Professional sports are a business. We’re reminded of this every time a team makes a difficult transaction. While that means it’s sometimes necessary to make tough moves, they still carry an emotional component that matters for business, and San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier is learning that lesson right now. His tenure leading the San Jose front office has largely been praised, but it’s come with some challenging side effects. Former and current Sharks have spoken out about the difficulty of handling his decisions at different times, and it’s something he’ll have to keep in mind as he continues to lead their rebuild.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic Caught off Guard by Buyout
The most recent example of Grier juggling all aspects of his decisions came when he bought out long-time defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic earlier this offseason. Vlasic spoke about the buyout earlier this week and made it clear he didn’t see it coming.
“I had a good end-of-season interview. They told me that I played well, especially defensively, and that they liked that I was a mentor to the young guys,” Vlasic said. “They told me they wanted me to do that next year, so when I left, I thought I’d come back … It might have been honest of them to tell me at the end of the season that it could happen, instead of waiting until June 30.”
Given San Jose’s desire to get younger on the blue line and the size of Vlasic’s contract, the buyout had some justification, which Vlasic admitted he understood. But the Sharks aren’t in a cap crunch and could always use some veteran presence, particularly from someone who was such an important part of the team for so many seasons. More importantly, it’s also not a great look for Grier and the rest of the front office to seemingly send him one message before going in a different direction. People around the league pay attention to how other teams treat their players, and keep that in mind when considering where to play or work. The Sharks are doing a lot of things well, but assuming Vlasic’s comments are accurate, this situation is one point against them.
On occasion, a team will find it worthwhile to do right by a veteran player, not because it makes them a better hockey club but simply because it’s the correct way to treat that person. The Sharks had one such chance with Vlasic, and their handling of the circumstances might go down as a missed opportunity.
Fabian Zetterlund Trade Impacted William Eklund
Grier’s most surprising trade at last season’s trade deadline was sending forward Fabian Zetterlund to the Ottawa Senators. While Zetterlund’s contract put San Jose in a difficult position and Grier emphasized how he felt the trade made the Sharks a better team, the move still caught Zetterlund’s Sharks teammates by surprise, most notably his fellow Swedish winger William Eklund. He was deeply honest about no longer getting to play with someone he considered a friend.
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“That’s one of the toughest days of my life, I would say. And that’s a privilege,” he said. “I’m not gonna say I have it tough. We have a lot of other things in the world that’s tougher than this. But this was one of the toughest moments for me, personally.”
Much in the same way the league notices how teams treat their veterans, people observe how a team considers team chemistry when making trades. That’s something to keep in mind in the coming seasons as the Sharks try to bring in players, but it impacts players on the team right now as well. Plenty of their players are developing close connections, including some of their most promising young players. As Eklund learned, your team trading your friend can change your relationship with the front office. His reaction to the Zetterlund deal should give the Sharks more to think about the next time they get ready to make moves.
Grier Needs to Keep Balance in Mind
The two transactions discussed here are Grier’s most recent hard choices, but they’re far from the only ones he’s made. He traded other veteran leaders and fan favorites such as Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl, moves which had their merits but raised difficult questions at the time they happened. What all of these transactions show collectively is that there’s a kind of equilibrium necessary to being a general manager. Yes, you have to make the right moves for your team. But sometimes the right move is to do something that won’t help you win more games in the short term, but helps in the long term by showing your team treats players the right way. The Sharks aren’t a top destination for players right now, but they want to be soon, and they’ll need to keep this in mind as they try to attract difference-makers.
