Apr 4, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Jose Sharks center Chris Tierney (50) celebrates with center Tomas Hertl (48) and defenseman Matt Irwin (52) after scoring a power play goal in the third period against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
San Jose Sharks owner Hasso Plattner has broken his silence, kind of. On Thursday afternoon, Plattner issued a message to Sharks fans everywhere that was posted on the team’s website.
While the statement doesn’t get into too much detail, the biggest takeaway is general manager Doug Wilson will return next season as Kevin Kurz of Comcast Sportsnet reports.
The basic sentiment of the statement is the closest to an official affirmation that Plattner signed off and is on board with the rebuild put into motion by Wilson. Before, it had always been Wilson that talked about the need to rebuild but there had never been much indication from Plattner.
Plattner discussed how the team incorporated a group of young players such as Chris Tierney and Melker Karlsson, and it doesn’t matter how the Sharks got to this point. The rebuild is happening, and now San Jose must focus on the continuation of that process and getting back to winning.
Also, the message states the franchise is trying to finalize a new arena agreement to keep the Sharks in San Jose, while trying to renegotiate their TV deal.
With this news out of the way, the Sharks and their fans can move forward knowing the owner and management appear to be on the same page. The next step will be to get management and the players back in accord.
More time and effort is needed for that one.