but it’s hard to sell last place team
yep
i don’t feel like the Sharks were as active my sense so far from talking to people i feel like the Sharks are uh going to be more active this off season and I what I even just the fact that that they’re even in the conversation for a marner for a besser it’s been a couple well quite a more than a couple years since the sharks have even been in the periphery of a conversation for the top free agents
yeah we made that made that line in the sand with the last bio but I think that this time they are going to try with the parameters of they’re not going to give out more than five years probably which eliminates I think a lot of the top defenseman are going to get that um Prover Elad Gabricov but also even the problem even those guys are willing to accept shorter contracts or the Sharks are lying to us and they’re willing to give out some of your contracts that guys want to win and guys are okay going to like 500ish teams that have a chance to and maybe they’ll be the missing piece to bring them over the top but nobody wants to go to a 54 point team that’s hard at least there’s you can find guys but it’s it’s hard and so anyway so my prediction is is Grizzlick because they really do have a need on the power play uh from what I’ve gathered I wrote this Grizzlick is open to Cody Cece mentioned this too that these are the middle class guys these aren’t Mitch Marner they don’t just get to call their shot and go wherever they want and make whatever they want kind of right that they’re just looking for stability they want an extra year on that contract they want to know that basically they can retire on on this
and but they’re not just looking for obviously they’re still going to work hard they’re going to be good leaders in the room so that’s what I understand about Grizzlick he’s a good room guy and so I think he fits a lot of things he’s not a great defenseman but he’s a lot better than what they have on the power play now yeah and I think he’s a little um unders sized right
yeah he’s a little undersized yeah you got to compliment him with a lingering a CC or trade for somebody
yeah what I mean is that it doesn’t it kind of limits his options on teams that are looking for guys that are a certain mold and Sharks are like “Hey we just need a guy that like isn’t the worst on the power play.”
And um
so I think that that’s a really good pick
uh I’m going to go shot in the dark and say Jack Rosavik um
Oh that’s interesting one i think that’s a decent one mhm
yeah he came off of a um 22 goal season with Carolina um Sharks traded away Zetterland and didn’t really pick up a goal scorer afterwards and I think he kind of fits that
um same old can switch over to center too right um
had kind of a resurgent one i think they might sign him for a little bit too much money than he’s worth but
yeah I think he’s probably going to be like if I can get $5 million hell yeah
you know
exactly like Wenberg last year so
exactly like Wenberg
mhm
so I think they’re going to try and pick up a little bit of uh a little more scoring in the wings um so I’m going to go with Rosik that’s my one prediction
yeah I agree even the center wing thing I I definitely agree with that even though they line up right now soi Smith
and Wenberg which doesn’t sound that bad if Smith is ready to play center at the angel level which we don’t know but if he is then that doesn’t sound too bad but Wenberg is a 3C is he’s a playoff caliber 3C he’s a very good player and you assume Mlin’s going to get better mlin gets better so you can talk yourself into that into that
that that top three centers there
but you want some depth you want some just in case you want some if Smith doesn’t work out as two se Weber gets hurt and so guy like Rosovic does sound like a kind of a perfect like he won’t be too in demand but he
Yeah
yeah just just right there’s still he’s not too old so just a little bit a smidgen of upside i still think that the Sharks I always mention this that they should look into Granland if he hits free agency but they really [ __ ] up i I would just say it like he No but he he showed in the for nations he showed in the playoffs just how good he is
people did not know around the league they kind of forgot at least how good he was honestly
and they saw how good he was and he is going to be I think especially you take Mner off the table too like who are your top free agents then Besser Eers Granlin that’s those are your forwards kind of right those are Tvar is off the table now right so I think you can really make an argument for Granlin oh you can make an argument with Granlin over Besser easily
Granlin versus Eers okay there’s there might be some debate there but anyway Anyway so
well
that’s my that’s my one minute infomercial for Macy Granland that’s every episode sponsored by ML Granland
well the new Macy Granland is Joshua Ravensburgen right because he was the first round pick that that became Macau Granland’s trade
well yeah yeah fair we We’ll get to to to Josh in a little bit but
um and then uh just to close off I I guess like what is like sort of the the dream scenarios for the Sharks and for free agency uh realistic dream scenarios which I know is a contradiction i think some people have pointed that out before but I think for the Sharks
I think bringing Granland back would be if you sign him for three years 24 million something that is a lot but again he brings a lot to the table we don’t need to get into that but I think Jake Allen would be great i get the sense and I reported this over the weekend that the Sharks haven’t tampered they haven’t checked in early on Jake Allen which surprised me and I know that Jake is actually getting a lot more interest like he really is the only viable starter on the market he’s not like a necessarily like oh he’s going to win his championship but he’s the only guy UFA out there that you feel pretty good if he plays 50 games for you
yeah and for Ascarov he I we we you and I we talked about this before the show that like making envir the environment as good as possible for Aspar for Mlin in terms of making the team better it should be the most important thing on on Mike Greer’s sort of to-do list in my opinion
yep
and you can do that by improving the defense you can do that by improving upfront but there’s no better way to make your team a lot more competitive than with reliable goalending and I think you feel great if you have signed Jake Allen for two years give him stupid money give him seven million a year or whatever blow blow the doors over whatever AES and get out there and you feel good if it’s Asparof and Allen for next two years and everything I’ve heard about Allen great in the room great mentor he won’t mind if Ascroof is amazing and Ashro takes the job
and you really need that you you can’t have somebody that is basically competing with Ascro that’s that was a problem one of the problems with Gorgv that Gorgv is trying to be the starter he’s not embracing kind of a mentorship role and that wasn’t an issue last season because Asharov wasn’t really up with him a lot but in terms of long term that would have been I think an issue with with Gorggives it’s not that G is a bad guy or bad goalie or whatever but Gorgif is just he’s trying to win the number one job that’s his focus
uh Jake Allen is different mackenzie Blackwood is was different in that way too in that in that good way to pair with Ascaroth and so there isn’t anybody like a Jake Allen on the market and maybe he could trade for a guy like that i don’t know but if a guy is out there on the market and all you have to give him is money you don’t have to trade anything for him i say you should give the best shot and there are rumors I read something that oh maybe he’s going to get four years i understand that you want to match whatever whatever you spend on a goalie you want to try to match it roughly with Ascarov’s two-year deal
because the dreams the dream scenario for the Sharks is that in the next two years when Ascrov is making just two million AV that he becomes a top 10 goalie in the league that he becomes a true blue elite goalie and then so when Ascrov hits after those two years he becomes an RFA then you got to pay up you got to give Ascarov 8 million 9 million whatever ever uh what whatever number right and then then that’s when you pay your backup your backup 2 million or whoever and that won’t be Jake Allen
but anyway so Jake Allen is to me a perfect target i’m not sure maybe he wants to win i’m not sure i But again money talks and so in my dream scenario money talks to Ma Granland when he talks to Jake Allen and you bring them in defense is going to be a little rough i don’t know if I have a dream guy for that because I don’t I I’m under an impression that the again that Povaroth Eblad and um Gabricov that they’re probably going to sign longer contracts if they’re willing to sign short-term contracts then the Sharks should definitely check in on them but I don’t know if I have a kind of a dream realistic guy uh for for defense but if they can pull out with uh start the season next season with Granlin and and Allen and then kind of stitch together a defense whether by trade or free agency or both then the team’s going to be better next year i think they got to get active they got to get on there nick Haye got traded tonight like we mentioned
and that was one of our thoughts that maybe we could get pry away but
um
yeah he just signed a 4year 5.5 million AAV so that’s expensive for Nick Heg who’s like
it is it is
17 18 minute a night defenseman right now
well the bet is he can be a top four right that was our premise that the Vegas is going to afford him and with the Sharks he he could play top four because Sharks had nobody else do you have any sort of dream realistic targets out there
uh
before we move on like on defense it
any position any of the free agents or any trade maybe there’s a guy that you think is available that the Sharks can realistically pull down Keandre Miller but that would be the His name’s been out there but it’s been rumored to go to Detroit but uh that’s what I mean by get active they got to like I don’t know start bidding if they actually want to get these guys right
um like Candre Miller or I don’t know I don’t think we’re going to get those big names any of the Eblads Gabricovs Bessers Marers maybe Eers just cuz but I think he also is going to command too much money and I don’t know how interested they are in Eers
I Lindrren let’s go with Lindrren maybe
okay
one of the uh one of the old um pick a pick an old New York Ranger defenseman and pick one of them that’s the uh cuz I feel like Candre Miller is probably going to move and we all thought we’re going to talk about this when we talk about the draft we all keep wondering when they’re going to like target for defense and they didn’t do it in the draft i mean they did and they didn’t
but um they didn’t um like swing a bunch of picks to go up and grab one of the top defenders so I I wonder maybe they’re just going to say “Yeah it’s fine we’ll just sign a couple of depth dudes and that’s it hopefully not but
Well what do you mean by deaf dudes like if they come out of agency with let’s say they sign Matt Grizzlick and Cody Cece I think that’s fine i actually think that’s fine because
I think it’s fine i think it’s realistic do you consider those guys depth dudes though i think they’re a little better than that
depth is depth is not the right word um bottom four guys
okay yeah those are bottom four guys sure
not top four they’re like
Right right right right right right
can’t play on your second pair most of the time
well but that part of it though and I alluded to this I alluded to this uh in the last couple weeks or so that like I feel like the Sharks want to do something i haven’t heard of them directly in in like trades and stuff like that but like they haven’t shown as much interest that from what I’ve gathered in some of the these middle class defensemen that we’re talking about that they probably should be interested in or you would think they would be in and that suggest to me that they want to do something
um like I thought that they might chase Jordan Spence i wrote a whole article about that
and Jordan Spence went for actually I thought that you offer the 53 pick the Ottawa pick second round pick that that would be in the range of Spence and Spence went for something a little worse he went for a very early third round pick
so for sure the Sharks could have could have could have pul pulled him in i don’t know why they didn’t maybe they don’t like him he is a smaller defenseman
sure and unlike a Grizzlick where you’re also investing in leadership and whatever right and you got to trade something for him too for Spence whereas Grizzlick you just had to give him money but um also too someone suggested to me I don’t know how true this is i I’ve been trying to follow up but that maybe Ken Holland the Kings new GM that he didn’t want to trade in division so that might have something to do with it too i don’t know
but that was suggested to me i’m not sure by the way I’m not saying that that’s that’s what happened there but anyway though a guy like that but then if we’re talking about some of the bigger name trade defense targets right like uh Candre Miller Bowen Byum that do these teams want what the Sharks have a lot to trade and they have a lot of futures they have draftics they have prospects they have excess prospects but and we talked about this I think the last time we we were together that there aren’t a lot of teams that are looking to to to break it down uh that are looking to trade established good young youngish players for just picks and whatever
and we had nobody on our list and then and then we forgot one team the Penguins but even they are I mean they’re still keeping Crosby they’re still keeping Latang they’re still keeping Malcolm so this isn’t a true kind of tearing it down that
Yeah i don’t know what they’re doing
i don’t even know
right so yeah
I don’t even know if they know what they’re doing like
Yeah i I watched a little bit of Yeah i think Dubis was just when he was during the draft and I was like
“Do you know what you’re doing?” Like you get a lot of picks but like I feel like you’re you’re trying to play like smartest dude at the table kind of thing what’s mildly hilarious though is that Eric Carlson would be actually really perfect for the Sharks now kind of funny
eric doesn’t want to come here but come back to here but if he did want to if he was amenable to it that why not he had the money and you know he’s still a good player he’s not a perfect player but he’s still a good player
so
yeah all right let’s talk about the the uh NHL entry draft because that was the the the fun the fun weekend event for everybody
um I had a great time at home um for the draft other than I was ill for the second day but
the um it uh I don’t know what I expected right because like I going into this draft we all knew it was going to be a little bit weaker um or you know said it was a little bit weaker and then it like when I was sitting there making picks watching the Sharks picks I was like man not a lot left and it’s it happened really really quickly um to the point
in the middle in the middle rounds scout texted me weakest draft in 20 years
it’s like so painful to try to figure out who to draft in the fourth and fifth round and later than that one
