Mar 23, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton (19) looks on during a break in action in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
There wasn’t much that emerged from the final media scrums for the San Jose Sharks yesterday, but Joe Thornton’s comments certainly grabbed all the headlines.
Thornton, who’s been at the center of the media storm all season, appeared to throw one final log on the fire in his remarks below (courtesy of David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News).
Thornton's latest jab at #SJSharks McLellan, not GM: "Todd has to talk to his family. Maybe he should talk to this family as well in here."
— David Pollak (@PollakOnSharks) April 15, 2015
Since I wasn’t there, it’s tough to get a handle on the context of the statement, but what does appear certain is the Sharks triumvirate of Thornton, head coach Todd McLellan and general manager Doug Wilson has reached a crossroads. Can these three men still operate as the center of the San Jose Sharks is a question that must be answered this summer.
McLellan said he hasn’t come to a decision on his future, but something would be announced before he left for the World Championships on April 24th where he will coach team Canada. One would expect that an announcement would have already been made if he was no longer going to be the head coach of the Sharks.
However, when Wilson met with the media, he was noncommittal on McLellan’s status, even though the coach has one more year left on his contract. For now, the only certainty is Thornton will be returning to San Jose next season, and it’s likely Wilson will be as well.
Right or wrong, Wilson hinted this team would take a step back and that’s exactly what happened so it’s hard to see him losing his job, at least at this point.
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So that leaves McLellan who always appeared as the likely one to go should things go awry this season.
McLellan could decide it’s time to move on himself, or he could decide to come back and try to get this group to bounce back. That would put the ball in Wilson’s court as to whether McLellan should return and those two might not be on the same page either.
So that leaves this franchise at a the proverbial fork in the road. Thornton didn’t think the team would need much to get back in postseason contention next year, and Wilson seemed optimistic about the franchise’s future options.
However, it all comes back to these three men and if they can push this franchise forward. If not, look for an announcement about the Sharks searching for a new bench boss in the near future.
Whatever happens in the next days, weeks and months, one piece of advice for this franchise: end the circus-like atmosphere surrounding this team and focus on the actual product on the ice.