Feb 21, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan (left) on the bench before the Stadium Series hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings at Levis Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The writing was on the wall after last season’s playoff meltdown. Todd McLellan was always the most likely to take the fall should the San Jose Sharks falter this season. Well, after San Jose failed to make the postseason for the first time in 11 seasons, both sides decided it was time to part ways.
Now it’s debatable whether this really was a “mutual” decision, but now the focus and bright lights shine squarely on general manager Doug Wilson. It was Wilson’s decision after all to enter the Sharks into this rebuilding phase that McLellan didn’t want to continue along with, and who can blame him. San Jose has been a dysfunctional franchise since that playoff collapse, and Wilson did little to set the Sharks up for success this past season.
It’s all on Wilson now to reshape this franchise and it won’t be easy, although he indicated yesterday that the Sharks would “bounce back very quickly.” With question marks in goal, defense and still in need of additional forward depth, the offseason will be plenty busy for Wilson if he’s even still around.
As Ross McKeon of the San Francisco Chronicle points out, Wilson has not concluded all evaluations or had his own with owner Hasso Plattner.
Wilson on @SanJoseSharks: "We're going to be thorough. I have 10 more players to meet with. Then I'll meet with Hasso (Plattner)"
— Ross McKeon (@rossmckeon) April 20, 2015
While I don’t believe that Wilson is going anywhere, that possibility still remains. Wilson must work to regain the trust of both the players and a fan base that places much of the Sharks’ struggles on him, as they should. Wilson didn’t do enough this offseason to set this team up for success.
The move of Brent Burns back to defense was a rough transition as it weakened San Jose on the back end and their forward depth. Also, Wilson added nobody to a roster that was still competitive and in need of additional pieces, not just younger ones.
McLellan is not alone in shouldering some of the responsibility as the Sharks were in position to make the playoffs until their February collapse. He couldn’t get through to a group that lost all eight home games during that month. Also, the same problems seemed to plague the Sharks throughout the year with turnovers, poor penalty killing and a lack of five-on-five scoring.
The San Jose Sharks are now entering a new phase as a franchise and Wilson must get this right. The Sharks have the ninth overall selection in the upcoming draft and the financial flexibility to bring in some players as well. The pressure is on for Wilson because there’s no one left to take the fall should he fail to get it right.
The Sharks are looking for a direction and this is Wilson’s final shot at getting San Jose back on track. Otherwise, it will be Wilson losing his job and not the head coach.