and I think that honestly before we get to the whole Misa Fondell thing which was the most exciting thing I think about the Sharks draft was just like who are they actually going to pick it to um it it was all this like oh we’re going to get a lot of movement people are going to go up and then I think GMs kind of wised up and were like nah there’s like 12 good dudes let’s keep those let’s try to get those 12 good dudes and that’s it that was it because nobody moved right like it wasn’t there wasn’t this huge amount of movement all around um
Right right right
in the top top half of the draft there was some movement later on once we got to like Pittsburgh and stuff but Right and there’s only one big trade to the Dobson trade too
in the Dobson trade yeah
um which is an interesting thing i I think the Sharks Yeah like it it’s kind of interesting that it it took the 16th and 17th pick and the Sharks had like split the difference and were like two and 30 and they couldn’t find a way to Yeah just didn’t make sense they weren’t going to give him the the number two it seemed like and that’s where where we landed yeah well speaking of that specifically I heard that the Islanders offered up Dobson for the number two and I know that there are uh reports today that they want to keep or Dobson want to stay in the Eastern Conference but honest and the Islanders were trying to be the good guys here but honestly if the Islanders could have got number two they would have been like “Hey good luck.” Yeah
you don’t have any You don’t have any You don’t have a no trade i don’t think Dobson has a no trade list they would have been like “Hey good luck we’re taking the number two pick.” So um so anyway
yes he did not he now has a 14 team no trade
he now does okay
now he does but he did not before yeah and he signed for 9.5 million which is about what people thought he’d get up in the eights nines tens
yeah doesn’t seem that that that that bad i I wonder if they didn’t have the Hagens pressure if they would have even traded him i don’t know i I think I I maybe heard maybe he didn’t want to stay there but I don’t know why he wouldn’t want I don’t know i don’t know if that how true that is or how accurate that is that he didn’t want to stay with the Islanders but the money doesn’t seem that it’s might be a little high i mean obviously he’s got to get he’s got to at least split the difference like he may not be every year 70 point defenseman like he was a couple years ago but he’s you know he was what 44 last year he’s kind kind of got to split that difference on a consistent basis I think but
yeah the Islanders are trying to speedrun a rebuild it seems like right
oh anyway yeah I was going to say yeah the James Hagens pressure yeah that I if not for that I wonder if they would have even traded him
because I don’t think they’re trying to rebuild
i don’t know what they’re I mean they ended up with HS who I love they ended up with Ekkid who I love Schaefer who I love and like then last year they got uh Callum Richie at the deadline too who’s a good player
i don’t know
they trade Horvat yeah they didn’t trade Barzal i think even Nelson if I remember correctly I think they wanted to resign him i I could be uh remembering or misremembering or whatever
i think so yeah
yeah so I don’t
Of course it’s different management that was last year was Lou but
I don’t think they’re actually trying to rebuild either
i think they’re gonna try and keep those like Horvat and Barcel guys and then try and build a new team around them maybe
i think the Dobson case was was special maybe maybe he did want to leave so let’s say he didn’t really want to stay so okay I get that and also the Hagens thing too
mhm that the Hagens being from Long Island and really wanting to go there and he would stay in Long Island forever all that kind of stuff so I yeah I wonder I had to look more into whether or not just out of curiosity not that it’s relevant for our show but whether or not Dobson wanted to stay there or not but yeah again um that that’s that was a kind of a I think a situation by itself though of a rare case where a team did want to kind of trade a young established star player for a draft pick what the Sharks could have done but problem is that if the Sharks had the number seven pick then you could talk yourself into trading that for Dobson right but not number two pick no yeah no that that that doesn’t make any sense for the for the Sharks so
not now um yeah one one one agent I talked to was like “Yeah that was good discipline showed by my career because the Sharks clearly need help doson can clearly help them.” And he’s young too so you can make that argument right to the fan base oh we’re not trading the number two pick away for 33 year old something like that
and so it could have been done and you could have argued you know could have added some stuff to it to make it more pal you know palatable but anyway so that I think was a was a good call from Mike to not to not trade it for anything like that and that’s why uh David Pagnona he he put something out that sent everybody into a flurry before the draft oh the Sharks are looking to trade a number two pick or something like he may not phrase it exactly that way but uh for like young established talent I think that’s a phrase he used right but if they weren’t going to do Dobson for the number two like
I don’t know
better young established and available that’s a key word available talent than Dobson only guy that we’ve heard in rumors that might even approach it is like say Robertson or Byron
but even neither of those none of those guys are I think worth the number two pick straight up yeah and Purka went too but
he’s not in Robertson’s class and I don’t think he’s in Doson or even Byum’s like value maybe he will be but not not right now at least not positional i mean he’s a winger and all that
he’s a winger right so
so what about this whole Misa Fondell thing um talk talk to us about that Chang i I wasn’t I wasn’t worried
okay
i was never worried i mean I was there was like a moment for I I was worried a little bit you know what you’ve gone to the drop the last two years right
mhm you would have been worried if if you were the stuff I was hearing you would you would have literally you would have if you were at the you would have been we would have been hanging out and talking to the same people and you would have been like “Oh I’m not sure.”
I think the thing is we really I the more we do this the more we we just don’t know like we just don’t know anton Frondell and this is this is like a little bit of an aside that I wanted to to save for for later with the Wang pick but
there was many years of of being on the internet and watching all the like internet scouts and stuff and everybody was super in love with point production right it was like NHLE what league you’re in
you’re even if you’re this size or this size or like whatever you’re producing at this rate this is your odds of being an NHL that was like how people like Iron Bader and a bunch of other um like JFresh and stuff like that and they they made websites off of it and like that was their whole thing and then people bought into it and it’s not like it that’s wrong like it’s just numbers right like it’s in certain way you’re not wrong
yeah it tells you stuff i mean Bader I I love Byron and let’s give him credit that like Hooer that’s the one guy that like he saw just using this that
Yeah should have gone a lot higher than what was he the third round whatever he was right exactly so like that was for years and then it turn seems like in the last like three four years maybe um the online amateur amateur scouting is what it’s called in my brain is uh switched to like eye test stuff right like people are like oh well Misa you know like just passes the eye test more than Fondell does stuff like that but like
Fondell also had like ridiculous NHL numbers based on his scoring in the fence So like
record-breaking for U8 right
so we just don’t know like I like I like both players i like Misa Moore most people do the Sharks clearly did
right um but you never know maybe Fondelle puts it all together and he’s this you know tank of a tank of a player and yeah I I I like him um I think he’s definitely going to have more physical edge than Misa ever will but I see more of a like a I don’t know if he’s a real a true center like whereas Misa feels like a more of a center long term whereas Fondell could be and he’s played center but he also played his best hockey at wing this year so um yeah I I don’t know i wasn’t I was a little worried that maybe they would fall in love with the Fondell story but not too too worried
well yeah going to the eye test stuff too that I think that people don’t uh how do you say it and you you let me know if if I’m kind of overreaching here but I think people don’t use the eye test correctly especially when we’re talking about draft prospects
yeah and it’s easy to pass the eye test when you’re dumbing 18 to 20 year olds like Nissa was and Fondell is playing against men and also too yeah Fondell had a couple poor tournaments but there were extenduating circumstances like he literally flew from Sweden to Texas for the U8s and landed two hours before a game
so it may be kind of like eye of the beholder you may hold that tournament against him his like kind of average U8s or he can just be like yeah jet leg whatever right
so anyway another part too and Craig button talks a lot about this and I agree with Craig on this is that
you’re looking at projection
right you’re not just looking at a guy’s season and the points he puts up and whatever but you’re just looking at his trades and projecting that forward that’s ultimately why Schaefer is went number one because Schaefer just played 17 games but you look at the trait he showed and you just project from there right and so I would say that even though I agree that Misa was sort of the there’s reasons why he was the consensus top forward and that he was ahead of Fondell that the gap between them wasn’t as wide as Sharks fans made it i guess I would say I saw people online talking about like oh Micro should be fired if he drafts Fondell like
okay like
no
we have no idea what these guys are going to become and if five years from now if they drafted Fondell if they had drafted Fondell number two and five years from now Misa is Tyler Sean in his prime i know that’s one cop for for for Misa that’s a good one
and Fondelle is like I don’t know um like like Jesse Pu Yarvy okay
yeah you’re right
right good call but to say that at days before the 2025 draft be about 18 year olds that have not set foot in AHL yet that have so much both of them both Rondell and Misa have both a ton of runway i just thought it was a bit much and this isn’t like this wasn’t if the Sharks have dropped Fondell extreme example but this is not like the Sharks choosing Le Shunov over Celabbrini
yes yeah people were acting like when it was it was like that i was like I don’t know but but anyway I wanted to tell you about the day before the draft so I would say my myself that uh so I was the first person to kind of put out I heard at the combine that the Sharks had an interest in in Fondell but came from came from my a go-to source i didn’t just put it out there because I just heard it from some random agent or random scout who I don’t know what they’re feeding me who they talk to so it was one of my go-to sources the same source just as I’ve mentioned this before same source that told me picked Smith i’m assuming that in that draft I still believe that they like Carlson and they would have drafted Fantily over Smith but those guys were gone and also most importantly he he called Rybacher to Montreal and he wasn’t he wasn’t just guessing he he knew he knew with a reasonable degree of certainty that Montreal was going to take Ryan Bach
um so he’s a he’s he he’s a go-to for me and so I I answered that in a story but whatever i I figured it was going to be he thought it was going to be Misa so in a in a weeks up to up to the draft everyone thought it was gonna be Misa and then last it was last Thursday uh Corey Proman was the first one to say something like “Oh actually a lot of scouts like Fondell more than Misa not like the majority but like a good a good number like Fonda more than Misa.” And then Chris Peters heard the same thing and from his sources and he talked about it with Cam Robinson on Friday uh last Friday uh on on their podcast called Up and I happened to have Chris Peters last weekend and we talked all about it and so there was kind of that momentum was building but if you see the stories I put out then I asked my same source and he’s like no I think they’re gonna go with me so I don’t think they’re going to go with the curveball if he you know felt good about that or he was fairly certain of that so that’s how I felt up to Thursday the day before the draft so uh I want to tell you some of the things I heard on Thursday
to freak me out
and these are all from I I’m not I’m not trying to throw anybody under the bus too because um
I also want to preface that I wasn’t gonna I wouldn’t I wasn’t going to freak out if they chose Rondell i would have actually been a little bit more happy because I chose Misa and I would have been like “Oh cool we get to actually see who was right just choosing
the same player they chose.” So
exactly
anyway keep going yeah um so I just wanted to to summarize everything I heard that day from
some of the I’ll say the top draft people and beat writers in our business and their sources mhm
and this was a whole day of hanging out at the JW lobby that’s the hotel i’m sorry the draft was at the Peacock Theater which is in LA live and the hotel is attached to that the JW lobby and bar at Tom’s Watch Bar I think it’s called that’s where the Angel had a media reception there and then at Hanks too which was a bar that we went to at late so I was out all day talking to a lot of people agents other writers right so and I again I want to emphasize this isn’t throwing anybody under the bus this is just this is just a accounting of of what I heard from people that are very smart in our business and from their sources and they all have sources and legitimate sources like Yeah like scouts and agents and whatever right so I heard I heard Chicago I heard Chicago wants me some more which this is that was a thought going to the draft i heard Chicago wants Fond Delmore from a couple of people i heard from a couple of of people again all people again top beat writers top draft people um and agents and also act team employees that were there too angel team employees were there too that’s this is the pool I’m talking about so not just randoms random people that Chicago I heard from a couple people that Chicago was convinced that they’re getting MISA and another source told me that he talked with a few scouting directors and the scouting directors believed that the sharks were taking Fondell hm um I talked to somebody in the Fondell camp and what they told me was actually another went in the other direction and they they told me that Chicago and Utah have shown a lot of interest in Fondell since the combine san Jose has not right and that could just be like phone calls to the agent just talking about different things right not ever saying like “Oh we’re going to draft your guy.” just like
