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San Jose Sharks Linked To Spencer Carbery

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The San Jose Sharks are late to the head coaching search party. After firing Bob Boughner and his staff later into the offseason, most marquee coaching options are off the market, leaving the Sharks to get creative with their search. According to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, multiple sources confirmed to him that the team has interviewed Spencer Carbery for the open position.

Carbery spent 2021-22 as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was responsible for the team’s power play, which finished first in the league during the regular season. 40 years old, Carbery was named the AHL’s Coach of the Year in 2021, his last of three seasons as the head coach of the Hershey Bears. He also won the same award in the ECHL in 2014 during a five-year run as head coach of the South Carolina Stingrays. You might recognize them for being the team where Stanley Cup Champion coach Jared Bednar got his head coaching start.

Carbery would certainly help San Jose’s goal output if his time in Toronto is any indication. San Jose’s power play clocked in at 19% last season, 22nd in the NHL, while they scored just 211 goals in total, which was third-last. He could be the key to an offensive resurgence from players like Erik Karlsson and help get the most out of youngsters like William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau if they make the team.

Detroit Red Wings Hire Bob Boughner, Alex Westlund

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The Detroit Red Wings have brought in some experience to help Derek Lalonde’s transition to head coach, hiring the recently-dismissed Bob Boughner as an associate coach. The team has also brought in Alex Westlund as goaltending coach for the upcoming season.

Boughner, 51, was fired by the San Jose Sharks when they decided to allow the incoming general manager to choose his own coaching staff. That ended a run that spanned parts of three seasons, in which he went 67-85-23. While you certainly can’t blame Boughner for all of the Sharks’ struggles, moving back to an assistant role seemed likely given how late he was released into the open market.

In fact, he’ll get an associate role in Detroit, giving him even more responsibility and sway with the organization as they transition away from Jeff Blashill and into a new coaching era. Lalonde has head coaching experience at the USHL, ECHL, and AHL levels but not in the NHL, where he has only served as an assistant. Having a veteran like Boughner, who also played more than 600 games in the NHL, should only aid his move to head coach.

Westlund, meanwhile, is coming over from the Hershey Bears, where he has served as goaltending coach for the last five years. The former minor league goaltender last played in 2013-14 with the Wheeling Nailers and actually carved out quite a professional career despite standing just 5’9″, a height that is usually dismissed by most scouts. He’ll now get a chance to work with Alex Nedeljkovic and Ville Husso at the NHL level, while helping the development of top prospect Sebastian Cossa, the Red Wings’ goalie of the future.

Sharks Fire Bob Boughner

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There is a late entrant to the coaching shuffle around the NHL as the Sharks have announced that head coach Bob Boughner along with assistant coaches John Madden and John MacLean plus video coach Dan Darrow have all been relieved of their duties.  Interim GM Joe Will released the following statement:

As we progress through our search for the next general manager of the Sharks following 19 seasons under Doug Wilson’s leadership, it has become apparent that the organization is in the process of an evolution. The bottom line is we have missed the playoffs for the past three seasons, which isn’t acceptable to our owner, our organization, or to our fans. As part of this evolution and evaluation, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to allow the next Sharks general manager to have full autonomy related to the make-up of the on-ice coaching staff moving ahead.

Boughner took over as San Jose’s head coach back in December of 2019 on an interim basis when he took over for Peter DeBoer with the team removing the interim tag at the end of the season, handing him a three-year deal in the process.  That contract, worth $1.5MM per season, had one year remaining, and with so few head coaching openings out there, it’s unlikely he’ll be running an NHL bench when training camp comes around.

As Will noted in his statement, the Sharks missed the playoffs in each of the three seasons that Boughner was behind the bench with the team ultimately compiling a 67-85-23 record during his tenure.  Their points percentage improved in each of the last two seasons but San Jose finished sixth in the Pacific Division this past season with a points percentage of just .470.  For his head coaching career which included a two-year stint in Florida, Boughner’s record is 147-147-35.

