Sportsnet: Curtis Pashelka on the Jeff Marek Show when asked what the San Jose Sharks will be looking to do to surround the young forwards of Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Marek: “I don’t know that there’s an offer out there that (Sharks GM) Mike Grier would look at that would allow him to even contemplate moving the first overall draft pick. But I mean, all things going according to plan, the San Jose Sharks are drafting Macklin Celebrini. They go up, they go with Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini for the next 10 or 12 years.
Where is the next area that you think Mike Grier, Sharks GM needs to shore up? Like what’s the next order of business here?
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Pashelka: “Well, I think you’d like to add some, some, some quality veterans to sort of support these, these young players here. Just, you know, guys around the league who kind of do things the right way or kind of add the culture as the foundation that, you know, Mike Grier is trying to, try to build here and so I think that’s, that’s probably the next step.
Certainly, the Sharks have a lot of cap space to play with. I don’t see them going out and spending big-time money on free agents or handing out like long-term deals to guys who are now in their late 20s, that kind of thing.
But certainly, you want to have some guys who are going to help these young players along to teach them you know, what it’s like to be in the NHL. You know, a full month, you know, play what’s it like to play 6/7 month season, you know, these guys have played twice a week for, you know, for, for, four or five months. Now you gotta go play it three, four times a week against grown men who were bigger, stronger, do this for a living.
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So you need some sort of, some of those types of players to certainly help those guys along and you know, I wouldn’t be surprised that the Sharks make some, some changes on defense to, to sort of shore up that that area as well.”