you know just checkups or whatever right i talked with somebody in the Misa camp and the Misa camp uh was sticking with the Sharks are going to are are going to pick Misa um and then someone suggested to me too that the Sharks that he kind of heard that the Sharks are going to trade number two
great so we’re all over the map
exactly and so I was very very careful and okay so the Oh I’m sorry the thing that ties it all up is I asked my source that day my go-to guy like “What do you make of all this?” And he replied “I don’t know.” That makes sense
but and I would tell this to anybody interested in making this making it in in in this business one great source is better than a 100 good ones
mhm
like I told you I was talking with all these different things that I was hearing were from legit people again I’ll say it again from team employees or from agents or top beat writers or from top draft people and all legitimate sources really and all I assume I don’t know I assume talking to legitimate sources too but one guy you really trust is worth because I didn’t know I didn’t know who these guys were talking to
right and so I I didn’t want to put that as these you know that that that that I don’t want to put that I don’t want to put my name behind it basically so that’s why that day I didn’t put anything out about it because I wasn’t sure and my go-to guy wasn’t sure at that particular day either and the only thing I put out in the story was that Fondo had a lot of momentum which was accurate to that day and that the people that I had talked to on Wednesday and Tuesday that were very very confident on me stuff couple people besides my go-to guy my go-to guy and somebody else that they weren’t so sure anymore not that you know whatever not that they changed their mind or whatever but they just weren’t so sure anymore and so that’s why I was very very careful because again I was being fed all kinds of things
yeah and so you can understand why it was so confusing all the stuff people were hearing online you know a lot of people look that was a lot of people asked me like and I wrote about it like agents players or agents uh I’m sorry agents other writers they were asking me who the Sharks are going to pick at number two i got that question so many times on on Thursday and you know I starting to sound like Rhonda a little bit but like but I didn’t want to put my name behind it and so I didn’t write anything and but you started seeing though a lot of mock drafts come out again I’m not putting it on any no aspersions on anybody
but that’s the reason why all those mock drafts started changing like really literally a night yeah like a night before the draft because that’s really what that’s what everybody was hearing
yeah well here’s the the interesting bit was like
there was a a sharp um sometime on Friday there was a sharp change in the betting odds to Misa number two so like that’s always that’s always interesting to me like where does where does that come from
can I be honest like there’s actually a fair chance that okay so
I woke up on on uh uh you know on on Friday the day of the draft and I texted my goto and what do you think and he told me what I put on the story that Misa 90% sure and I would guess honestly that that a lot of the betting odds are I think a lot of it is looking at what people are writing so a lot of people are writing fondelle then it starts to lean that way
yep right and then when uh a shark speed writer says Misa and is pretty sure about it and is the most sure about it i think uh I I didn’t realize this when I woke up but Freeman had said it that morning i think I don’t know where that it was going to go exactly like it went uh Schaefer Misa Fondell and Denoa and I think Promen had put out something that morning too that again I swear I didn’t see that he had he had Misa number two but he said it was close he said it was coin flip I think but or something like that but
I I didn’t see that stuff uh but so I’m sure I’m I’m so I shouldn’t just say I shouldn’t even apply that was like Yeah yeah so but I think that that those are those are three things that people see though that Definitely Freeman by far Pronman and then and then and then I put out there and I saw I put out I was very sure too and so that’s that’s going to change your betting odds so right like if you’re going to look up who the Sharks are going to draft like Yeah i mean you you’re going to look at a national guy you’re going to look at the the draft expert and then you’re going to look at the local uh beat writer so uh so yeah so I think I think that’s that’s a part of it i think that’s that’s that’s that’s a part of it so um but anyway so that’s that’s how that went so that’s that’s how the Thursday went and anyway that’s how I ended up on Friday morning going very strong with with with Misa and I was a little worried at the end there just because you’re always worried like you put your name behind something
but again one great source is worth a hundred good ones i think it’s a uh I’m hopeful that this is the highest the Sharks are going to pick unless they win a lottery in the next like five or 10 years you know i’m hopeful i think this is the like yeah you I think you want one more you want some defense obviously um like the defensive prospects that are that are going to fill into the top uh pairing but I think you’ve got uh number four in Will Smith number two in Misa number one in and Celerini you have a number seven in Eklland it’s been a couple of drafts we got to um we got to move forward so hopeful this is the highest
and I I think I think Misa is like the I’m really hopeful for for them to to solidify the center group with those two i think that’s a great amazing center core and that’s all that people are talking about on the writeups too about why the Sharks are getting an A+ is Misa is a huge part of it it’s like hard to go wrong after
fair fair fair
um a couple small things oh first
JD our buddy JD Young Lock on Sharks he was he was around a couple of those conversations that I had he heard it so he can cooperate i’m not making this stuff up out of smoke he heard a lot of it too I’m sure from his own people there too
so want to say that also too I think that it’s going to end up Smith being winged this is my prediction that’s everybody’s prediction but that’s obviously a big topic conversation that it’s going to end up being it could be all of them going to wing at you know at certain points but I think that it’ll probably be Smith being the majority of it um and oh I also want to ask you too because we didn’t get to do your draft rankings list that where did you have Fondo six I think
okay I did talk with Scout too uh sorry to to jump in there but
this is before this is when the front smoke was starting last weekend after Corey and Chris Peters said what they did mhm
i I talked to Scout Angel organization that did that had didn’t have Fonda in their top five they weren’t huge fans of him
so it’s not like you your opinion was the only only one that had Fonda out of the top five so
yeah i Yes I had him at six i had uh Schaefer um
Misa um Martone Hagens um Dana yeah I love Fondell okay okay
i like Oh go ahead
i I do I like Fondell i just I see honestly reminds me of like I don’t know more of like a scoring winger than he does like a true center and like that’s the way that
I don’t know i think you’re you’re hoping and there’s a lot of hope there but it’s not like it’s anything stoke because he could just put it all together because there’s that’s the other part is the inconsistency with him like some games you watch him and you don’t know that he’s like doing a whole lot it’s like when you used to watch like Teemo Meyer and you’d be like the hell’s Teemo been for like four games and then he’d go and pot four goals in a game and be like a superstar it reminds me of that kind of thing like he’s not consistent on a game-to-ame basis and then when he’s really good he’s super good
right
like that’s that’s just the way that his year went and I think he was heralded as like going to be a superstar top five pick turns out he is going to be a top five pick but I think it’s just was kind of a strange up and down season so I don’t know i like him but I think it’s if you’re trying to get a center I think it’s more likely that Misa is the center that you’re going to need in the future i think it’s eye of the beholder right because some people think that he can be a center and with his thickness and whatever like he can be a maybe a more offensive Barov not as good defensively right but Barov’s also taller right like Barov’s like three or four inches taller probably
yeah so too but that’s sort of like the the lazy comp for sure for forell comp
yeah if if you see that vision then that that that could be why for other teams that see him as a center that he might go higher
but the last thing I wanted to mention at least on on my end about this is that Mike did slip though because we were trying to press him on I was trying to press him when did you guys decide on Misa and he was like a while ago and I was like and I asked a while ago what’s the timeline on a while ago and he was like a while ago uh and he said something like “But we he was always number two on our list.” And of course I mean we could guess but number one that’s got to be Schaefer obviously so
yeah that’s a slip though cuz like it is a slip though i got
say number two you got the You got the number two in there because I think when like Ekkund was drafted didn’t they say like he was like
Yeah yeah we got We got Doug Junior to slip uh he he said beneers uh was was his number one that that year so
that’s right but Ekkan was too right yeah
so I I one more thing I want to mention too maybe we’ll find out years from now but yeah it’s still hard to figure out why there was so much smoke about Fondell some people think the Sharks are just playing like just basically [ __ ] around and like and you know Micro doesn’t want to be predictable and so gonna throw all this stuff out there um some people think that the Hawks actually wanted Fondell more than Nissa
and so this was a message to the Hawks hey
ah
let’s make a trade here um actually Elliott reported that Utah really wanted number two um and so that could have been for well that that maybe maybe maybe Utah really wanted number two and they really wanted Fondell i don’t know for I don’t know about if they want a Fondell or not but again that could have been a message to Utah so love to find out one day why what this was all or it could be as simple as as my original source alludes at a combine they just they like Fondell and maybe don’t trust what Mike says when he says that they knew for a while i don’t know i don’t know but anyway uh that’s interesting to find out one day kind of where this all came from so
yeah bunch of smoke and mirrors for a draft that nobody traded in the top 10 after they was like “Oh
which never happens right?” Yeah
never happens it does not did not happen we’re not going to get fooled again next year when this happens again oh we’ll get fooled again we’ll get fooled
we’re not going to get fooled again
all right um their next pick in the first round which was uh at number 30 which my prediction was that they would not pick at number 30 and the Sharks decid We’ve We’ve lost Shang i’m going to put it back there he goes
oh sorry about that yeah
to type something yeah
um my prediction was they were not going to pick at this pick um
right oh I they would they would make this pick
you did i thought they would trade up or down or trade out of it or something and they [ __ ] just said “Nah we’re just gonna stay.” And they chose Joshua Raven josh Ravensburg and
can I say that interrupt before we talk about Josh that even Verge Josh by the way so just But that I heard it was a it was a crappy draft and this was indicative of a crappy draft no one wants to move around
that much in a crappy draft they don’t they don’t and that’s um And interestingly Josh Ravensburg wasn’t the first goalie off the the the board which people forget too like
that was probably the biggest surprise I think right
yeah like 20 I think wasn’t it
right and I thought people like Froooff more than what it and Andre off or I don’t know andre yeah and Andreoff yeah so
um Yeah me too i mean there was like good for them i mean h I don’t know how to say this like um goalies are voodoo so it’s kind of like you’re there’s two schools of thought right you you pick the guy that Josh Rsburg and has got the pedigree he’s got the size he’s got the athleticism maybe it’s not all there or you pick the smaller guy who is kind of put his game together a little bit more quickly um Roloff
no the the other guy
yeah and
was Ravensburgger in your number one goalie yes for sure um he’s also like with goalies I think that especially if they’re drafted in the first and they have that like first round draft pedigree goalie um they also just become good trade chips right like he’s going to go back to CHL for many years he’s going to do probably pretty well um and he’s just going to keep developing and developing and like unless he becomes a superstar and just like vaults into the the pros or whatever but you’ve got control of uh this asset that can be traded for the next five years and it’s not like you’re expecting anything from them so they they retain their value is what I say it’s like buying a really good car from a good company you know it’s like they they retain their value more often than not it seems like
so
mhm agree and disagree goending is funny
it is funny
yeah like I never had an issue with the Misa pick never had a second thought with it because you can never have too many good centers if you have too many you can trade him
you can never have too many good defenseman because if you have too many number one defenseman you can trade them
you can’t have too many number one goalies though
you can and there’s also a timing thing that may force you to trade a number one goalie for less than less than uh maximum value and so we’ve seen some cases where goalies go for a lot like Asparov went for but there’s also scenarios in the past like guys like Jonathan Bernie if going really pulling back right like uh number one in a waiting but they had Jonathan Quick they didn’t really go for that i don’t think he went for that much comparatively ascarov went for more sure and so I don’t necessarily agree with that in terms of they do have value but they don’t have maybe as high value let’s say Ascarov turns out to be Igor Shashurk in part two let’s say Ravensburg turns out to be Ascarov as a prospect i’m not so sure that when we get to that point four years from now or whatever that Ravensburg is going to get back to first you just don’t know what the market’s like because goalending again there’s so few positions there’s so few there’s only 32 starting spots i mean to say that it depends on need in the market it depends on somebody like the Sharks with Ascarov like Mike has shown Ravensburg’s the highest goalending pick in Sharks history by far their highest before was number 55 in the it was the third round back then 1996 the Fzen and so it depends on sort of if there’s a team out there or a GM like Mike that has a philosophy of I’m going to spend big on goalending which not every team has right like Vegas wasn’t wasn’t going to spend that as we’ve seen right how what what they’ve done with their goalending over the years they don’t think that and I think a lot of teams think kind of like in a Vegas way la recently seems to be like that too