What’s particularly noteworthy here is that the Sharks haven’t completed their search for a new general manager yet, at least officially.  Will is the one that wound up making the change but there is an expectation that a new GM will be in place soon.  TSN’s Darren Dreger notes (Twitter link) that former Canadiens assistant GM Scott Mellanby is a name that has surfaced this week as one to watch on that front while ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski suggests Mike Grier and Ray Whitney are in the mix as well.  With the draft now less than a week away and free agency beginning less than a week later, their new GM was already going to have plenty on his plate in terms of roster building to try to get this team back into the postseason and draft planning.  Now, there will be a coaching search to complete as well.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Boughner had been let go.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic was the first to add that Madden, MacLean, and Darrow were also out.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jaycob Megna Undergoes Surgery

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The San Jose Sharks have lost another defenseman to injury, as head coach Bob Boughner told reporters including Corey Masisak of The Athletic that Jaycob Megna underwent surgery to repair a displaced fracture in his foot. Megna will be out four to six weeks following the procedure.

The minor league veteran had actually taken on a ton of responsibility for the Sharks recently, playing 24:37 against the Carolina Hurricanes just before the All-Star break. That was a career-high at the NHL level, a career that includes only 62 appearances to this point. Megna, 29, has been a consistent presence in the AHL for years, stabilizing defense corps for the Norfolk Admirals, San Diego Gulls, Chicago Wolves, and San Jose Barracuda. He’s on a one-year, two-way contract this season that comes with a cap hit of just $750K.

With Erik Karlsson and Nikolai Knyzhov already on injured reserve, the Sharks’ defensive depth is certainly being tested. The team recalled Ryan Merkley from the AHL today, leaving just three other defensemen on NHL contracts in the minor leagues. Merkley is coming up with goaltender Zachary Sawchenko, who was also recalled.

There may be some good news on the horizon though. Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News tweets that Karlsson is a bit ahead of schedule for his return from forearm surgery, though it’s still unclear what exactly that means in terms of game action. When Karlsson had the procedure in late January, the team announced that he would be re-evaluated partway through March.

For Megna, this is brutal timing for a serious injury. Boughner explained that the veteran defenseman was trying to play through it and that it actually occurred when he blocked a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 22–before he logged those heavy minutes on the road trip. For a player that has ground through nearly 400 AHL games and was getting arguably the best opportunity of his career, it’s easy to understand why.

Sharks Still Uncertain Of How To Handle Impending Evander Kane Return

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3:25 pm: The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz confirms that Kane was at the Sharks’ practice facility yesterday, but was not present at the same time as the rest of the team. It’s an interesting development, but Kurz still notes that the “next step for him remains unclear.”

10:36 am: Before the month of November is over, Evander Kane will be an active NHL player once more. The controversial star is set to return from a 21-game suspension in nine days, as the San Jose Sharks play game No. 22 on November 30. But will Kane actually be back with the team and in the lineup at that time?

The Sharks have had nearly two months to ponder this question, but seem no closer to making a decision on Kane’s future. Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News caught up with Sharks head coach Bob Boughner recently and received the same non-answer that he and GM Doug Wilson have continued to provide throughout the saga: “I don’t have any information… There are decisions that need to be made.”

Kane has been the center of attention in San Jose for over a year now, and surprisingly little of it is due to the actual cause of his suspension. Dating back to last year, Kane has filed for bankruptcy, been sued by his creditors, used the threat of a potential contract termination by the Sharks as a tool in his bankruptcy proceedings, faced allegations of betting on hockey and a full NHL investigation, as well as other unsavory allegations from his estranged wife, and battled rumors that many of his teammates were unhappy having him in the locker room. Yet, it was his use of a fake Coronavirus vaccination card to circumvent the NHL COVID Protocol that finally led to discipline.

Amidst all of the drama of the last year, Kane was also the Sharks leading scorer and set a personal career high in per-game production. After getting off to a solid 7-4-1 start without Kane this season, San Jose has lost four of their past five games as their offense has dried up. There is no question that the team could use Kane’s scoring ability, not to mention his physicality. The fact of the matter is that they also still owe him a considerable amount of money to provide this on-ice value for three more seasons beyond this year as well. The question that Wilson and Boughner must answer then is whether the off-ice concerns outweigh the on-ice benefits and, if so, what to do about it.

