Mike Grier will be appointed as general manager of San Jose Sharksbecame the first black person in NHL history to hold the position, according to multiple reports.
The Sharks have not confirmed the hiring but have scheduled a press conference for 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, when they are expected to officially announce Grier as their new GM.
Grier, 47, played 14 NHL seasons for four different teams, including the Sharks, before retiring in 2011. He spent the past season as a player. New York Ranger‘hockey operations advisor and also works as a scout for Chicago Blackhawks from 2014 to 2018.
Grier is the younger brother of Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier, who has held that role since 2016.
Grier will replace the Sharks’ interim GM Joe Will, who took over in November when longtime GM Doug Wilson left the team for medical reasons. Wilson Officially Resigned in April after 19 seasons with the club.
The sharks were supposed to name Grier their GM four days later Fire head coach Bob Boughner and its staff. The layoffs come late in the NHL’s reason for a coach change, as eight other head coach positions have already been filled, but Will said in a statement that the new GM should “have full autonomy” to Hire the next coach.
Once the dominant force at the Western Conference, the Sharks missed the knockout stages three seasons in a row, the longest drought in franchise history.
San Jose has a roster of veteran players with multiple levels of commercial protection in their contracts. San Jose is paying for guardians Erik Karlsson, Burn Brent and Marc-Edouard Vlasic – over 32 years old – $26.5 million total over salary cap through 2025.
