San Jose Sharks still have a long way to go after firing Peter DeBoer

The San Jose Sharks have cleaned house with the firing of head coach Peter DeBoer and multiple assistants following a 15-16-2 start to the season.

The San Jose Sharks haven’t played up to expectations this season and the team’s patience has officially run out. As first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Sharks have fired head coach Peter DeBoer along with multiple assistant coaches.

This comes on the heels of a 15-16-2 start for San Jose after the team came just two games short of a Stanley Cup appearance last season. The Sharks got off to a rough start this season beginning the year 4-10-1.

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However, the team came alive in November and rebounded back to an above .500 record before dropping five straight. And as a result, DeBoer has received the brunt of the criticism.

Players have underperformed, DeBoer has been criticized for his constant line changes, and the team simply hasn’t played up to their abilities. Whether that’s all on DeBoer isn’t clear, but he’s evidently been made the scapegoat.

DeBoer originally took over the head coaching job back in 2015 and he’s led the Sharks to the playoffs in each of his four seasons being eliminated in a different round each year.

However, despite a miracle playoff run last season, DeBoer was never able to lead the Sharks back to the Stanley Cup Finals as he did in his first season with the team. And on a roster loaded with talent, general manager Doug Wilson‘s patience clearly ran out.

Still, it’s unfair to assume that the Sharks’ issues will be resolved by simply firing their coach. The team still has plenty of issues that extend beyond coaching such as their inconsistent goaltending, underperforming stars, and struggling power play.

Some of that could be blamed on the coach, but certainly not all of it.

Is DeBoer the reason for Martin Jones‘ continued inconsistencies? Is he at fault for Brent Burns‘ struggles this season? Was it DeBoer’s decision to go into the season relying on the young talent to step up and is it his fault that they really haven’t?

You could argue that he plays a role, but at the end of the day, that’s on the players themselves.

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The Sharks still have a long way to go. There’s still plenty of season left to be played, but pretending that firing DeBoer fixes everything is foolish.

Aside from DeBoer, the Sharks also reportedly fired numerous assistant coaches. Per David Pagnotta, the Sharks have also let go Dave Barr, Steve Spott, and Johan Hedberg.

Spott is the longest-tenured of the three having served as an assistant coach since 2015 while Hedberg is also significant for his other role as the team’s goaltending coach.

Meanwhile, one of the only assistant coaches remaining is Bob Boughner who is expected to take over as the team’s new head coach, per The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz.

Boughner is in his second tenure as an assistant coach with the Sharks and was brought back prior to this season after serving as the head coach of the Florida Panthers for the past two years.

It remains to be seen just how the team will respond and how DeBoer’s — and the assistant coaches’ — firing will impact their performance.

The San Jose Sharks still have their work cut out for them, but fans will be hoping that this is at least a step in the right direction.