Roughly one month after finding their new GM, the San Jose Sharks have made their head coaching decision.
According to a report by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Thursday evening with San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reporting the same, the Sharks have reportedly centered on former New York Rangers bench boss David Quinn to be the club’s new head coach, taking over for Bob Boughner after he was relieved of his duties in June.
Pittsburgh’s Mike Vellucci and Toronto’s Spencer Carbery were reportedly finalists for the role.
Quinn’s tenure in New York is his lone taste of NHL experience, with the Rhode Island native joining the Rangers in 2018 after a successful stint as head coach of Boston University’s men’s hockey program.
In parts of three seasons with the Rangers, Quinn amassed a 96-87-25 record across 208 total games, missing the playoffs in two seasons and losing in the qualifying round of the 2020 NHL Postseason Bubble.
Since his firing in November of 2021, Quinn’s lone foray back into the coaching ranks is when he led Team USA at the 2021 Beijing Winter Olympics after the NHL rescinded its participation due to COVID-19, losing in the quarterfinal to Slovakia.
Now set to inherit a Sharks roster clearly on the verge of a rebuild, Quinn will have his work cut out for him as he attempts to make the most of his second chance behind an NHL bench. The expectations surrounding the club will likely give him some leeway, as few are predicting the Sharks to be competitive for the next few seasons. But when that changes, Quinn must prove capable of leading a team into the playoffs and beyond.
