The San Jose Sharks have fired head coach David Quinn following the 2023-2024 season. San Jose finished the 2023-24 season with a 19-54-9 record.
David Quinn has been the Sharks’ head coach since 2022. In two seasons, the Sharks struggled mightily. He previously spent three years as the head coach of the New York Rangers from the 2018-19 season until the 2020-21 season, losing in the 2020 playoff qualifying round in his only postseason appearance.
As it stands, the San Jose Sharks have the worst record in the NHL. They easily finished with the best odds for the top draft pick in the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery. Quinn had been tasked with coaching a rebuilding roster and went 41-98-25 as the San Jose Sharks head coach.
General Manager Mike Grier stated on Wednesday afternoon, “After going through our end-of-the-season process of internal meetings and evaluating where our team is at and where we want our group to go, we have made the difficult decision to make a change at the head coach position.”
Tough Two Seasons for David Quinn
https://gty.im/1866420412
2023-24 was arguably the roughest season in San Jose Sharks history. They almost set a record for losing to open the season, which didn’t help David Quinn’s case to keep his job. It got so bad that General Manager Mike Grier had to have a team meeting to rally the team during one losing streak.
Tomas Hertl was traded after undergoing knee surgery, captain Logan Couture missed most of the season, and the team started almost every goalie in the organization for at least a game. To be fair to former coach Quinn, he didn’t have the best hand dealt to him.
Brent Burns was traded to Carolina, Timo Meier was shipped off to New Jersey, and Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson was sent to Pittsburgh. What David Quinn had to coach was essentially the remaining leftovers from other teams combined with rookies. It was not an ideal situation for any coach to step into.
The San Jose Sharks started their tough rebuild essentially after hiring Quinn. They’ve shipped off almost every bloated contract they had and watched old talent prosper elsewhere. Mike Grier will continue to serve as the Sharks’ general manager and will continue to try to rebuild a former playoff contender.
Tough Rebuild Continues for San Jose Sharks
https://gty.im/2147912676
The San Jose Sharks rebuild will push forward now without David Quinn. They go into this offseason with many questions and few answers thus far. They don’t know their draft selection yet, they don’t know who they’re going to sign in free agency, and now they don’t know who their coach will be.
With the worst record in the NHL, the Sharks will go into the draft lottery with the best odds. They’re guaranteed a top 3 selection in the entry-level draft per NHL rules, but they do not know if it will be picks one, two, or three. At the very least, the new coach for the San Jose Sharks will be coaching a young rebuilding team.
There are a lot of potential candidates for the Sharks to consider. They could consider Bruce Boudreau, a successful coach who just coached the Vancouver Canucks. They might have a look at Craig Berube, the former Stanley Cup-winning coach for the St. Louis Blues.
The possibilities are endless for the Sharks. This offseason will be even more critical for them than anybody previously thought. As it stands, the Sharks have missed the playoffs each of the last 5 seasons. It’s their longest drought in team history.
About the Author
Alex is a writer at Total Apex Sports and Total Apex Gaming. He’s a loyal fan of many teams, including the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco Giants. You can find him on X at @alex_furtotti