If the team believes that they can re-introduce Kane to the team without creating issues amongst both their locker room and their fan base, then the power forward may actually be back in the lineup come November 30. However, if Kane has simply become too polarizing, the Sharks will have to get creative in order to move him. Any potential trade interest, however unlikely, will be nowhere near market value for the talented scorer, but San Jose could jump at the first offer. They could also place Kane on waivers and see if anyone bites. Should Kane go unclaimed, he could be reassigned to the AHL and dealt with in the off-season similar to how the New York Rangers handled Anthony DeAngelo last year. However, as the Sharks and Barracuda share a building, it may not have the same impact. The Sharks could even just pay Kane to stay home, again kicking the can down the road. San Jose is in the unenviable position of both re-tooling and being strapped for cap space, so Wilson and company will do all they can to avoid an expensive buyout, which would be the last, worst case scenario option.

Whatever the decision on Kane, it needs to be made soon. The Sharks are on the clock to make a call that – one way or another – will have a substantial impact on their season and quite possibly the future of the organization.

San Jose Sharks Remove Seven Players From COVID Protocol

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As suggested by the team’s AHL assignments this morning, the San Jose Sharks have removed seven players from the COVID protocol. Kevin Labanc, Erik Karlsson, Timo Meier, Jacob Middleton, Matthew Nieto, Radim Simek, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic have all been removed from the protocol and added back to the active roster. Head coach Bob Boughner, head trainer Ray Tufts and equipment manager Mike Aldrich have also all been removed from the protocol.

Sasha Chmelevski, Joel Kellman, Artemi Kniazev, John Leonard, Ryan Merkley, Jaycob Megna, and Nicolas Meloche have all been assigned to the AHL. Nicholas Merkley, who had also been recalled with this group, remains with San Jose for the time being.

It’s obviously a huge moment for the Sharks, as they receive a good portion of their regular lineup back in time for tomorrow’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. The team is sitting at 7-5-1 on the season and is still well within striking range of the division playoff spots. Getting back key options like Labanc, Karlsson and Meier will only help them as they try to chase down the teams ahead of them.

Activating the group from the protocol is also a good sign that the team has this outbreak behind them, or at least contained. The activated players were actually able to skate in recent days, though they would not have been able to join the team in Canada given their recent positive tests. They’ll now be able to join the group in Denver, nearly two weeks after originally entering the protocol.

Several San Jose Sharks Placed In COVID Protocol

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Nov 1: The Sharks have updated the situation. Dahlen, Karlsson, Middleton, Nieto, Simek, Vlasic, and Boughner remain in the protocol, while Kevin Labanc has been added to it. Cogliano has been removed.

Oct 30: Several members of the San Jose Sharks organization have been placed in the COVID protocol according to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News, including five players. Head coach Bob Boughner is also out tonight, leaving the team to assistant John MacLean in his absence. Seven players have been put in the protocol; Andrew Cogliano, Jonathan Dahlen, Erik Karlsson, Jacob Middleton, Matthew Nieto, Radim Simek and Marc-Edouard Vlasic will all not play tonight. Additionally, San Jose Barracuda player Noah Gregor has also been placed in the protocol.

In the meantime, the team has recalled Nicolas Meloche, Ryan Merkley, Nicholas Merkley, John Leonard, and Jaycob Megna to fill out the roster for this evening. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic tweets that there are ongoing discussions with the league, but for now the game is still scheduled to proceed. The game has been delayed 30 minutes, however, to allow for the completion and analysis of further test results.

MacLean, while mostly serving as an assistant throughout his coaching career, does have some experience running a bench. In 2009-10 he was the head coach of the Lowell Devils, and then took over the New Jersey Devils for the 2010-11 season. Unfortunately, his time as head coach of that club didn’t last long, as, after a 9-22-2 start, he was fired during his rookie season with the Devils bringing Jacques Lemaire right back out of retirement to finish the season. It appears he’ll get another (albeit short) chance as a head coach tonight.

As a reminder, being placed in the protocol does not necessarily mean that these players have tested positive for coronavirus. They will not play tonight, but the team has not clarified how long they will be unavailable. Logan Couture, who will also miss the game with an illness, is not in the protocol according to Kurz.

Snapshots: Klefbom, Ducks, Fines

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Oscar Klefbom will have surgery on his shoulder in Cleveland on Thursday, according to Mark Spector of Sportsnet. Spector reports that the issue Klefbom is facing is arthritis and the best-case scenario is the defenseman is ready for 2021-22 training camp later this year. The Edmonton Oilers have not yet publicly confirmed the surgery and likely won’t until it is completed.

