NHL Rumors: Sharks Owner Regrets Trading Away One Specific Player
Front and center was the Josh Norris trade, part of the 2018 package for Erik Karlsson that also conveyed a first-rounder later used by the Ottawa Senators to draft Tim Stützle.
Plattner said the Sharks would look very different today if they had kept Norris and landed Stützle, a frank look back at the inflection point that sent Norris to Ottawa and set up Stützle’s arrival.
Hasso: “One mistake I want to share with you was that Stutzle and Norris were let go or not acquired in the draft. Think about the last three years, with Stutzle and Norris the team would have been a different team.”
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) October 10, 2025
Also admitted it was a mistake to not keep Joe Pavelski on…
How the Josh Norris trade reshaped San Jose
Norris, drafted 19th overall by the Sharks in 2017, developed into a productive finisher with 91 goals and 67 assists in 240 games before the Senators dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres at the 2025 deadline for Dylan Cozens.
The 2020 first-round pick that left San Jose became third overall, which Ottawa used on Stützle, who has since posted 327 points in 368 games and led the Senators back to the playoffs.
Josh Norris is expected to miss at least eight weeks according to @FriedgeHNIC which means he will be out for 30+ games.
— Crossing Swords ⚔️ (@CrossSwordsPod) October 13, 2025
Sabres already in a tough situation just two games into their season. pic.twitter.com/3ZZb583nb7
Plattner also lamented letting Joe Pavelski leave in free agency and critiqued past drafting under the previous regime, illustrating how talent departures compounded through the roster.
The Sharks now build around Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund, Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson, and Yaroslav Askarov.
Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
