Evaluating Todd McLellan’s Tenure With San Jose Sharks

Nov 8, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan watches his team warm up before the game against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Following seven seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Todd McLellan and the franchise have mutually agreed to part ways. McLellan leaves as the franchise leader with 311 wins and 540 games coached and will be a hot coaching commodity this offseason.

Let’s take a look back at McLellan’s tenure in San Jose.

2008-09 Season

McLellan started out with a bang in San Jose as he led the Sharks to their only Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history. The Sharks amassed a 53-18-11 record with 117 points and cruised through the regular season. McLellan’s raised San Jose’s offense from 19th in the league to 7th, thanks in large part to the league’s third-best power play attack.

However, the positive vibe and feelings went out the window as the Sharks were bounced in six games at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks and the final two losses weren’t close. It was another brutal knock on the franchise, especially losing at the hands of the rival Ducks.

2009-10 Season

McLellan and the Sharks were right back at it in 2009 finishing atop the Western Conference with 113 points (51-20-11). San Jose was led by the potent trio of Joe Thornton (89), Patrick Marleau (83) and Dany Heatley (82) who all eclipsed the 80-point mark.

San Jose would start slowly in the playoffs again splitting the first two games against the Colorado Avalanche and losing game three on a fluke goal off the stick of Dan Boyle. However, this Sharks team would respond to win the next three games and advance to take on the Detroit Red Wings.

The Sharks won the first three games by 4-3 margins and would close out the Red Wings in five games to advance to the franchise’s second conference finals. But that would be the end of the line for San Jose as they ran into the buzzsaw that was the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago swept San Jose, thanks in part to Antti Niemi, leaving the Sharks with another bitter pill to swallow.

2010-11 Season

The Sharks would once again roll through the regular season and capture their third consecutive Pacific Division title with 48 wins and 105 points. This season saw the emergence of Joe Pavelski as he tied for third on the team with 66 points, behind Marleau and Thornton.

San Jose would take on the rival Los Angeles Kings who proved a tougher matchup than many expected. San Jose would use a miraculous comeback in game three to take control of the series and dispatch the Kings in six games in the infamous Thornton slide to center ice.

The next round would see the Sharks and Red Wings in a rematch from the prior season. Once again, San Jose would take a commanding 3-0 series lead, but Detroit would take the next three games. However, the Sharks would take game seven, 3-2, in a tightly contested game to send them back to the conference finals.

Once again, the Sharks would come up short as the Vancouver Canucks would dispatch San Jose in five games. This is one of the series where Sharks fans will look back and feel that their team should’ve done better.

2011-12 Season

The 2011 season was a transitional one for the Sharks as Brent Burns was brought in during the offseason. San Jose would flounder during the regular season at times, before righting the ship at the end of the season. The Sharks would finish second in the Pacific, but seventh in the conference.

San Jose struggled on the penalty kill all season, finishing 29th in the league and that flaw would bite them in their first round series against the St. Louis Blues. After winning the first game in double overtime, the Blues would take the next four due in large part to a power play that went six-for-18 during the series.

2012-13 Season

This season would see the Sharks begin their rebuild on the fly as they would trade veterans Douglas Murray, Ryane Clowe and Michal Handzus, while bringing in Raffi Torres. San Jose would again turn things around late in the season and capture the sixth seed and set up a matchup against the Canucks.

The Sharks were out for revenge as the swept Vancouver on the backs of their dynamic power play. San Jose would score seven power play goals during the four-game sweep.

The Sharks would take on another rival as they faced the Kings in the second round. This was a very close, tightly contested series that saw the home team capture every game. Unfortunately for San Jose, they fell one goal short in game seven.

Many fans and pundits felt like the Sharks acquitted themselves well and McLellan did a nice job of reshaping the team following the midseason trades by general manager Doug Wilson.

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2013-14 Season

San Jose bounced back from their 2012-13 season with a solid, 111-point campaign. The Sharks would finish fifth in both goals for and goals against in the league and were poised to build off their playoff run of a season ago.

The Sharks would face the Kings once again and would get off to a strong start, winning the first two games by a combined 13-5 margin. After winning game three in overtime, San Jose was poised for a second consecutive first-round sweep.

But it was not to be as Los Angeles would deliver the fracture point for a franchise that is still trying to pick up the pieces. The Kings won the next four games, outscoring the Sharks 18-5. San Jose would be the fourth team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 lead.

This was the low-point of McLellan’s tenure in San Jose and he even admitted to not being able to get through to his players during the series. The playoff collapse would in essence be the beginning of the end for McLellan with the Sharks.

2014-15 Season

McLellan’s final season in San Jose was obviously his worst. After concluding January with 27 wins, 60 points and sitting in second place in the Pacific Division, the Sharks ended the season winning only 13 of their final 32 games to finish fifth in the division and miss the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons.

It was a turmoil-filled season for the franchise as they tried to rebuild following their playoff meltdown against the Kings. The Sharks struggled at home and it appeared that no matter what buttons McLellan pushed, he couldn’t get through to this group. After seeing the available options and hearing about the franchise direction, it’s probably a good point for McLellan to move on.

Overall, McLellan’s tenure in San Jose will match the reputation of the Sharks. It was highly successful, but ultimately, he couldn’t get the franchise over the hump. McLellan assembled a pedestrian 30-32 record during the playoffs, including only one victory in their two conference final appearances.

Despite all the negativity that surrounded the franchise this season, McLellan stayed above the fray. He will be missed by the Sharks and their fans, but it’s time to find a new coach. McLellan will be difficult to replace but he was a relative unknown when he came to San Jose in 2008.

Let’s hope Wilson can replicate that success with his next hire.

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