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The San Jose Sharks had a dreadful 2023-24 season. This was an expected development, at least to some extent. But the Sharks showed little progress under head coach David Quinn. And after this horrific trainwreck of a season, San Jose general manager Mike Grier decided to move on.
The American bench boss has had a rough track record in the league. His first NHL job came with the New York Rangers ahead of the 2018-19 campaign. In 2019-20, his Rangers team only made the Stanley Cup Playoffs by virtue of the COVID-expanded postseason. He was then fired midway through his third season on Broadway.
With the Sharks, Quinn never made it to his third season. San Jose saw enough after two seasons in which the team barely surpassed 20 wins during his first year in charge. In 2023-24, Quinn's team dropped from a 60-point finish to a 47-point finish. San Jose did win the NHL Draft Lottery, so there's some silver lining here.
The Sharks are looking to take a step next season. And they believe David Quinn was not the man for the job. With that in mind, here are three coaching candidates who could replace Quinn as Sharks head coach.
Joel Ward is a former Sharks player
Joel Ward had a lengthy career in the NHL. The former forward went undrafted and signed with the Minnesota Wild in 2006. Ward made his NHL debut for the franchise the next season, playing 11 games. In 2008, he joined the Nashville Predators as a free agent. He emerged as a reliable bottom-six forward as he spent time with Nashville and the Washington Capitals.
In 2015, Ward joined the Sharks on a three-year contract. His first season was highly successful. The Ontario native scored 21 goals and 43 points during the regular season. And he helped San Jose make the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. However, they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
As a coach, Ward joined the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights as an assistant in 2020. Last summer, he was promoted by the Vegas Golden Knights and joined the NHL bench. He has no head coaching experience to speak of at this time. But he is seen as a potential future head coach in the league. Perhaps the Sharks are the team to give the longtime NHL veteran his first opportunity.
Jeff Halpern is waiting for an opportunity
Jeff Halpern is another former player, though he never played for San Jose. The Maryland native played nearly 1000 games in the league. He played for multiple teams, including the Tampa Bay Lightning. He currently serves as an assistant coach on Tampa's bench under head coach Jon Cooper.
Halpern has interviewed for a few different head coaching jobs. He was involved in the Detroit Red Wings search during the summer of 2022. And last year, he interviewed with another former team of his in the Washington Capitals. However, both franchises went their own ways.
Halpern has won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning as a coach. Tampa Bay has built a culture of winning and sustained success. Halpern played a role in building that culture. San Jose would certainly benefit from having that sort of culture built early on in their rebuild.
Marco Sturm could replace David Quinn
We end this list with another former player. And he's another former Sharks player. Marco Sturm is one of the best German players of all time. He's also one of the more underrated players of his generation. Unlike the others on this list, Sturm has head coaching experience in the game of hockey.
Sturm became the head coach and general manager of the German national team in 2015. He guided the national program to incredible success. They made the quarterfinal of the 2016 and 2017 IIHF World Championships. They also won a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
In 2018, Sturm went to the NHL and joined the Los Angeles Kings as an assistant. He spent four years on the bench in the City of Angels until he took another head coaching job. He remained in the Kings organization as he stepped down a level to take over the AHL's Ontario Reign.
His first season in charge saw the Reign make the Calder Cup Playoffs. However, they fell in the qualifying round to the Colorado Eagles. This season, though, Ontario took a massive step forward. They finished third in the Pacific Division and made it to the Pacific Division Finals before losing to the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Sturm is likely to man the bench in the NHL at some point. He has familiarity with the Sharks organization through his playing days. And he could help develop some of San Jose's young stars as they begin to take their first shifts in the league.
