The San Jose Sharks are starting their coaching seek for the second time in three years after the organization fired David Quinn after just two seasons.
Although Quinn was considered the favourite for the July 2022 job shortly after Mike Grier was named the team's general manager, there doesn't seem like a similarly obvious selection this time around.
Instead, it looks as if Grier is casting a large net within the seek for the Sharks' next coach.
“We're putting together a list of candidates we'd like to talk to,” Grier said Wednesday, about an hour after Quinn's firing was announced. “I don’t have a set schedule. This is a tough day and a tough week. … We'll have a look at it throughout the week, but I don't have a precise timeline or when it’ll be ready.”
NHL or skilled coaching experience is an excellent thing, Grier said. But he also didn't wish to rule out some other candidate who could impress him or owner Hasso Plattner.
“I will not rule out anything or anyone if a candidate comes along that blows us away,” Grier said. “At the identical time, someone who has a while or experience within the NHL or skilled hockey could be a bonus.
“But I don’t want to exclude anyone when we meet someone we’d like to talk to.”
The successful candidate would must possess certain qualities which can be necessary to Grier and the Sharks during this phase of the team's rebuild. This could include introducing a stricter defensive system or making a less nice atmosphere within the team.
“I met with the players and reviewed the season. I think I have an idea of what they’re looking for, what they need and what I think they need,” Grier said. “But I think I’ll keep that in-house for now.”
Here are seven names in alphabetical order to change into the Sharks' next head coach.
CRAIG BERUBE: Berube, 58, expects to realize interest as a Stanley Cup-winning coach this offseason. He helped improve St. Louis' 2018-19 season before the Blues won the franchise's first championship.
Berube has a demanding style, and if Grier views him as a candidate for the Sharks job, he may have to work out whether the previous enforcer is the suitable man for this phase of the team's rebuild. However, there’s little doubt that Berube gets results, as his teams posted a scoring average above .500 in six of his seven seasons as coach with the Blues and Philadelphia Flyers.
Berube and Grier appear to have a shared interest in big boy hockey. In his NHL profession, Berube had 3,149 penalty minutes in 1,054 games.
DAVID CARLE: If NHL coaching experience isn't a requirement for the Sharks job, perhaps 34-year-old Carle might be considered. He has been leading a successful program on the University of Denver for six years and the Pioneers just won the NCAA Division I national championship.
Given his background, Grier might be open to hiring a university coach. Carle is taken into account one among the sport's brilliant young minds and will grow into the role of Sharks coach alongside a rebuilding team. But hiring someone with no pro experience is a dangerous proposition, and if it fails and the Sharks have to search out one other coach in two years, then Grier himself might be on thin ice.
DEAN EVASON: A real Shark, Evason, 59, was fired as coach of the Minnesota Wild earlier this season after the team got off to a 5-10-4 start. Before that, nonetheless, Evason had a 142-67-23 record in Minnesota, leading the Wild to a few straight playoff appearances despite the team failing to advance past the primary round.
Evason also has experience working with younger players from his time as head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals from 2012 to 2018. He also has a history with a handful of Sharks players, including Mikael Granlund, Luke Kunin, Nico Sturm and Calen Addison.
If the Sharks are in search of a departure from Quinn's looser style, they may find it in the extraordinary Evason, who has 1,002 penalty minutes in 803 profession NHL games. From 1991 to 1993, Evason scored 57 points and 231 penalty minutes with the Sharks.
GERARD GALLANT: If we determine to go the connecting route, Gallant, 60, could also be a reputation to control in San Jose. He became the Rangers' head coach from 2021 to 2022, shortly after the team named Grier as hockey operations consultant. They only spent one season together in New York before Grier was named GM of the Sharks.
Gallant had winning records as a head coach with the Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers. But is he an excellent fit for the Sharks, considering the team is no less than two years, and possibly longer, away from being a playoff contender?
MITCH LOVE: Love, 39, served as head coach of the Calgary Flames last offseason before eventually joining the Washington Capitals as an assistant on Spencer Carbury's staff. The only downside was that he lacked NHL coaching experience. He has that now.
Love was a successful coach within the WHL for 3 seasons from 2018 to 2021 before being named coach of the Flames' AHL affiliate. In two years, his teams combined for a 96-33-11 record and he was named AHL Coach of the Year each seasons.
Love could be a daring decision for Grier, but he could also be the suitable fit at this stage of the Sharks' rebuild.
ALAIN NASREDDINE: Nasreddine, 48, might be poised to change into a full-time NHL head coach for the primary time. He has nine years of experience as an NHL assistant coach and is now in his second season as an assistant on Pete DeBoer's staff in Dallas.
A no-nonsense defenseman during his 15-year skilled profession, Nasreddine has an extended working relationship with Grier, because the two were on John Hynes' team for 2 seasons in New Jersey. Grier would easily guess whether Nasreddine is the suitable guy for the time being.
Perhaps Nasreddine's only downside is that he has limited experience as a head coach on the skilled level. His only experience as a bench boss got here as interim head coach in 2019-2020. After Hynes was fired after 26 games this season, Nasreddine took over and had a record of 19-16-8.
JAY WOODCROFT: Woodcroft, 47, and Grier overlapped by a 12 months in San Jose in 2008-09. Woodcroft was an assistant on Todd McLellan's staff while Grier was in the ultimate 12 months of his three-year contract with the Sharks.
Woodcroft served 10 years as an NHL assistant coach, 4 years as an AHL head coach and 120 games as an NHL head coach, managing the Edmonton Oilers from February 2022 to November 2023.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Logan Couture are the 2 Sharks players coached by Woodcroft who’ve undoubtedly learned from working in a hockey-crazed market like Edmonton. However, is his style a sufficient departure from Quinn's?
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