The Sharks hired Mike Grier as their new GM heading into the 2022 NHL draft, kicking off a new direction for the franchise. It did not take long for Grier to make a bold move, the 11th overall pick to the then-Arizona Coyotes for the 27th, 34th, and 45th picks in the 2022 draft. Now, almost three years removed from this trade, where are these players now?
Filip Bystedt
With the 27th pick, the Sharks selected center Filip Bystedt out of Linkoping of the SHL. Bystedt was viewed as a solid 3rd line center prospect who had excellent size at 6 '2 and could really skate, but had a long way to go development wise before he would be ready for the NHL. Last season Bystedt completed his first season in North America with the Barracuda scoring 31 points in 50 games and added 3 goals in 6 playoff games. It was a solid rookie season for Bystedt to build upon, who will be looking to crack the Sharks for at least a cup of coffee next season. Looking at his future projection he is still very much a work in progress, he has a lot of tools and translatable aspects of his game that he showed when he was drafted, but when I watch him it still feels like he still needs to figure out what he is as a player. With some more time, he could still be a contributor in the top 9 down the middle or on the wing for the Sharks.
Cam Lund
With the 34th pick, the Sharks selected Cam Lund out of the USHL; while drafted as a Center, Lund has been on the wing since being drafted. Lund was an interesting prospect, similar to Bystedt he had a lot of tools and size being 6 '2 but was more of a natural scorer and offensive leaning prospect. Lund spent 3 years at Northeastern in the NCAA, where he steadily progressed every year, finishing his Junior season with 40 points in 37 games and adding 3 points in 11 NHL games for the Sharks at the end of the season. Lund projects as more of a bottom six guy at the NHL level, while he has an NHL shot the rest of his offense does not project at a top 6 level. Lund, however, has developed his all-around game over the last 3 years, and as he fills out and gets used to the physicality of the NHL, he could develop into a solid depth scorer on a 3rd or 4th line for the Sharks. Expect Lund to spend the majority of next season developing in the AHL for the Cuda.
Mattias Havelid
With the 45th pick, the Sharks selected defenseman Mattias Havelid, who was a teammate of Bystedt for Linkoping in the SHL. Havelid recently signed with the Sharks for the 2025-26 season and is expected to play for the Barracuda in the AHL next season. It's been a rough last 3 seasons for Havelid, who has struggled to produce in the SHL, but he did find some success in Sweden’s 2nd division Allsvenskan last season. At his age, however, the lack of progression in the SHL is a concerning sign for his NHL chances. While Havelid possesses an above-average shot, he lacks the natural offensive creation that a 5’9 defenseman usually needs to find success at the NHL level, and he has not figured out how to translate his junior success at the pro level in Sweden. Sharks probably hope they can salvage something from their 2022 2nd-round pick by taking control of his development in North America.
The Draft is not easy; drafting 18-year-olds and projecting what they look like 4 or 5 years down the line is always going to be a crapshoot; the 2022 draft was a weird draft with a lot of fluctuating boards, not too dissimilar to the 2025 draft in a lot of ways. The 11th overall pick the Sharks traded ended up being Connor Geekie, who is still finding his way in the NHL on his 2nd team. And while the Sharks missed out on what could have been key contributors in Jiri Kulich or Lane Hutson, who they passed on 3 times, the process with the Trade was excellent looking back at that draft and the players available. The Sharks will once again have three picks in this range, with the Dallas first being 29-32, the 33rd pick, and Ottawa’s 2nd rounder, so they have tons more ammo to add talent to an already loaded pool.