(San Jose) The San Jose Sharks fired head coach David Quinn after two seasons on Wednesday as they are in the midst of a rebuild.
General manager Mike Grier announced the decision following an analysis of the team’s season.
“After going through our end-of-season internal meeting process and evaluating where we are as a team and where we want to go, we have made the difficult decision to make a change at the head coaching position, Grier said in a statement. David is a good coach and an even better person. I would like to personally thank him for his hard work over the past two seasons. He and his team did an admirable job under difficult circumstances, and I sincerely appreciate how they handled the situation. »
Grier hired Quinn to replace Bob Boughner shortly after he accepted the general manager job in 2022. Quinn spent two seasons in San Jose that were marked by lackluster play, after the team traded several star players like Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier, as part of a major overhaul aimed at once again becoming a club aspiring to conquer the Stanley Cup.
The Sharks had a cumulative record of 41-98-25 in two seasons under Quinn’s watch – the worst during that span in the NHL. The Sharks finished last in the NHL this season and have a 25.5% chance of getting their hands on the top pick in the upcoming draft. Macklin Celebrini, the winner of the Hobey-Baker Trophy which is awarded annually to the American college circuit’s MVP, played one season for the Sharks junior club while living in the San Francisco Bay area.
The Sharks have conceded 147 more goals than they have scored this season, excluding shootouts. It was the 12e worst differential in league history, and the worst in 30 years since the Ottawa Senators allowed 196 more goals than the number scored in their second season of existence, in 1993-94.
Grier also announced that director of sports medicine Ray Tufts will leave the team after spending more than two decades with it.