From 1997 to 2019, the San Jose Sharks had only four coaches: Darryl Sutter, Ron Wilson, Todd McLellan, and Pete DeBoer. During those 21 seasons, the Sharks made the playoffs a remarkable 19 times.
Now, the rebuilding Sharks are searching for their fourth head coach in five years, a bench boss turnover that not only reflects their lack of success but also mirrors, to some degree, what has happened across the NHL.
Only five NHL coaches have been at their current job for over two years. Rick Tocchet, who was hired by the Vancouver Canucks in January 2023 and was just named the Jack Adams Award winner as Coach of the Year, is already the 14th-longest tenured coach in the league.
That type of churn — in San Jose or elsewhere — is not good for anyone.
“It’s insanity,” DeBoer, now in his second season with the Dallas Stars, said earlier this month. “We coach in an age where everyone talks about the modern athlete, building relationships in order to coach them. And how do you do that with that kind of turnover?
“It’s like going on a date and getting married and divorced before the appetizers show up.”
David Quinn lasted two years as the Sharks coach before he was fired by general manager Mike Grier on April 24. It was the shortest tenure for any Sharks coach since Al Sims lasted one year and was jettisoned after the 1996-1997 season.
Now the Sharks hope to find someone they can keep for a while.
Grier is well into his coaching search, with former Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill, ex-Chicago Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton, and Tampa Bay Lightning assistant Jeff Halpern all potentially in the mix, per reports.
Perhaps the most intriguing name is former Sharks forward Marco Sturm.
Wednesday, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported that the Sharks sought and received permission from the Los Angeles Kings to speak with Sturm about their head coach opening. Sturm was thought to be a potential candidate for the Kings’ head coaching job, but that went to Jim Hiller, who had the interim tag removed this week.
Sturm was a first-round draft pick by the Sharks in 1996. He played seven-plus seasons with the team from 1997 to 2005 and scored 273 points in 553 games. On Nov. 30, 2005, he was involved in the biggest trade in Sharks history, as he, Brad Stuart, and Keith Primeau were shipped to the Boston Bruins for Joe Thornton.
That familiarity with the market is a plus.
“It was my home,” Sturm told The Athletic this week when asked about San Jose. “I was very upset when I got traded. San Jose has always been a special place in my heart. I’ll only have good memories.”
But as was the case when Grier was named the GM two years ago after his playing history in San Jose, having local ties is not the be-all and end-all of finding a coach who can stay for several years.
What’s more relevant to Grier and the Sharks is whether Sturm is the right guy for this stage of the team’s rebuild, as San Jose hopes to take a step forward after its dismal 19-54-9 record this past season.
Sturm was the coach and general manager of the German national team in 2018 when he joined Los Angeles as an assistant. He first worked under interim coach Willie Desjardins before McLellan was named the Kings’ full-time head coach in 2019.
Sturm stayed in that role for three seasons – Los Angeles was still rebuilding in the first two — before he became coach of the Kings’ AHL affiliate in Ontario. Sturm’s Reign teams the past two were a combined 76-55-13, and Ontario just finished a season in which it went 42-23-7 and reached the Pacific Division final.
Whoever the next Sharks coach is will have to help several of the team’s younger players, including William Eklund, Fabian Zetterlund, Thomas Bordeleau, and Henry Thrun, take the next step in their careers. Does Sturm fit the bill? In Ontario, he worked with forwards Quinton Byfield, Akil Thomas, and Alex Turcotte and defensemen Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence.
“It’s not just Xs and Os. It’s about that, too. How you handle your players. This is, I think, one of my strengths,” Sturm told The Athletic. “But I learned from the hard way and also the soft way. It’s not good, either. You’ve got to find an even line to know when to be hard and when not to.”
Grier said last month that he’s open to hiring someone without NHL head coaching experience who can grow with this group.
Related Articles
Sharks’ high-scoring prospect talks expectations, and how he knows the Celebrini brothers
Hulking San Jose Sharks prospect sets new OHL playoff record
Will Macklin Celebrini fix the Sharks’ attendance problems?
How Celebrini affects the Sharks’ rebuild; other post-lottery thoughts
Design unveiled for huge Sharks ice skating complex in Gilroy
“It could be nice to have a younger person that the group could grow with being that we’ll be a younger team,” Grier said. “But at the same time, there’s a lot to be said for experience, too, if there’s someone who comes in here and we think is a good fit to lead the group.”
Sturm, who played for both Sutter and Wilson and worked with McLellan, might be as good a candidate as any, even without NHL head coaching experience.
But whoever gets the job needs to bring some stability back to the Sharks’ bench. It would not be good for anyone if the Grier and the Sharks are going through this same exercise in two years.
“I feel as a coach, I grew a lot,” Sturm told The Athletic about his second as an AHL head coach. “Thanks to the Kings, and now with Ontario, I feel I’m ahead of the curve and I feel I’m ready to make the next step.”