so
I think it was just the recency of like Spencer Knight and Devin Levi going to Florida
fair
or or from from the Florida picks you know like Yeah yeah yeah
they traded away Deon Levi got themselves Sam Reinhardt they traded away Spencer Knight got themselves Seth Jones and they end up like winning two
seth wasn’t worth that much at that time though let’s be
I know but I mean like
had a first two out of it too so
yeah but they Yes they did um so I’m just saying they they yes they don’t have like if you’re superstar defenseman hits or whatever like they’re going to have way more value but they they seem as long as they stay on this track like they have some value even four or five years later when you’re trying to
make a trade if you need to or he turns out great and he’s just like pushing Ascar off in five years but
I think it was a great pick that’s my my um
my opinion of it just from a value perspective i really liked it it was one of the people that I considered picking at the same spot because
it um the name started to fall off really quickly and I honestly thought he was going to go before that because of one of these teams just deciding they needed to add that to their to their goalie pipeline and he’s a great goalie so was not mad about that pick at all i just we all kind of thought they would move right at some point i actually I I know I said what I said about goal hitting values but I actually agree i think it was excellent pick just because this draft being weaker that at that spot at 30
that it’s not like you were going to get a guy that you felt good was going to be a top six forward or a top four defenseman or top pairing or or first line guy so you pick the best goalie out there and so his value in five years might be the trade value I mean might be the same as a Blake Fidler or somebody like that that you get in that range because unless Blake Filler turns out to be number one defenseman which you know he probably won’t be so anyway so I I actually agree with you even though if it was a deeper draft I might be like “Yeah I don’t know but
it wasn’t.” And so I’m actually with you on that i think that this was a very good pick i have no no issue with this one so oh by the way we should mention too so just so we know what was the halfalluh halfall pick at number three
uh my hidden gem of a of a pick or prospect is Jack Merte i love Jack Merch i
So my team has got a lot of um you know skilled offensive guys right we’ve got Mitchkov we’ve got Hudson we’ve got Boo we’ve got Celbrini and Misa a lot of skilled guys
um and I realized that you need more you need a little bit more
grit i also need more better more gritty wingers specifically a lot of smaller wingers a lot of long-term projects stuff like that and my is not huge but he’s like 6’1 he um great skater great shot like a really really good shot north south kind of guy gets the puck back um he is uh August birthday
um and he’s already like 6’1 filled out a little bit um and he’s going to college next year he’s point game in the USHL i really liked his profile statistically and then watching him I was like “Yeah that’s like a that’s a scoring like a complimentary middle six winger that gives you a lot of jam.” And I really like that and I was like “Some team is going to pick him.” I thought that he was going to go in the late 20s 30s cuz
just like he especially in this draft people would love that profile
and he ended up going 40 so
40 to Philadelphia I see yep
yeah he Philly that’s makes so much sense he feels like a Philly pick um I’m not going to say that he’s going to be like you know a first line winger but I think there’s a a role for him in a you know a 40 point 4050 point winger that puts a lot of jam in there so I liked him a lot very valuable very valuable
yeah and he he also played a little bit of center too so you never know
okay
um I’m not I also don’t think he’s like a super good playmaker but for my team it was like that was the guy or was Ravensburg because I still need
Oh really okay he’s like He was very Okay i ended up going with Merag but that was my uh
I really thought he was going to go a little quicker but yeah 40 makes sense for him okay
but he’s also uh
Yeah it’s uh not the most exciting pick but it filled out my team really nicely
yeah yeah yeah yeah no I think I think uh there were uh after Ravensburg and Wang there were a lot of not exciting picks but maybe they make sense still right so but anyway um number 33 Wang wang oh man
um we should talk about this so yes
this is like I think the most controversial part of this right
yep
like of the whole Sharks draft
um why didn’t they chose like choose Blake Fiddler or um why did they trade up
um
maybe there was not a trade up though i guess that’s right like there wasn’t that much movement um so
I think that’s the the real answer and once HSN Smith Reed
um Murka once they’re gone it’s the rest of the guys like it’s hard to foresee a clear path to a top four defenseman like it’s not impossible like one of these guys is going to it happens every year one of these second rounders or two of these second rounders are going to end up being great top four defensemen um but it’s not as like cut and dried or there’s not as clear of a path and I think the Sharks knew once they got they couldn’t trade up or they just didn’t feel like they um wanted to miss out on adding Ravensburg or what have you
they went with Wang and over when they were like Romach and Fiddler and Amo
they also passed up uh Bruce for Ravensburg so after Brussevich at 31 there was a bit of a run there on defenseman
yes it was like the third tier right so you got your number one Schaefer
two is that Reed um
Reed Deka and then three
HSN Smith right
yep and three would probably be like Hensler right
omedian Revich and then Fedler Wang Robback all those guys yeah mo Kettles i see yeah
yeah and I think people are are saying stuff like I’ve read online like “Oh why did they just take him at 53?” And it’s like I he’s gone like you can see on the draft board some one of these teams is going to take Wang like just that there’s this huge run on on defense if you don’t pick him there unless you can move up he’s going to be gone so they really liked him you can see why it reminds me of the Simichev pick from two years ago that um the uh not Coyotes made um
the then coyotes made
the then coyotes made number at number six obviously Wang is not Simichev simichev is a better prospect um but it’s similar right you take the the the towering skate like the wind defenseman and then you hope and there’s a lot of hope but I could see it in some ways and it um it makes sense i think it’s not like that there’s yes there’s a probably a more statistical chance that a guy like Fiddler makes it to the NHL than Wang um just because Wang has had um
well he literally just learned to play hockey seriously
learn to play hockey so it’s not the traditional route um let’s say that so it’s definitely more likely that guys like Fiddler or Romach they make the NHL but you’re playing the odds that Wang is going to have a higher ceiling it’s a boom bust classic pick that um I’m not mad about i’m I’m not going to get super mad about them not picking those guys one of these guys will make it though and then we’re going to be pissed like god they should have chose Pton Kettles because god look at Pton Kettles he’s amazing
and then we’re this happens every year so
there was that boom best boom bust situation in 20 2018 when they picked Ryan Mkeley over Absolutely kare Miller who’s the guy who hit one pick after but then nobody else made hit right around there and so kind of see what the Sharks were were were seeing there that that year so in defense of that pick
but yeah I I don’t really have any issue with this pick for the same reasons that you do not that they did not seem to care for these other guys as much and that there is this ceiling with with with Simon Wang and so you kind of just just bank on that that that keeps growing and that keeps growing exponentially like it has since he was 14 and if it does and keep growing like that way that he’s going to be probably better than than this group of defenseman that that that we mentioned and I want to ask you particularly about Fiddler because that’s what the a lot of Sharks fans honed in on him mhm
i got a question afterwards from from from a reader Alex and asked me directly about it and I have not watched Blake Fle play really so I thought he would be better to to to ask about it but based on just my impression of it like this fitler kid is fine but he’s not like special you know he’s right-handed i guess that’s the one thing that makes him
yes he is right-handed he is he is large he has a What do you think of him yes he’s right-handed he’s large she has NHL bloodlines i watched Vernon Vidler um as a well I guess named as a kid like 15 years ago
oh yeah he was Penny the Killer
yep um
Brits and I like and I like Blake Fiddler but I don’t
Yeah he’s not I don’t know what the word is he’s not special like it’s not like Fiddler is the guy that jumps off the page at you every time like he does he has good defensive habits he is a good good skater he can get a shot on net but it’s not I don’t see like the game-breaking thing that you’re like “Yes that’s why teams are after right-handed defenseman.” It’s not just because they’re right-handed it’s because they can make plays with the puck in the offensive zone as well and like they have a special element to them and they’re also right-handed at 6’4″ and he doesn’t have that um he’s going to be a good hockey player i think he will be a NHL hockey player and and I’m not um like he doesn’t have too much to add to get there but I’m not I don’t think it’s going to be a like a huge miss um in that way it just doesn’t he doesn’t put it all together in any way that that makes you think that he’s going to be that
um
and normally by this age um they do but again every year there is two three defenseman in the second round that do like make it um it’s just the way that that that it ends up being is that defense takes a little bit longer to put together
and it um kind of a little bit of a crapshoot so honestly the most the best thing they probably could have done was find a way to trade like to get five second round picks and just take a bunch of defenseman and then one of them will make it right like choose Simon Wang and Fidler and Amo and Kettles and
what I wish they would have done and I don’t know if they would have is I think that there’s one too many small wingers on the Sharks William to add Victor to that too but that’s not my philosophy i I think that that’s closer to my career’s philosophy that 30 33 if you go to the Puck Pedia Perry pick value chart which is my favorite one uh I think it’s most accurate that I’ve seen at least that 30 and 33 together are pretty close to 16 of the Islanders and would have been an amazing story obviously if the Sharks had traded 30 and 33 i understand 3033 wasn’t enough to get you say number 10 the the the number 10 pick and draft EK Victor Ecklan that high but
Mhm 3033 for 16 because Victor was falling just a little bit just a tad bit
would have been fun would have been fun right but anyway I don’t know i I asked Chris Mhouse the direct question of obviously it’s not his decision and it’s probably asking too much to inside baseball he I don’t think he would have uh he didn’t answer it and I don’t think I don’t think we’ll ever know the answer to that
but that would have been fun at least do you know who Dylan or who um Blake Fidler reminds you of
it’s um a little bit like Dylan Mkelwrath if you watch Dylan Milwrath in his career
oh yeah yeah yeah wasn’t he was a top 10 pick but he was he was uh he was in the age of the Griffin Reinhardt the big
big guy
maybe a little skating is a little iffier than you like yep
defenseman that were picked in the top 10
yeah I think he was a 10 um
Right and then Griffin Reinhardt we know was four so
yeah and like that’s the kind of thing it’s I think um he’s going to be an NHL and that seems to be the uh the way that you can see his career going but it there’s nothing that that jumps off the page at you whenever I’ve seen him
okay well very quickly Oh go ahead and there also hasn’t been a ton that jumped off the page with Wang other than like
Yeah
he’s a he’s a great skater and he’s like
more interesting than anything else right
learn hockey yeah so serious hockey so
like if you’re looking for a player that can play hockey better Fiddler plays way better hockey than Wang wang doesn’t play not bad but like yeah the decision-m is a little bit questionable wang for sure
it goes into what we talked about that you’re not drafting them for their season this past season your your season what they did this past season you’re drafting them on projectability
100%
right and so you see the skating with Wang and like okay if he can do learn everything else then we’ve got somebody that can be like a legit top shutdown defenseman so I think so that’s that’s again goes back to that but before we move on to pick 53 Cole McKini who was half all hockey
ah it was the easy one it was the highest ranked player I had left on my board which was Malcolm Spence
okay
um Malcolm Spence another draft for need slash um I knew that this like basically like this player’s going soon and he’s the best value that I can get from him
would have been a great story with Misa too these are really good friends
exactly and the
He went 43 by the way go ahead
he went 43 yeah so I want to say a little bit farther than people thought he would um he was like projected as a top 15 20 pick even going into the year
um he I really like his game i I think there’s some ups and downs with his play um but I he fits the mold of um has more skill than a guy like Barai who I he took ahead of him but has a higher chance to um has a higher chance I think to make his his real ceiling as a top six player than Merte does
but I there’s a little bit more risk in his profile just because he hasn’t been as consistent and I really like uh I like his handling skills i I really love his um his skating’s okay it’s not great um great puck handler and those kind of guys that like can pop in games um in a way that you normally get in like a top 15 guy
he can do that it’s just it’s not always there
and I don’t know I like him um he also fit a need of another bigger winger uh especially size and weight wise that I needed on my team so I’ve got great center depth i’ve got
um Celibbrini Misa Koolie if Koulie stays at center who knows but um he’s also a winger flex
and then my wings just needed more meat and Malcolm Spence was kind of the uh perfect uh pick for me there so
okay and there wasn’t a lot of much more value there in terms of high upside potential guys
oh yeah we’re we’re getting there we’re getting there
we’re getting there um but you know like Spence went 43 so like he was projected you know Craig had him at 16 he was projected in the top 20 yeah I think a lot of people liked him in like the late first round
so I think there’s still obviously risk there with him so um I’m surprised he made it to 43 i thought he was going to be gone in like 36 37 but I think the the run on D really kind of changed things teams were like “Oh [ __ ] all these all these big defenseman are going to be gone i got to pick one.”
