Sharks fire Peter DeBoer after four-plus seasons, saying ‘play has not met expectations’

Frustrated by what he felt was a lack of consistency and seeing a need for a new direction, San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson cleaned house Wednesday, firing Peter DeBoer and naming Bob Boughner interim coach in an effort to spark the team back into a playoff position.

Assistant coaches Steve Spott, Dave Barr and Johan Hedberg were also let go amid rare sweeping midseason changes by the Sharks, who are in danger of missing the playoffs for just the second time in the last 16 seasons.

The Sharks flew back to San Jose on Wednesday, a day after they lost 3-1 to the Nashville Predators to finish a four-game road trip at 0-3-1 and fall to 15-16-2 on the season. The Sharks are in sixth place in the Pacific Division, five points out of a playoff spot.

Boughner will be joined on the Sharks’ bench by associate Roy Sommer, who has coached San Jose’s AHL affiliate since 1998. Former Sharks player and development coach Mike Ricci and goaltending coach Evgeni Nabokov were named assistants. Dan Darrow will remain in his current role of assistant coach for video.

DeBoer, 51, had a record of 198-129-34 in 361 games over four-plus seasons in San Jose as he led the team to its first and only appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. The Sharks, though, have lost five consecutive games. They host the New York Rangers on Thursday.

“When you have had a level of past success, change is never easy, but we feel this team is capable of much more than we have shown thus far and that a new voice is needed,” Wilson said in a statement. “As a team and as individuals, our play has not met expectations this year and our level of consistency has not been where it needs to be. This group of individuals who will lead our team moving forward are very familiar with our players, and we think this change can provide our group with a fresh start.”

The Sharks flew back to San Jose on Wednesday after they finished a four-game road trip at 0-3-1, capped by a 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. The Sharks entered Wednesday in sixth place in the Pacific Division, five points out of a playoff spot.

Per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, the Sharks decision to fire DeBoer was solely hockey-related. DeBoer had this year and next year left on his contract at a salary of $3 million per season.

The Sharks made the playoffs in each of DeBoer’s four seasons, as the team also advanced to the Western Conference Final this spring before they lost to eventual Cup champion St. Louis in six games.

Boughner, 48, spent the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons as DeBoer’s assistant before he was hired as the Florida Panthers’ head coach in 2017. Boughner was brought back to be an assistant with DeBoer in May after he was fired by the Panthers in April.

The Sharks were expected to be a playoff contender again this season after the team signed Erik Karlsson to a eight-year, $92 million contract extension in June, making the two-time Norris Trophy winner the highest paid defenseman in the NHL. But the team, which got off to an 0-4-0 start to the season, has struggled in several areas.

After 33 games, the Sharks have scored an average of 2.64 goals per game, 24th-best in the 31-team NHL, and ranked 21st in the league in 5-on-5 scoring.

On special teams, the Sharks ranked first in the NHL on the penalty kill but had fallen to 23rd in the league on the power play at just 16.0 percent.

The team’s save percentage of .887 as of Wednesday is also the third-worst in the NHL, ahead of only New Jersey (.884) and Detroit (.876).

After starting the season with four straight losses, and falling at one point to 4-10-1 by late October, the Sharks rebounded with six straight victories and won 11 of 15 games in November.

This month, though, began with a 5-2 home loss to the Washington Capitals. The Sharks started the road trip with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Carolina Panthers last Thursday, but were then smoked 7-1 by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and 5-1 by the Panthers on Sunday.

DeBoer was first hired by the Sharks on May 28, 2015. He took over as coach roughly a month after the Sharks and Todd McLellan mutually parted ways after the team missed the playoffs that spring.

DeBoer previously coached the New Jersey Devils for three-plus seasons from 2011-2014, helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 before losing to the Los Angeles Kings. He also coached the Panthers for three seasons from 2008-2011.

In 855 NHL regular season games coached, DeBoer has a career record of 415-329-111. With 198 victories, he is the third-winningest coach in Sharks history, trailing only McLellan (311) and Ron Wilson (206).

This marks the first time Doug Wilson, who took over as general manager in 2003, has fired a coach midseason. Ron Wilson was let go in May 2008.

This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 6:47 PM.