As Sharks' season ends, what is Boughner's future as coach?
With his team out of the playoff picture for a third straight year and about to play its final game of the season, Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Friday he has yet to receive any assurances from interim general manager Joe Will that he and his staff will be back in the fall.
The Sharks are scheduled to hold exit interviews with players Saturday before they begin what would appear to be a pivotal offseason from both player personnel and management standpoints, with the search for a new fulltime general manager just getting underway.
The Sharks entered Friday's game with the Seattle Kraken with a 32-36-13 record and will finish either in sixth or seventh place in the Pacific Division. Will and Boughner are scheduled to meet with the media on Monday.
“We've not talked about
that, to be honest,” Boughner said about his job status Friday morning. “We'll get through the season here and get through this weekend and the exit stuff, and I'm sure there is going to be a lot of time to talk about that.
“But I'm not really concerned about that. I feel good about the job we've
done. We're definitely not where we want to be yet, as an organization or as a team. We'll probably talk more about this after the season, but just at this point in time, it hasn't been a conversation.”
Boughner took over head coaching duties on an interim basis on Dec. 11, 2019, after the Sharks fired head coach Pete DeBoer and assistants Steve Spott, Dave Barr, and Johan Hedberg. Boughner was named the full-time head coach the following summer.
The Sharks have seemingly been in a state of transition ever since.
This year for the Sharks, 18 rookies have played at least one NHL game, a new franchise record that is also tied for the ninth most by any team in a single season. Combined, those rookies played over 400 games.
San Jose was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention over two weeks ago, officially missing the postseason for a third straight year under Boughner, who is 67-84-23 as the Sharks' head coach.
“We feel like we've started this job and we want to finish it,” Boughner said. “I think there is some light at the end of the tunnel here. The young guys have gotten great experience and I think there'll be better for it.