Right right
so um I’m happy with it but I think it’s more likely that Merte and Spence um make the NHL than Wang and Ravensburg but only because well Ravensburg will make the NHL but you never know with goalies um only because goalies are voodoo and then Wang is a real project a real
Ravensburg and Wang they’ll probably have better chances to be impact players
exactly they probably have way more likelihood to be and plus it’s two wings versus goalie and six foot five defenseman so
Right
yeah i think I went for the safe route on this one because I took so many swings in the last like
three drafts before this that like got to go the safe route
get some get some good depth
right right right and Misa is already there so
Right
let’s talk about Cole McKini
yes number 53 also a guy that I was kind of sure was going to be gone by like because he was I thought about him as well um but I thought he would be gone uh I think it’s a really sneaky good pickup um I’m not going to say that I think Cole McKini is going to be a top six center in any way but he has a lot of same thing that the Sharks love to draft a lot of makings of a really good third line center
mhm
um I I don’t know i I wonder like the philosophy here like because they’ve done this a few times right like they’ve got they single out these guys that feel like a specific guy like Cole McKenna feels like a third line center on a good team in the future hopefully he’ll be there but they did the same thing with Beastat and Stopchuck and like to extent these yeah like 4C but still yeah if everything hits he’s a 3C
yeah they’re picking that profile and um so I’m I’m not mad about it it’s just interesting who’s who’s going to turn out with this but I like
you need that you need that for winning team you can’t staff a team i I haven’t seen it yet where you staff a team with
celebrating Smith and Misa down the middle i just you know you just need to you just need to move pieces around that’s Yeah
yeah but he has all of the like this isn’t like a um Thomas Bordo type pick this isn’t like a because he’s a um second round US NTDP guy so similar to Bordello and Michigan and all that stuff too but um he’s more of a all of likely going to be a center even if he’s not like ideal ideal size at the NHL level um he just he fits all that mold so
like Jack Drury if if
Jack is a great comp yeah that’s a good one
um so not the most like exciting pick but a day two and 53 in this draft hey that’s really good i’m actually starting to talk myself into this draft more i actually might change my grade uh let’s save our grades for the end but yeah I Yeah because my general
the first four were good I will say
yeah yeah if I was going to halfall hockey this to inter before we get to your your halfall hockey pick
sure
that I might have taken another swing here at a at a high ceiling guy
a guy that if everything hits he might pop you 30 goals he might be a top six player instead of maybe a sneaky but a safe player safe type of player
good pick here good value but a safe type of player um I know that the I’m gonna say his name wrong but the Ivan Reachin yep
right went to what riaakin
i think it’s Riapkin
oh Reapkin okay anyway he’s not a shark anyway but he went what 62 to Carolina i know that
supposedly he had a poor combine interview stuff like that shout out to actually met him at at the draft last year but Ezra from the Moskegan Lumberjacks was hanging out a lot with him he has dealt a lot with Rebeccin and he says he says he’s a great kid so just maybe misunderstood maybe language bar I don’t know but just that that he was upset with with with how Rebeccan was portrayed uh after the combine
and so anyway a guy like that who is is is very talented and if he hits then I don’t know what what he is if he hits but that there might be a top six kind of like legit upside there
yeah the skill is there right the yeah
the skill more so than any of the other guys that were picked probably in the second round
yeah so that’s that’s kind of uh but now we’ve talked about Ravensburg and and he’s and Wang is a silling guy and Ravensburg is is actually actually that’s the same idea too that you’re hoping to draft a number one goalie basically number one goalie a star goalie is could be more impactful than than virtually any player in the first round even maybe even Schaefer than Misa right and so those are kind of like the big bets there the the gamles there whereas and 53 then you’re like “Okay let’s let’s let’s stop gambling here a little bit and let’s go a little bit.” Hey we just need we just need uh a three a solid 3C a legit 3C is so so valuable i always say that so So maybe I’m talking myself into this a little bit but anyway I don’t know if you have any more to say about Cole or you want to give us your your number your 53
but yeah I was going to say something very similar was like Cole is the like um it’s yeah you you’ve gambled on the last two picks ravensburg and it’s a goalie so you’re you’re gambling but you know and it’s also just a way off pick could be a different you know GM by the time Ravensburg is playing for the Sharks
um could be the same thing for Simon Wang but like Guinea it seems like there’s a clearer path to to his NHL future not a super high ceiling one theoretically but um
he might be in the NHL ahead of Ravensburg and Wang yeah for sure he might um I picked uh this is classic me i went two safe picks right with Spence and Merte spence is still
This is your swing okay
yes this is my um guy I thought and was correct that would not be there at 95 uh in Cameron Schmidt
oh right the small dude
yeah so I I went with two guys with size and some meat on their bones and then I went with Cameron Schmidt who is does not have size um I Oh well right before uh the 94 yeah 58 okay
i swear I was sitting there waiting for that pick and I was like if Cameron Schmidt goes after 95 I just wasted the 53rd pick on I was going to be so mad not wasted but I was be like damn it I could have got him at 95 it was so but he went 94 because Dallas of course was like you know what we’ve done this once or twice
yeah right
um
and uh Stankovven is a better prospect than Cameron Schmidt i’ll say that first um and that’s who they got in the slate second I think with Stankovven
um Schmidt’s even smaller but yeah it’s kind of the one ina million shot but in my mind I had three great picks in the first three and I think that they have solid chances of being NHLers schmidt is like
Oh he won 47 by the way stan Kovven yeah
yeah that makes sense schmidt is like the if he if he hits he’s Brad Marshon if he doesn’t hit he’s not in the NHL
like that’s the whole point like if like
there’s no that’s it and like I wasn’t closing the book on the draft of this area but I was like screw it like I’ve got no more you know high upside potential at this point and I’ve got some um I could choose depth later on and I just I chose a bunch of depth after that that we’ll talk about but
no no more no more hop high upside potential
yeah but he’s the last one that I was like “Yeah I think this and Reapkin was on the board too.” And I thought about Reapkin too but yeah
I um I think that they’re the way that like people talk about Revkin really really did worry me nobody ever talks about Cameron Schmidt that way and people like they’re like “Yeah he’s small.” And that’s what that’s the only problem with Cameron Schmidt he’s small but he has an amazing shot he’s a great skater and he battles hard and he tries
and it’s like Reapkin they’re like “This guy might not be playing hockey in a year i don’t know.” I’m like There’s things that like outside the scouting sphere like just instead of watching them that you’re like
“Yeah I wouldn’t bet on that.” So
okay okay okay that was what I were worried about so yeah I I would have been more pumped uh Reapkins one option at 53 but I actually probably agree with you with Schmidt but then maybe that’s too risky a draft that I’ve already embarked on misa is a safe safe but great player ravensburg Wang and then Schmidt that’s Yeah that is risky oh yeah actually so yeah so you actually Yeah yeah you actually had in to some degree a safer uh first four picks than the Sharks so
I did which is weird um but I needed it this uh hopefully Mertag is Myag and Spence um can be what I think they could be
i
It’s not the typical guy that I pick either because like these are not the ones that I go for normally well you’re building a team it makes sense so
gotta build a team man
you can’t You can’t You’re not going to win with 12 yeah yeah cameron Schmidz exactly so anyway who’s our next one
uh number 95 Teddy Moltrin is that Yeah I’ll learn to say these names guys i’m sorry um
especially the Russian kid coming up yeah this was what I kind of knew yeah that we were getting real lean like I’ve watched him play i I think he will be uh I don’t like I think if you’re you’re really thinking about it I think he can turn out to be maybe a fourthline player at some point okay
and that’s the the kind of upside so
really okay but they’ve done this before where they’ve picked a USHL guy that um wasn’t very exciting and they pick a good college route and a good development program for them and then here we go like they’ve done this a few times in in the past few drafts so I’m not I’m not going to discount their system at this point right like Lobach and Muldown have made it cle made good steps fabotto was a good pick
oh they made good steps yeah they haven’t made it yet but
Yeah yeah but they they they understand that it’s not like because a lot of these guys can just you pick them and then immediately they’re not producing anymore and they flame out and that’s it and that hasn’t happened really for them yet
fair yeah yeah yeah all these guys you mentioned have had good uh college and whatnot um they made progress so I’m not going to discount it i just I whenever I’ve seen him play um I didn’t really love it but that’s just me he just doesn’t seem like he understand like the the fundamental understanding of the play around him and how to really push play himself like I think he’s a great he’s a good complimentary piece in the offensive zone but the Yeah I don’t know he just doesn’t seem to be pushing play a lot well a couple of scouts told me in my story about scouts and their out scouts outside of the Sharks and their thoughts of of this draft they just can’t skate
yeah i think it’s part of the pushing play h I don’t know if you can’t can’t skate like
well just poor feet poor feet that’s that’s the that’s that’s what I heard from two separate people and granted that’s the one thing that is maybe the most teachable thing guy that is like that that you can get him to average and he has other skills that can make him into a NHL player
yeah I think it’s just like the making decisions at speed thing um but it’s what the fourth round at this point
uh yes this is Oh no this is the third round
end of the end of the third and here I am
that’s what Under Scout told me that I don’t see him as a third round pick but this is maybe the leanness of this draft that in another year he wouldn’t have been a third round pick
this is again this is the back half this is the second to last pick of the third round too so it’s not like he was a high third round pick but
Yeah
yeah so I don’t I don’t want to shovel too much on him because you just Yeah you don’t know it is It is a tougher draft and for my perspective from what I heard just the skating thing okay you can work on that but the other stuff like willingness to to battle desire things like that he’s got that
yes
and so
I think the Sharks have not really picked a guy that’s not willing to do that which is interesting they don’t really have any desire for a guy that’s not physical in any way
or compete right that’s a big thing that that Mike talks about Chris Morhouse
and so that that’s really important to them
yeah and I don’t
like like Rebecca maybe that was a question with Right and Right and so that’s why they would have never touched him they probably maybe they had a Cameron Schmidt as small as he is higher because at least a Cameron Schmidt that’s not a question with Cameron Schmidt I imagine too right he’s just five foot up
yeah so so um Yeah and here I am um [ __ ] on the Sharks draft pick this is the only draft pick that I picked uh at number 95 that didn’t get picked in the the draft
oh okay
who do you have here
um a guy that I saw a lot of and I really I do not I still don’t understand why he wasn’t drafted um Dakota Room Mullen
mhm
uh Dakota Room Mullen defender um if you recognize the name Room um it’s the son of um the famous uh female goalender mhm
uh who was the only female goer manon Room I think his name is
oh man ray
ray that’s it
now I know how to say yeah because Yeah
yes to make the NHL or at least make a preseason
awesome yeah yeah i know Ray was Yeah
so uh that’s not the reason for the draft dakota Ray Mullen yeah
yes i was dead set that this guy was going to get drafted and he didn’t but I really thought he was going to get picked here he’s a great skating defenseman he he um he’s not the a I think it’s just because the
ranked by everybody too yeah
it’s the physicality issues more than anything he’s not a physical defenseman he’s a stick first defensive defenseman who can make a good pass and he’s mobile um he reminds me a lot of another underdraft and I keep falling for this guy because I I watch them play and I’m like “Oh you can actually do this.” Like you can make a first pass you can play defense um you’re smart in the defensive zone
maybe not a lot there offensively but you can at least like get the puck out of the zone and I did this last year with Thomas Galvas who’s a undersized guy that wasn’t drafted that I drafted him in like the seventh round or something um similar type of player they just they make their teams better in very subtle ways they’re they’re depth filler guys but I really thought because he’s also he adjusted super well to playing in the NCAA like he played the whole year with a very good team
