Welcome to a post-Draft Lottery victory mailbag!

Congratulations, San Jose Sharks fans! You deserved this win.

Thanks for all your questions!

Sharksmustbealways asked if the Sharks were waiting for the Draft Lottery result to help them lure a better head coach candidate? (3:10)

Amorris209 wondered generally how Macklin Celebrini affects the process for the coaching search? (4:20)

Jigglz brought up Tim Kawakami’s recent criticism of Sharks owner Hasso Plattner: Would the franchise be better if Plattner was seen or heard from more? (6:10)

Jamnjon asked if the Sharks should target smaller prospects like Alexander Zetterberg or Justin Poirier in the mid to later rounds? (17:00)

Rob S wondered how Sheng was selected to witness the actual Draft Lottery? Also, who’s the San Jose Sharks’ goalie of the future? And will the Sharks ever host a Sharks game at Tech CU Arena? (22:08)

David Gotlieb loves pets! He asked about Mushu's favorites and if Keegan has pets. (37:09)

Josh Frojelin wondered if Ethan Cardwell could make the San Jose Sharks out of camp next season? (41:35)

Mike suggested perhaps trading the No. 14 pick for a more NHL-ready young defenseman? (45:42)

James R wondered what it would take for the San Jose Sharks to land Mitch Marner this summer? (1:01:30)

_sharkzilla_ asked when San Jose Hockey Now would get scout opinions on the Sharks’ post-Celebrini prospect pool? (1:10:10)

Stephanie K wondered what the last straw for David Quinn was? She also wondered about how Sheng feels about going into the 2024 Draft, getting to cover the No. 1 pick. Finally, how does Celebrini stack up versus other recent top prospects? (1:14:47)

Timorous me asked what was Sheng's reaction to the Sharks winning the Draft Lottery? (1:24:02)

Nimrod wondered if Luca Cagnoni is better served playing his overage season in the WHL or going to the AHL? (1:33:05)

Zeke discussed the possibility of trading the no. 33 pick for a 2025 first-round pick? (1:38:47)

Alaskan_ice checked in on Sheng and Keegan’s relationship. (1:44:50)

Michael K wondered if we go out of our way to deflate expectations of San Jose Sharks prospects? (1:51:24)

Splash114 asked how the Sharks should go about adding a true No. 1 or 2 defensemen to the organization? (2:02:11)

Chris Braun wondered if the Sharks should add a veteran center to help mentor Celebrini, especially if Couture is still injured? (2:07:51)

KuperKris suggested some theoretical additions to the team: Could the Sharks push for the wild card? (2:12:40)

Fin Coe checked in on the Sharks’ Russian scout situation and the Kevin Whitmer investigation. (2:17:43)

Alex Genadinik wondered where William Eklund would go in a 2021 re-Draft? (2:19:05)

Blue Science asked if the Sharks should go for a defenseman no matter what at No. 14? (2:27:43)

Recycle Shark wondered how the Sharks should improve their defense next year and if Thomas Bordeleau or Danil Gushchin are destined to get traded? (2:32:52)

Lakshya Jain asked if we think the Sharks will sign both Will Smith and Celebrini this off-season? (2:40:00)

Matthias893 wanted our thoughts on how Cagnoni stacks up compared to Olen Zellweger? (2:43:30)

Tony asked who Mike Grier should target at UFA forward this summer? (2:44:52)

James wondered if Hasso would stomach another tank in 2024-25, this time for James Hagens? (2:46:10)

David Rowley asked if the Sharks would target a more offensive defenseman in this year's draft? (2:49:35)

Patrick wondered what the Sharks’ greatest positional needs are going into the Draft? (2:50:45)

Matt Railo asked, after winning the Draft Lottery, if the San Jose Sharks should have the core of a playoff team soon? (2:53:08)

Here's our too-early San Jose Sharks' off-season plan!

***Quick aside, Keegan's microphone is muffled a bit this episode. We're sorry, everyone! One day, we'll have pristine audio every single time. But not this day. This is kind of like those workplace accident signs where they knock off 100 days since the last accident and replace it with zero. Again. Sigh.***

This week, Sheng and Keegan outline some potential off-season moves that could help make the 2024-2025 version of the Sharks be less embarrassing than this year's. (53:45)

But before all that, we have a few quick-hitting topics this week (1:15).

We start with Will Smith watch: Is he signing or not? (2:30)

Sheng and Keegan preview the upcoming May 7th Draft Lottery odds and each run a simulation at Tankathon. Do the Sharks win? (6:10)

We highlight what Sheng has heard about some potential candidates for Sharks head coach. (13:15)

John McCarthy and the rest of the San Jose Barracuda coaching staff will be returning next season, despite some poor on-ice results. Why do Sheng and Keegan support their return? (29:30)

The Sharks want goaltending coach Thomas Speer back, even after David Quinn was let go. (37:21)

Finally, we revisit our pre-season bold predictions...how did Sheng and Keegan do? (42:20)

Finally, our off-season plan! Which of their free agents should the Sharks keep or let go? Who should they target in the free agency market? Can they make a good trade? (53:45)

How much cap and roster space could the San Jose Sharks have? (54:45)

Which of the Sharks’ UFAs and RFAs will they keep? Who should they allow to walk? (57:45)

What’s the order of positional need for San Jose this summer? (1:14:33)

Let’s talk to free agents first -- Sheng has a couple intriguing longshot UFA targets. (1:22:14)

Keegan offers a longshot UFA signing at defense. (1:35:55)

Then, Keegan shares his favorite lower-end UFA targets. (1:39:00)

Sheng has a former Sharks defenseman in mind. (1:41:30)

Finally, Keegan offers some forward UFAs with some upside. (1:46:10)

That’s free agency, how can the San Jose Sharks improve via trade? (1:58:24)

Keegan proposes a Mikael Granlund trade. (1:58:44)

Going back, Sheng discusses why the Mikey Eyssimont trade was such a mistake, and how the thinking behind the deal helped pave the way for a disastrous 2023-24. (2:03:30)

What should Grier’s trade philosophy be this summer? (2:16:25)

Sheng is prioritizing distressed assets – who are a couple defenseman that the Sharks could target via trade? (2:17:55)

How about a trio of center candidates? (2:20:51)

Are the San Jose Sharks a better team with a couple of these realistic additions? (2:32:05)

It’s an emergency episode of the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier has fired head coach David Quinn.

When did Sheng first get wind that Quinn’s job might be in jeopardy? He had an idea on Monday. (1:10)

What’s our first reaction? Sheng argues that the Sharks’ ill-constructed roster wasn’t on Quinn, but more on Grier. (4:33)

So if not the roster, did Quinn get fired because he didn’t develop the young San Jose Sharks players? (23:00)

Were Grier and Quinn on the same page about what they wanted out of the Sharks, their identity?

Keegan wonders if player perception of Quinn doomed him. (26:40)

Sheng and Keegan speculate on other reasons why Grier fired Quinn. Is Grier feeling the heat from above (read: Hasso Plattner) after back-to-back disappointing seasons? (34:40)

Keegan argues there isn’t much downside to letting Quinn go right now.

Was Quinn a fall guy for Grier?

What type of coach should the San Jose Sharks target in this stage of their rebuild? What about David Carle? (43:30)

What are our thoughts about Grier keeping John McCarthy behind the San Jose Barracuda bench? (47:05)

Finally, a note about the San Jose Sharks hoping to sign Will Smith. (53:20)