The Bay Area sports community has lost another head coach, as the Todd McLellan era is over for the San Jose Sharks.
Unlike the San Francisco 49ers loss of Jim Harbaugh, the departure of Mclellan was necessary. Don’t get me wrong McLellan was a great coach, but something needed to change in San Jose.
In seven seasons with the Sharks, McLellan had a record of 311-163-66, with three straight Pacific Division titles (2008-11) and a President’s Trophy (2008-09).
Under McLellan, the Sharks had six playoff appearances with a 30-32 record and made it to two conference finals. But something was holding them back; they just couldn’t take it to the next step and reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
This season the Sharks went 40-33-9 and didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons. After a colossal meltdown in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 playoffs, the Sharks were due for a major change.
There seems to be a disconnection between the players, coaching staff and the front office. General Manager Doug Wilson made the right call by parting ways with McLellan.
There are a lot of coaches who will be available during the offseason. Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock is in the final year of his contract. The only way the Wings might resign him is if they win the 2015 Stanley Cup. Babcock is a very successful coach and would be a great fit for the Sharks.
A long shot coaching option I’d like to see is Darryl Sutter of the Los Angeles Kings. Sutter is also in a rocky situation with his current organization, even after leading them to two Stanley Cup championships in the last three years. He coached the Sharks from 1997-2002. If the Kings let him go, I would love to see him bring his record success in L.A. up to San Jose.
After mutually parting ways with the Sharks, McLellan will easily find another coaching job. He will be coaching Team Canada in the upcoming Men’s World Hockey Championship, and might find his home in Philadelphia next season as the Flyers’ head coach.
Assistant coaches Jim Johnson and Jay Woodcroft, along with video coordinator Brett Heimlich, will also no longer be with the Sharks. Associate coach Larry Robinson will step into the role of director of player-development for San Jose.
People talk about team chemistry between players, but there also needs to be chemistry between players and coaches. The Sharks have a very talented team and just need a coaching staff that they can connect to, learn from and win with.