right
and did well and played some big minutes um throughout their season i really thought he was going to be drafted and I thought he was going to be drafted in like the next obviously the next round because I wouldn’t have taken him that whole round and I wanted a defenseman that uh
in that draft so he was my best one left
so well he sounds like at least for the Sharks or any team a good really good development camp target free agent target yeah and you know he’s also a guy that like say he goes back to Michigan and gets a higher roll and puts up a few more points and gains some more pounds because he’s so light like he
he looks light when you watch him
he looks like Is he a real six foot it says he’s six foot so at least
maybe 5’11 um but he’s around that area he’s not like 5 foot n he’s around that area
mhm
he’s just light
yeah yeah
um so I think teams were scared away from that kind of thing and this was the only draft I think there was one uh defenseman underneath six foot that was taken this year in the draft
yeah that’s not crazy who Who was that who went under six foot this year uh Byron Bader says it was Drew Shock okay
which is a great name
yeah it was a great name okay
but anyway that’s the uh I think they teams were scared of it i think he’s still a good hockey player it’s just the
same thing with Thomas Galves he’s also still a good hockey player we’ll see if they ever make the NHL in a free agent capacity but
I thought he was going to be taken this is the only one though the next four or five picks I took also got drafted just Oh hey that’s that’s Yeah that’s pretty good when we get to like a seventh round and stuff right so
Yep all right
oh guy Galvvis didn’t didn’t get drafted this time around too huh so
no people thought he might because he’s had a great he’s still having a great check career and he had a great U20s because he went to the World Juniors he’s a great player he’s just small and that’s the problem
on defense yeah he’s not very offensive either too right so yeah
yeah he’s just a good defender
that’ll do it that’ll do it but you never know with these guys so okay
all right who’s next i’m I’m a little sad about my uh my pick here because it was the one that I really thought was going to be picked
yeah uh uh okay let’s see you actually said it right earlier ilas
Magomed Sultan
oh you had to let me try okay
okay go ahead go ahead
six syllables okay ilas Mag Sultanov magomes that sounds
maganov um
that’s not bad there’s a ring to it uh I think that’s interesting have you ever seen him play
no i only only post the draft have I watched anything of him
yeah no I I I I I appreciate your honesty so I talked with three three scouts for my story of the scouts and the two the primary guys were like I I don’t know i don’t know and luckily I do have a Russian scout that Russian scout that I can talk to and so he he he gave me his thoughts on them he’s not super high on this guy but you know here or there
uh it’s in my story let me look it up um um
you haven’t read my story
no it’s been a busy weekend
be it be up up your alley so anyway
it’s been a busy weekend i’m I’m catching up on my stories i’ve I’ve read through Scott Wheeler’s 9,000word right
draft retrospective but we’re still getting there it’s been a busy weekend
scout says uh his calling card is physicality big hits in open space uh needs confidence on puck plays pretty good skating play simple and safe enough he’s big 6’3 left-hander
yep
and but he just said “Yeah but this guy wasn’t on my list though.” So you know it’s kind of like silling of maybe a bottom pairing shutdown guy right so
yeah it’s um the who it was Axel Landon they took a few years ago kind of thing
around this range that fill right yeah
landed smaller though like they just al like this guy’s bigger but um
same thing right like
hits likes to hit um maybe maybe after a couple more years um it is you can leave him there for a long time so that’s fine
it’s interesting because this is the um they did a couple draft nos right they took um they took a CHL goalender which a lot of uh like stats stat nerd dudes um or like cautioning against and you should take took a goal too
yeah took a goalie high and then they took a bunch of non-producing defenders right wang
Oh that’s right yeah
wang has no points in the WHL and then
Mago Sultanav has no points in the MHL
you get to sharp he’s notive yeah
yeah he’s as productive as Rum Mullen who Ru Mullen who didn’t get picked and he’s two years older um so Maggo Sultanovan anyway they did a lot of draft nos but you never know sometimes those nos work out fine and this is also the draft to do it like not a lot of yeses right there’s not a lot of NHL going on at at this point of the draft I guess right no even for the forwards like the the forward core was bad the defender had some interesting
choices in the second but yeah just not not very deep
okay I’m starting to feel a little higher on this track now not going through this exercise but anyway though uh since you haven’t seen him I guess let’s just go with Okay so and we’ve talked about what a scout thought of him uh so who did you have at 115 then
uh I almost chose at 95 um sorry to uh uh to go off topic i it it it molds into itself i almost chose 95 um the goalender Lucas Beckman who got chosen at 97
okay
and so he’s like two picks later so I was like [ __ ] I need a goalender so with uh Peter Rimpinan
okay um which he ended up getting picked I think in the 150s yeah 52 um undersized he’s like six foot goalender overager out of Finland who had the
so fascinating sorry to interrupt it so fascinating to see like there’s nothing that seems more different for every team than goalie list
so it’ll be fascinating to see like a team’s goalie list like what was the the goalie heavy draft from a couple years ago the one that Fowler went in 2023 right yeah I love to see every team’s goalie list
yeah I know
that year right
rimpen um played the events league in Liga this year um 40 games 912 save percentage he also went to the World Juniors and put up a 933
and was like the star of the show at the World Juniors this year right for Vinland so I have uh I did the same thing with Thomas Sanic a few years ago
um went back watched him and I was like [ __ ] this guy is a good goalie he’s just tiny like
would you have drafted this guy if he had Ravensburg in already picked like let’s say you kind of nailed these drafts
you were kind of like I just need a goalie i want to come out this with a goalie that I like
exactly i was like I liked Beckman who got picked two picks later um and then I was like next goalie is Rimpinan and I like Ripen so
Okay
i needed a goalie and because the Sharks took Ravensburg and I also didn’t want to be a double copycat
but yeah
okay
yeah the um but like Sakanic ended up or he’s still a good goalie he’s in the AHL he got himself injured last year and didn’t play but um great goalie i think it’s just um you never know with him you
Mhm
like this guy could be excellent um
Yeah yeah yeah even though he’s tiny so
I mean Dustin Wolf seventh rounder right so
exactly
yep
just pick a goalie all right all right who we got next we’re almost done this is a long episode yeah yeah we’re past two hours so this is dragging like the actual entry track yes right all right zack Sharp at 124 yeah the um I think somebody posted on Twitter that he was an invite to the or he was going to be an invite to the show yeah yeah actually Moral said that that that they were going to invite him but there the more they talked about it they were like “Well we like him we should just
I like that i really like that um I think that’s such a cool
thing like they watched him enough they were like because like I I hate it when like you could string this guy along right like he’s coming to your camps like you know we go you got to go back to college and we’ll see you next another team could draft him too
yes
they could um but he is yes he’s a double overager um he was eligible for the 23 draft and he’s being drafted in the 25 draft um I watched him in in the NCAA and he played he was like a very I’ll call him integral but just like a steady piece um on their on their back end i never was like this guy’s out of place he he made sense he um he made sense with the with his breakouts and like where to go with the puck and I think he’s a good defender he’s got some physicality it’s a good pick it’s just a It’s an interesting one because he’s a double O Rager and out of the NCAA and not really producing a lot of offense there
right
so the likelihood is he kind of ends up being more of a Barracuda guy rather than a um Sharks guy but you I I don’t know it’s a cool story i think more than
Scott I I talked about him in in my story they really liked his skating though
that’s like a plus plus element of of him and so I think at this point of the draft right if you can just picking an element
a player that has a plus plus element and then you can see the rest of it filling out that maybe you find a bottom bearing defenseman or something like that
mhm yeah and that’s that’s what I mean is like even if he’s not going to be like a bottom defense it seems like the plan is already in place right like he plays another year or even if even if he never turns out to be an NHL the plan
I’m not really sure what the plan is with him he can go to Barracuda next year maybe right want a national championship with Western Michigan
he probably needs more time he definitely needs more time but like the plan seems to be in place to be like “Oh let’s graduate him to the Barracuda and see where it goes.” And I like that idea in this this late in the draft it makes a lot of sense
i liked the idea more than anything else
well who did you pick then in this spot
who did I pick um Quinn Buches i can’t ever say his name buchesny bushes besn um at this point I was like
at this point I’m drunk
no I’m not drunk
i just I’m just I’m just picking names off the board at this point cool sounding names the coolest names I could find
no um I’m looking for depth like guys that might um play in the NHL maybe and he ended up getting picked by the Penguins at 148
oh I see yeah okay so okay
but another six foot like not big defender maybe he’s like a hair over six foot um but he I don’t know how to describe him other than like can be a depth piece in the NHL maybe okay
but he’s also
Yeah he played for the 18s for Canada um and he was a a good part of their team as well so he didn’t have a lot of scoring
mhm good skater that’s
that’s a bit And I think the issue is like there’s a bunch of these guys that are around this uh height range in the CHL that never really pan out they just turn into minor guys and Jake Ferong was a guy like that for the Sharks
yeah that’s actually right yeah that’s a really good shout except for Furlong is
he’s a lefty and he’s a righty but yeah that’s a similar thing it’s like has a lot of elements but nothing special and I uh I wouldn’t say I was like suzu jazzed about uh this part of the trap well yes that’s what we’re talking about yeah like uh um you want to go on to 150 now
yes i uh Max
Max heist and looking at this the greatest problem was that they missed their chance to draft man’s ghouls
i know i couldn’t
This is the greatest greatest problem I have with drafting Max Heis
i couldn’t I couldn’t um I couldn’t decide if that guy’s nickname is Mongoose or if it’s just like goose
man’s goose
man’s goose which somebody on on the uh the draft uh thing was like no I don’t think it was actually on the broadcast it was said somebody was talking about they’re like I’ve seen that guy let in a lot of bad goals and then I was like that was their that was their breakdown of of man’s goose and I was like at least you’re honest
at least you’re honest
you also miss a chance too Dallas stole another guy from the sharks there do Dawson Shy I know Sharky went damn Um yeah
yeah we’re at that point in the draft guys okay so Max heist so uh you have seen him play or Yeah no you have not right yeah that’s a tough one but
no
he’s an over the BCHL
yeah yeah uh I did I did talk with a scout who who has seen him and 6’3 obviously that that that stands out but also to a great room guy
or has been at least and so that’s a guy that maybe can just work work his ass off in the NHL so it’s not a bad bet and he’s a guy that grew from uh he had I think just to hit six goals or something two years ago in his draft his first draft he’s a Rager his first draft his draft eligible year and he popped off for 27 goals in what was it like 50 games or something like that so so definitely getting better and with the size there’s some upside there physical upside and he’s going to Michigan State in two years so they see something in him a little bit like like Wang so these you know you talk about these good programs right and they they see something in a player and so you kind of bet on that and you bet that he he develops well he’s going to play for Prince Albert in WHL next year so so there’s something there probably will never make the NHL if we’re being honest but at this point in the draft and especially in this draft there are worse picks too
yes there are so anyway so who did you pick at 150
um Carlos Handal which is honestly
Okay yeah if you took like a carbon copy of the three defenders that I took in this draft
yeah 177 by the way to the Canadians so
yes so he got picked right after uh well like 20 picks after so I was happy he got picked because I was already like sweating the Dakota uh pick i was like “Oh [ __ ] I bring another defender that’s not I’m like not good not good at this.”
