Report: Questionable Reasoning Revealed For Sharks' Surprising Fabian Zetterlund Trade

Friday, March 14, 2025 ,

The San Jose Sharks' decision to trade Fabian Zetterlund to the Ottawa Senators caught many by surprise. 

At 25, Zetterlund had emerged as one of the team's few consistent goal scorers, netting 41 goals over the past two seasons. With cost control and an age that fit the team's rebuilding timeline, he seemed like a logical piece to retain. 

According to Zetterlund's agent Claude Lemieux, the Sharks did make them an offer earlier in the year, but Zetterlund and his camp chose to wait until after the season. It was then brought up again, and the two sides exchanged offers and then the trade reportedly happened.

Also, according to Sheng Peng of NBC Sports, it 'sounded' like the Sharks didn't want to pay up to $2.8-3m which Zetterlund should receive next season.

General manager Mike Grier insisted the move wasn't about contract negotiations though, despite Zetterlund’s camp being engaged in talks. 

Instead, the Sharks viewed Zetterlund as more of a transitional player rather than a long-term core piece, and they couldn’t pass up what they saw as an opportunity to acquire Zack Ostapchuk, a young, defensively responsible center.

Grier spoke candidly about the reasoning, speaking on the importance of roster construction over individual production. “You can’t just have all Macklin Celebrinis and Will Smiths,” Grier said, referencing the team’s top prospects. “You need all types of players, all types of characters, to win in this game.” 

Ostapchuk, at 6-foot-3, is seen as a future shutdown center, a role the Sharks have lacked. The return—Ostapchuk and a mid-second-round pick—felt underwhelming to many, given how difficult it is to find 20-goal scorers. 

But Grier appears to have prioritized structure, believing Zetterlund’s production was inflated by top-line minutes he wouldn’t have long-term as players like Celebrini, Smith, and William Eklund take on bigger roles.

Grier's teardown of the roster has been aggressive, but he insists this will be the last major sell-off. With four first-round picks over the next two drafts, cap space, and a prospect pool that includes Ostapchuk, the Sharks are betting on a more balanced, defensively responsible core. 

Whether this was the right call depends on how Ostapchuk develops and whether Zetterlund thrives in Ottawa, but for now, it’s a gamble that the Sharks believe better positions them for the next phase of their rebuild.

Photo Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

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