Klefbom last played on August 7, the game which eliminated the Oilers from playoff contention in their qualification round matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. He logged over 25 minutes in that game but hasn’t seen NHL action since, missing the entire 2020-21 campaign due to this shoulder issue. The hope now is that the 27-year-old can get back to his old self and continue the strong path his career had been on. His contract with the Oilers will expire after the 2022-23 season.

  • The Anaheim Ducks have canceled practice for today after a player entered the COVID Protocol, though the release indicates that the game tomorrow against the Minnesota Wild is still on schedule. The Wild also had a player enter the protocol today, though that was Andrew Hammond who did not play in the game last night between the two clubs. It is not clear yet who the Ducks player is, but they will be revealed this evening when the list is announced.
  • The league has issued fines to both Kurtis Gabriel and Bob Boughner of the San Jose Sharks for the incident that took place in warm-up last night. Gabriel cross-checked Kurtis MacDermid of the Los Angeles Kings and will pay $3,017.24 for his trouble. Boughner, head coach of the Sharks, will pay $5,000 and the team has been assessed a $25,000 conditional fine that will be collected in the event of similar “inappropriate behavior” within the next year.

San Jose Sharks Name Bob Boughner Head Coach

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The San Jose Sharks have removed the interim tag from Bob Boughner, naming him the ninth head coach in franchise history. He’ll be joined behind the bench next season by new assistants Rocky Thompson and John Madden. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a statement explaining the new staff:

Bob did a tremendous job last season, getting our group back to playing with an identity and structure that we need in order to be successful. We saw a marked improvement in our play in several key areas during the second half of the season, before losing some key players to injury.

We’re also very pleased to add Rocky and John to our staff. Both come with a wealth of experience, both in playing the game and as teachers and leaders. With a healthy and motivated group of players, we are confident that this staff will do a terrific job leading our group in the coming years.

Mike Ricci, who served as an assistant down the stretch with the Sharks, will move to a development coach role. Evgeni Nabokov, Dan Darrow and Charlie Townsend will return in their previous roles. Roy Sommer will return to his role as head coach of the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda after helping with the NHL team this season.

Boughner took over midseason from Peter DeBoer and went 14-20-3 with the team, actually a worse winning percentage than his predecessor. Despite that, he’ll be back to try and turn things around in San Jose after a devastating season. The Sharks finished 27th in goals for and 25th in goals against, leading to a lottery position after they’d already sold their ticket. The Ottawa Senators will get to use the Sharks third-overall pick this year, making the season sting just a little bit more.

Snapshots: Palm Springs, Boughner, Engelland

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When the Seattle Kraken enter the league for the 2021-22 season, they likely won’t have a primary AHL affiliate yet. That’s because the new Palm Springs franchise announced today that instead of a downtown arena they will now be building a location in the Coachella Valley which is scheduled to be ready for the 2022-23 season. For 2021-22, since the team will not have the full complement of minor leaguers, the most likely scenario will be finding places for them elsewhere.

The unnamed AHL franchise will play in a privately funded building owned by the Oak View Group and The H.N. & Frances C. Berger Foundation. Construction is set to break ground in 2021 and it will be a 10,000-plus seat venue.

  • The San Jose Sharks are expected to remove the interim tag from head coach Bob Boughner in the coming days, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Boughner led the Sharks to just a 14-20-3 record after replacing Peter DeBoer this season, but has a strong history with the front office from his multiple stints as an assistant coach. Boughner has plenty of experience behind the bench, having coached the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL for years and spending two seasons as head coach of the Florida Panthers.
  • Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon didn’t have a lot of answers regarding the goaltending situation for his team this summer and whether they would bring back Robin Lehner on a multi-year contract, but did shed some light on a different trade deadline discussion. Deryk Engelland, who has been a leader in Vegas since the franchise first joined the league, was offered a deal at the deadline to go to a team that wanted him. Engelland declined the opportunity, even though his lineup spot had disappeared and he wouldn’t be suiting up in the playoffs. McCrimmon told reporters including Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com that Engelland felt the Golden Knights had a real shot at winning the Stanley Cup and he accepted his role down the stretch. The 38-year-old defenseman played in 49 regular season games and is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

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