- Mike Grier says a long-term deal for Will Smith is “part of the plan” in San Jose
- Smith has one year left on his entry-level contract and becomes an RFA next summer
- Read below for Grier’s full comments and what a Will Smith extension could cost
Mike Grier closed one enormous extension Wednesday. He already knows whose deal is next.
Speaking with reporters after locking up Macklin Celebrini, Grier was asked whether Will Smith is in line for the same treatment, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group.
“Continuing to have dialogue with (Smith and Collin Graf) and see where that goes. Smitty is definitely someone we’d like to lock up long-term as well. So we’ll see how it goes. But definitely, it’s part of the plan to hopefully get them locked up.”
The Sharks handed Celebrini a five-year, $94 million extension earlier in the day, an $18.8 million average annual value that will be the richest in league history once it starts in 2027-28. We broke down that deal here.
Smith is a different situation. The 21-year-old center has one season left on his entry-level contract at a $950,000 cap hit, and he becomes a restricted free agent next summer.
He put up 59 points on 24 goals and 35 assists in 69 games last season. That came after 45 points in 74 games as a rookie, so the arrow has been pointing one direction since he arrived.
There’s no panic on the Sharks’ end if the talks drag into the season, either.
“But if it doesn’t happen, then we’ll be okay, and we’ll figure it out as the season goes on and into next summer.”
Catch the full Grier availability from Wednesday:
Waiting carries a real cost with the cap climbing the way it is. Daily Faceoff pegged Smith’s next contract somewhere around the $10 million range, with room to climb well past that if his production jumps again in 2026-27.
Collin Graf sits in that same conversation. The 23-year-old forward is already a restricted free agent, and Grier grouped him with Smith when he described the dialogue as ongoing.
Back at the start of July, Grier named Celebrini and Smith as the two extensions he wanted sorted out, and we covered those comments at the time. Half of that list is now checked off.
San Jose went from last in the league to a playoff chase in one year, and the bill for that young core is coming due in pieces. Smith’s number is the next one Grier has to solve.