Um but Handel also had a good um U8s he was captain of team Germany mhm
he um
good skater not very physical i I feel like I’m just kind of copying the
Well you’re just finding a tool that you like and skating is a good tool to pick
skating a defensive mind more than anything i like the way that him Buches I think it’s Buches or Buch I can’t say or Buch um
and Dakota and um like how they defend like they they They’re not passive um they’re not lost a lot of CHL defenders are lost at this level
um so it was it was a fine pick and he ended up going pretty recent or pretty uh quickly after so was happy with that and he’s a righty and my team has all lefties my team is all uh Boo Hudson and uh Kenyon and bunch of lefties and handles righties yeah that’s honestly at some point what you’re looking for i think
handedness okay so now drum roll or
our final pick
no drum roll yeah our final pick
oh man we’re getting we’re getting down to the wire here
yep uh Alexander Golant richard Golant
oh I’m sorry yeah alexander Golant used to actually fight for the barracuda yes he did good point that was a good Sorry I Yeah I typed it wrong
gerard Golant
sorry Richard goran is a clown
oh no pete is a clown oh there it is um I honestly was like kind of they did the they did the classic small guy take a swing pick and I love it i did not think the Sharks were going to do this 5 foot8 player um out of the US USHL creative you can you can picture him in your
Yeah you can Yeah USN TV you can picture him in your mind is like the smaller uh lots of not lots of skill but enough skill can make plays he also is not a not a not physical guy so he can be physical and he doesn’t um doesn’t have no um ability to play the dots and that kind of thing
my source with a great comp here Colin Blackwell so
hey also a seventh round pick of the Sharks
mhm wasn’t he yep uh yes another start round pick who yeah has fashioned a good career as a energy guy
yeah I don’t hate it i was like oh cool i I just did not I thought they would pick another 6’7 nocoring defender out of the ECHL and be like call it a day
yeah good for Richard too yeah he actually has scored some goals this past year he has good good looking NT NTP numbers
and he’s going to Hav so that we can just continue that he’s going to Boston you know like you have to pick a guy that’s going from the US NTDP going to Boston that’s all you have that’s all we can do um but that’s a really good pick i I think I don’t know if really good is the right word it’s the uh I thought
for the area of the draft so
yes i thought they were going to trade out of the pick i really did because they’ve they’ve done that before too
right right a lot number of teams seem to did that i think seven there started to be more like let’s just you know I don’t want to make this signer i don’t want to make this pick picks uh speaking of which I chose Philip Eberg who was chosen by the Carolina Hurricanes at 2
i knew that that would be your guy right there
you knew it you knew it i I basically was like yeah I had filled out the wings i had got Misa we did a swing with Schmidt then I did a bunch of depth defenders took a goalie and then I took one last offensive uh small winger because I cannot help myself
um because I cannot help myself why Why Ecird over over Golant they’re obviously both small wingers golant does sound like he’s more defensively minded so is it more of the bet with Ecird that Ecberg mini stances like just just offensive pop there something
yeah I think it’s more of like a Gushian Mega Light but it was more the U8s and that’s a like it’s it’s not you should never do that with a high draft pick right you should never draft a pick from the third because he had a great U8s or whatever but
in the seventh Eber had the most points ever for a U8 player um for Sweden so and and watching him play in that game he was on like in those tournaments those tournament games he was on fire and
in a way that like you’re like “Okay yeah I can see it it is the U8s and like if you have a a bit of skill more than your your teams around you especially against like the lower levels you could just torch them.” And he did right
so you take that you run with it um but I think um very unlikely to ever really pan out but
sure of course I mean with if in this draft like if Ravens Bergen or Wang hit their ceiling you expect Misa to because that’s number two pick so it’ be massively disappointing if he doesn’t and you get one regular NHL or out the rest of the draft that’s it
that’s outstanding that’s a great draft that’s That’s how most drafts are
yeah exactly that’s how most drafts are misa is a firstline player like he’s is supposed to be ravensburgen is a is a starter or Wang is say a solid top four shutdown guy either of those things happen and then the rest of this list let’s say Me Sultanov I just want to practice saying his name again becomes a solid bottom pairing guy great draft great draft
amazing draft you’re just looking for two NHLers yeah and um if you can get like two impact NHLers you are you are way way above most drafts so
Right right right so um I I think the Sharks did like Okay
drum roll hold on okay okay now let’s we’re wrapping up our draft grades oh
we’re doing now right yeah yeah yeah we’re summarizing yeah do you want to give you want to give a grade you want to get a grade
go first no oh you want to go first
uh B minus oh wow okay i I am actually
Wait b
okay b okay why a lot of a lot of the maybe you haven’t read all of them but like I think Ellis gave an A who else i haven’t read the other one so what
I guess on on uh because they got Misa it’s an A so that that’s
it’s also on a perve it’s a weak draft too right so I mean that’s that’s part of it too right so
yeah I think there was just one too many guys that Yes you can you can try and talk yourself into them becoming NHLers
mhm but um and I more than anything it was just that they didn’t try and go up to grab a defender and that that kind of made me a little
Well maybe they did right i mean we don’t know
maybe they did
yeah you’re right or they didn’t
3033 they they could have traded into the range to get uh HS or that right or somebody Cameron Schmidt or somebody but maybe
Dam teams were like well
yeah we’re yeah like they we know what’s waiting for us at 30 and 33 so we’re going to keep our 18th pick or whatever yeah I know I there’s no way to know if they tried or didn’t try and then
maybe they really just didn’t believe that those guys are even worth that that trade up so
Right right right
like that’s the other thing is you want those big names but they may not be worth it and I think trying to to hope the the fiddlers and everything are the the right D of the future is is also just hoping so
okay
don’t uh they’re trying to don’t try to fit the square peg in the round hole kind of thing but I did want like it seemed a little passive i think overall I wanted some movement
well again I just I don’t think we know that though that’s the thing right so
true
so that that would be my argument so actually I came into it thinking that I would give it a B but looking at how hard it was to
to ek out picks
really was
even from like basically 95 on
y
that I’m gonna give it a minus and
fair enough at first I didn’t I I I thought hey you can swing higher the McKini 153 and 95 with Moltrin but they swung high with Ravens Bergen and Wang
and I like both picks i have no issue with both picks and so I understand maybe going a little more with with McKenna going a little more safer one scout told me that this guy’s gonna play NHL like for sure mhm
may just be a fourthline center may you know hopefully he gets a 3C but
he’s going to play
and with Moltren when we got to that point and you and I were talking about it well there weren’t a lot of options available there are guys that you liked more or maybe I would have liked more but there just weren’t a lot of options
no there wasn’t
right there wasn’t a Cameron Schmidt waiting right there for example
well there was a 94
it was 94 but not 95 right and I guess I guess they could have traded 95 is a point where it’s probably easier to make a trade and up but nonetheless though the specific pick and what they had in front of them well you picked a guy that wasn’t even drafted right
i did
yeah well it just tells you how it’s not it’s not a criticism of you it just tells you that
95 was not end of the third round was not the most enviable position in this draft is is all that’s the point I’m trying to make
so I don’t really have that much of issue with that pick anymore and after that it just like well
no yeah after that you’re kind of just like I honestly was picking guys that I remember seeing at some point and going oh yeah he’s pretty good like
I like the work period
that’s all [ __ ] they look good
no like cuz I would watch them more than World Juniors than anything else cuz those are the guys that like
they popped more than anything right um is when you could see them there and you know they’re on a bigger stage and you’re okay
you can see that
um so that’s kind of what I was going for cuz like
I think Oh go ahead
yeah that that’s but that’s true like that’s what they’re doing too they’re they’re seeing Mago Sult and going
you see something morehouse said that that was a guy that the entire scouting room did like and they do watch the video uh as I mentioned in the story that they don’t have a Russia loca uh area or they they don’t have a Russia base scout now but they have a Russia area scout but not a Russ living in Russia scout but they end up just doing it together and watching video they have a guy that points out Nikolai Ladakin who lives in Ukraine and has been the Russia everyday scout for a long time going back to the Doug Wilson era and he points out the guys that he likes and then everybody watches and kind of works off of that kind of thing yep so they said that that was a guy that they all agreed on basically so So trusting that but I think in a different draft I would have been like h 95 Timmy Moltren don’t love that but this was a different this is not one of the stronger drafts and so yeah so I actually look again looking back at this they went for the the easy pick in Misa they went for the swing in Ravensburg and the swing and Wang and then they went a little safer with McKini and those are your kind of your premium picks in this draft and
it’s the first four yeah
yeah and that’s I I I I’m fine with that you know I did say that yeah it would have been cool to get Rebeccan or was Schmidt where he had in 53 but after they swung on Ravensburg and Wang you got to get something safer
you can you can kind of see see that yeah that that you don’t necessarily want to want to keep swinging because literally when you get to the back after the draft that’s all you’re doing
yeah and I think again the the Ravensburg and pick if he turns out great if he doesn’t then you still have a great um trade ship for the future or not that he doesn’t turn out but like he’s going to be around for a while to build up your your goalie pipeline which is Baron aside for Astro right right right right right
that’s fair yeah
it’s like you’ve got courage they don’t have Yeah yeah Ashparov’s not going to be a prospect next year and Exactly
so you need that so it was still part of a a bigger working of their of their need to get Ravensburg and it’s it’s a good value there and then Wang is we’re gonna see I watching it was very funny like it said it’s an interesting experience watching him play because it doesn’t um it’s not often that you see that kind of uh player um play in a in a league like the CHL but it wasn’t horrible it’s just like he doesn’t like the decision-m was was really really slow and like
what two assists in 37 games or something
yeah it’s just super slow
but the But his skating is really good and like his size is really good and like
yeah boxing
he’s actually confident defensively based on the scouts I talked to that he’s actually good defensively for that level already um
I think it’s just hard for guys that are half a foot shorter than him to get him
right and he can skate too like he can so obviously but um so yeah so again no no no no no no issues in in in me uh with with this draft really and based on what you said and I trust you that not losing any sleep over missing out on Blake Fidler yeah i mean now Blake Fiddler’s gonna be Drew Dowy and it’s gonna be the It’s going to be your Mark Edward Blaskic in the second round god damn it they’re gonna
You never want to bet against like NHL Bloodlines either because they always seem to find a way to make the league right like they always do they do always make the league at least for like a couple games just so they can have a a nice like uh um between periods uh uh uh story you know up close
with his dad in the stands waving that’s what no matter what that always happens so Fiddler will make the NHL um no matter what so if that’s what you were going for but I do like and again I like Fiddler i just there was definitely a shelf of defenseman that I felt comfortable with getting a a good I guess they fell to 30 somehow
well if you insisted on picking a defenseman in that in that where the sharks picked Simon Wang
uh the ones that went after uh the ones that went immediately after who would you have picked romach Fiddler Amo Ketos those are the four that go right after
Fedler but that’s not that’s not um but I had Wang yeah like later so but like Wang is also like I get it why he’s not like even if you rank him in the 50s you might take him at 33 cuz like someone someone’s going to do it so it’s an interesting story and I and I really I appreciate that from the Sharks for sure
okay all right
yeah fiddler’s the safest that the option to to actually be an NHL out of those guys so Mhm okay all right that’s that’s
that’s a wrap that’s all we got um Oh and actually my my pick that I um I had a um an oops moment i end up choosing Cameron Schmidt mhm
um 20 seconds after I chose Max uh Pesanica um and Max Pan Panika was chosen or Sena I can’t I can’t say his name either
oh I see he went 46 to Utah
he went 46 and I did not see I did not see him go 46 to Utah and I was like
okay
so then somebody on Twitter was like you uh chose a guy that’s already been chosen he almost forfeited there
so I like I said oh no no wait Cameron Schmidt i changed it because uh that was just because he also fit the the mold of I needed a right-handed D and he’s pretty good so um anyway that’s the I had a great time it was a fun draft was just um what it what was it 2020 that was kind of like this where it was like no maybe it was 20 [Music] trying to look through the draft years I think it was 2020 where yes there was like guys like Robins and Bordal and stuff but like they’re just um yeah kind kind of fell off a cliff after that got a couple guys in the later rounds here but not a lot anyway we got to go to We got to go to bed Shang
well you’ve got to It is uh 3:00 a.m so i I’m going to Yeah I’m going to I’m going to try to get this get this out to you guys so
but Keegan needs to go to sleep
that’s true we will join you after free agency so we’ll talk about that so hopefully there is some let’s not call it excitement but let’s just hope the team gets better gets marginally better
for the sake of Mlin and Michael and Will and Yaro um yeah and so I hope you all uh have a good week i have a cool thing to show everybody um real quick show
yes I do wait hold on i don’t want to end the recording oh I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do this so on this thing you can see a woven in t-shirt
that’s the closest the sharks have been to Sally Cup long time
2006 this was a uh t-shirt that I had from 2006 that my grandmother uh say one team say this one team and she wo it into this uh quote with a bunch of other childhood memories quilt
your grandma made that for you it’s a Oh it’s a quilt okay that’s awesome
yes uh so it’s got a actually there’s a old school coyote’s logo on there too
oh yeah the cacina
no it’s not that old it’s the uh uh howl one
the how the just the coyote okay cool
yeah but it’s the whole blanket
mhm i’m up in my you know family’s home so Yeah there’s a bunch of
the cabin the whole bunch of old
The cottage yeah
yes the cottage
yeah she made it into a quilt that’s that sits on that bed
she’s Yes anyway so that was uh one of my first Sharks t-shirts
is she the one that’s wait I don’t want to get get too many we got to end this but the way to Scott Hannon again or No that’s not
uh he was on that team
okay
yeah well that one that’s not that’s not your side that’s related to Scott i forget
oh it is yeah that’s the same side
okay okay okay
no well I guess no it’s not because it’s my grandfather’s side so it’s grandmother and you they’re married not related related
my grandmother did that
so anyway I hope you all have a good week we will see you i got to go to sleep we will see you next week bye y’all [Music]
The San Jose Hockey Now Podcast is sponsored by Bring Hockey Back!
