SAN JOSE – One day after seeing Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci get traded to the Dallas Stars, an already thinned-out San Jose Sharks team was forced to pick up the pieces Sunday and figure out the best way forward without their leading scorer and arguably their best defensive defenseman.

The Stars announced Saturday morning that they had made a trade with the San Jose Sharks, adding centerman Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci while giving away a first-round pick and a conditional pick in the 2025 NHL draft that will be a third-rounder if the Stars reach the Stanley Cup Final this season and a fourth-rounder otherwise.

Getting a first-rounder in return is a great bit of business for the Sharks, especially without any salary retention (since San Jose has all three spots filled). Granlund and Ceci both came to San Jose as salary dumps, and the Sharks managed to turn them into something that should help push their rebuilding process along.