“Greggy! Greggy!”
That’s the welcome home that Noah Gregor was treated to on Monday, Mario Ferraro and Marc-Edouard Vlasic chanting his name in the locker room after practice.
After clearing immigration issues, Gregor will make his San Jose Sharks “debut” on Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, sporting No. 9. His old No. 73, of course, is taken by a pretty important Shark.
A San Jose fourth-round pick in 2016, Gregor has played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators in the last two seasons. The speedy winger was part of the surprising, last-minute deal that sent Fabian Zetterlund to the Sens at the Trade Deadline.
The deal between the Sharks and Senators was officially consummated with only 27 seconds to spare before the Mar. 7 12 PM PT Trade Deadline.
“I thought I was in the clear, but I guess not,” Gregor said, laughing, about the call that he received from Ottawa GM Steve Staios. “The initial shock was definitely there. But once I started thinking about the guys that I know here and the familiar faces, it definitely made it a lot easier.”
He’s particularly close with Ferraro, who was drafted just a year after him, chatting with the gregarious defenseman in the hallway after San Jose’s appearance at Ottawa on Mar. 1.
“Having the loudest guy in the room, Mario, being one of my best buddies doesn’t hurt,” Gregor smiled.
Ferraro, however, got a good friend back with the return of Noah Gregor: “I love Greggy. It’ll be awesome to see him. I’m pumped up to be in the same locker room as him…again.”
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Through four seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Gregor recorded 26 goals and 25 assists in 178 games. After finishing the 2022-23 season with a career-high 10 goals, RFA Gregor did not receive a qualifying offer from the Sharks and became free agent.
Gregor mentioned today that he thought he was getting a qualifying offer, but understands that it’s a business, so no hard feelings.
“I’ve seen a lot in the past two years,” he said.
Through a professional tryout offer in the summer of 2023, Gregor earned a one-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He recorded 12 points, six goals and six assists, in 63 games and made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut, playing in two first-round games against the Boston Bruins. Playing in the NHL’s biggest market also meant playing and practicing alongside some the league’s biggest stars.
“[Auston Matthews] is one of the hardest-working guys I’ve gotten a chance to play with,” Gregor said. “He’s always working on his craft. He’s always taking care of his body, doing the right thing.”
In the summer, Gregor signed a one-year contract with the Ottawa and recorded four goals and two assists in 40 games for the wild card Senators this season.
After two years and two teams away from the San Jose Sharks, how has the 26-year-old winger grown?
“I think [my] consistency has gotten a lot better, in my eyes,” Gregor said. “The coaches and the team know what to expect when I’m out there. I think that’s something I’ve had to work on a lot.”
Of course, for young players, consistency is often the No. 1 thing that is lacking.
Gregor says just experience helped that click for him.
“To be honest, just a lot of time watching games from the press box [over the years too],” Gregor admitted. “It’s not fun doing that, so you want to put yourself in the best position to always be in the line-up.”
Gregor left a youngster, but he’s returned a veteran.
“These young kids are really good players and they’ve got an amazing future,” the once-again pending RFA said. “I’m just gonna try and help as much as I can and go from there”
One of those kids is 21-year-old prospect Zack Ostapchuk, who came in the trade with Gregor. Ostapchuk has also been held up by immigration.
“He can chuck ’em,” Gregor said, laughing, referring to 6-foot-3 Ostapchuk knocking down Matt Rempe in a fight in juniors.
While with the Sens, Gregor often flanked center Ostapchuk on a line: “Just expect a physical player that’s got some speed, he’s been able to score throughout his career. So once that gets clicking, he’s gonna be a really good player.”