How did we grade the San Jose Sharks’ 2025 Draft? (46:54)
Before we get to our thoughts, we break down the latest Sharks’ news.
The San Jose Sharks buy out Marc-Edouard Vlasic…why? (3:18)
Congratulations, Joe Thornton! Jumbo is going to the Hockey Hall of Fame in November. (12:01)
We preview free agency…we each make a Sharks’ free agency prediction. Also, what are some realistic signings that San Jose should make? (15:45)
And now, our thoughts on the San Jose Sharks 2025 Draft! (46:54)
Michael Misa: Sheng describes what it was like in Los Angeles on Thursday, as all the Misa vs. Anton Frondell for No. 2 rumors were swirling. What are Keegan’s thoughts about Misa and Frondell? (53:14)
Josh Ravensbergen: Why does this pick make sense? (1:17:13)
Haoxi (Simon) Wang: Keegan gets why the San Jose Sharks opted for Wang over Blake Fiddler. (1:26:52)
Cole McKinney: Sneaky value pick? (1:40:34)
Teddy Mutryn (1:49:49)
Ilyas Magomedsultanov (1:58:13)
Zack Sharp (2:04:10)
Max Heise (2:08:41)
Richard Gallant (2:13:11)
Our San Jose Sharks’ 2025 Draft grades! Sheng is higher on the Sharks’ work than Keegan. (2:18:30)
16 comments
The Cole McKinney pick has me so excited.
Maybe not as much skill or size as some of our other forward prospects, but he has an intriguing combo of heft and competitiveness.
I think they did it to open a spot for Dickinson so they don’t have to play him every night and can work him in
I'll only be able to watch tomorrow, but excited for this episode.
Sure, Blake fiddler isnt special, but neither is Simon Wang. Both are big dmen with good skating and little to no offense. Fiddler at least is right handed though so that makes him better fit for the sharks. But it's a moot point now. Just hoping Wang makes the NHL at some point.
What does Cole mean for bysty? Is he out?
What if McKenna is landed next year? Or top 3 pick? Or is a wait and see. There’s always plan a) plan b) plan c). Who do the sharks pick and or trade?
Man Free Agency is gonna be so sad for us tomorrow LOL
Vlasic's skills were the sort that some (myself included) figured would be slower to decline. Things like reading the defense, making the first pass, putting the puck in the right spot on a dump, etc etc. No reason to know this, but I got a feeling he stopped caring as much about NHL regular season and that was part of it. Especially since they weren't going to the playoffs.
1:04:41 wow…. just… wow.
Sheng really needs to reavaluate how he assesses his "sources." He claims he has all these industry folks that are well connected to the team, yet they're all clearly saying contradictory things.
Then he talks to both camps, and BOTH camps make statements that are more in less in line with each other, that the sharks are more interested in misa.
Yet he has been making statements all last week before the draft that he has a good feeling that the sharks are going with frondell.
I get that he wants to drum up engagement and attention, but theres a balance to it. At some point people are just going to remember him as the guy that either lied or was completely clueless about draft information.
Also its just insane revisionism to say he was calling it misa the whole time. The prior two weeks he was leaning heavy on frondel, stating he thinks frondell to the sharks "is likely".
Then, the morning of the draft, he completely about faces and calls the pick for misa.
Hey Guys,
I am a 30 year Sharks die hard fan. You have the right of it Sheng for about 12 years Marc Eduard was the best defensive defensemen of his generation. There is a reason the Canadian Olympic team chose him for the Olympics where he won a gold medal. Keegan I think it wasn't that Doug Wilson didn't foresee the problems such a long term contract for an older player would cause for the team and for Vlassic. I think it was Wilson honoring his word when Vlassic was under paid as Sheng alluded to. How many times did Sharks players including Vlassic take "team friendly" deals to keep the group together in an effort to win a cup?
This is what I call the Barry Zito paradox. When you are at your peak as a younger player typically you never get what you are worth. Particularly if you are on a good team like Vlassic was. You take those hair cuts with the understanding that later the team will make it right essentially when the window of opportunity is closed and your skills are declining shunting the older player in question into more of a mentor role who the newer fans hate because you aren't that good anymore when you are in the line up.
When Barry Zito signed with the Giants he was terrible and he signed a huge contract worth something like $12 million a season for like 10 years or some such. For virtually every year he was a Giant Zito had the pleasure of being reviled by Giants fans as Zito was nothing like the pitcher who had a few years earlier had won the Cy Young for the A's. Thus the Zito paradox.
Eddie Debartalo and Carmen Policy did the same type of thing promising playes like Brent Jones the money he deserved at his peak later in his career via sketchy means which even though they stuck to their word they did it against league rules and it cost both men their careers in the NFL.
I am a huge Pavelski fan too. I think Pavelski is the greatest Sharks draft pick ever. 1,300 plus NHL games. Over 1,000 pts. A plus rating for his career and an Olympic silver medal. In addition there is an argument that Pavelski was the best captain the Sharks have had so far AND Pavelski Captained his second Olympic team to boot.
That said, I think you are not remembering why the Sharks allowed him to leave via free agency when they did. Joe was never quick let alone fast. At the point the Sharks chose not to resign him he was struggling to be defensively responsible for lack of skating ability. Perhaps he was dealing with lingering injuries (seems likely)? Who knows but, I have to tell you it became a real irritation to me as a Pavelski fan because he kept taking hooking and other stick penalties because he was not able to keep up defensively. It was like a guarantee that Pavs was going to take at least 1 penalty per game. He had become a defensive liability. It pains me to say that. When he was younger Pavelski was a good PK guy but, asking him to back check was a nightmare when we chose not to resign him. I was a big fan but, I didn't want him to be resigned.
I have no idea how he managed in Dallas defensively? Perhaps Dallas just told him to get back but, not to compete until he was physically back and in a relatively set position where he was no longer back checking because I have to tell you it was awful to watch one of my favorite players become a liability.
I think the odds of any player making it to the NHL are about as rare as any athlete making it to the NFL, MLB and the NBA is probably the worst of all because there are so few players on each team. "The odds of a registered hockey player making it to the NHL are very low, estimated to be around 0.04% or 4 in 10,000,…" (Google AI search) Given the odds you guys have the right of it when it comes to picking 18-20 year olds and projecting what they will be as a hockey player.
Then you think about some of the notable Sharks who were late picks or were not drafted at all. Nabakov (7th), Pavelski (7th), Braun (6th I think), Jake Middleton (5th I think) and Dan Boyle who wasn't drafted at all. Obviously all of those examples are outliers and it can't be expected to happen very often. Perhaps 1 in 10 drafts might yield a lucky pick like that that manages to forge a viable NHL career (not necessarily a star like Nabby or Pavs). To my mind the top two rounds are more predictable but, if you are going to have a team that can contend for a cup you need some of those late round picks to pan out like a Justin Braun or Jake Middleton at the least.
If you manage to hit a home run with a 6-7th round pick that is franchise changing. If you manage to hit a grand-slam like a Pavelski that is a massive lift for your team. To my mind some of those guys are where the real action is from the draft. If you can manage to find 2-3 guys in the 3-7th rounds who become viable NHLers for you that is how you build depth and become like Florida where you get no relief. All 4 lines are hard on the puck and relentless fore-checkers even if they fail to produce goals like Florida's 4th line did. If your 4th line can pin opposing teams in their defensive zone there is a chance they will draw a penalty or better yet that they are able to line change with one of your top lines while they are controlling the puck in the offensive zone.
Pete Firehose of information turned off. hahaha Thanks guys for the video. Fun times.
Peter St. John
Clovis, CA
I'm cheating cause I'm commenting after a bunch of guys are getting signed. But I'm prepared for there to be no one for us to sign, that moves the needle, at least. But it's fine since I'm on the DuPont train. Fans acting like we can just force people to sign by throwing money at them, so many things never change.
Grier made it very clear that the defense has to improve. I find it hard to believe that his plan is to just sign a couple low end defenders.
I want them to sign RD Nick Perbix from TBL for a 4-5 year deal for around 4.5-5 mil. For a forward either Pius Suter or Roslovic as a decent scoring middle six option. If they sign Perbix I will be happy no matter who else they get.
Sorry for my mean comment. Not a fan of this “trusted” scout you talk about. If the same scout as you’ve mentioned before on certain topics as the one on Frondell. I would stop talking to him. He’s imo leading you with agendas rather than correct information. I feel you’re being played to push narratives.
I believe you’re being lead astray by these guys. But honestly it’s the arguing strongly for them that’s not sitting well. Misa and frondell are really not in the same tier right now. Yet you really took the bait and fell for it. Thsts were your gonna frustrate and lose smart shark fans.
All good to report, but worrying when you’re defending these crazy stances as if they’re the smart plays.
You’re one of my 2 favorite sharks reporters. I really like. But man you really need to be careful as it sounds like anyone with a position can lead you any way they want.
Love it guys. Appreciate the time you guys put into this.
Does the fact that Grier is taking so damn long to invest in developing a defense for this team mean that maybe he actually values Dickinson, Muk, Cagnoni, etc more than the rest of us are?
Maybe he sees Dickinson as a true top pairing guy long term, and Muk/Cag as strong middle pair guys?
And maybe he even values guys like Havelid, Wallenius, and now Wang way more than the rest of us are thinking.
Is that possibly why he’s not in a hurry to heavily invest in the defense lately? (Whether investing with draft capital, or trade capital, etc)
I cannot believe we didn’t target Hensler or Fiddler at the end of the 1st round. The way the draft worked out, with picks 30-33-53 I woulda preferred Fiddler, Spence, Ryabkin instead of the 3 we got there.
Having said that, the first 4 picks Grier went with are fine-to-good.
Although, I think this is my least favorite draft of Mike G’s so far. (And not just because of the talent differential to other drafts.. but because of the way Grier went about it with the picks he chose).
But, hard to hate a draft where you get the best player in the draft at 2 positions, forward & goalie.