Now the pressure is squarely on Doug Wilson.
The Sharks’ general manager is cool with that. He played hockey for many years without a helmet. He’s used to deflecting and absorbing blows. He has said the ultimate responsibility for the team’s just-completed lousy season — and its uncertain future — belongs to him.
“I see this being a playoff team,” Wilson said Monday after Sharks’ head coach Todd McLellan was no longer the Sharks’ head coach following a “mutual parting” announcement.
“We’re going to bounce back very quickly,” Wilson added.
They had better.
We all know the eternal mystery of our beloved Los Tiburones: How can an NHL team with so many good players who have produced so many victories over the years never manage to reach the Stanley Cup finals? Fans who study the front office directory often note that since 1997, when Wilson first joined the front office as director of development, he has been the one constant.
Wilson answers only to Sharks owner Hasso Plattner, the German founder of SAP software. The 71-year-old Plattner is a seldom-seen international man of mystery in terms of interacting with fans or media. However, he communicates regularly with Wilson, mostly by phone.
“He may not like to talk to you guys,” Wilson said Monday, referring to reporters. “But he’s an involved owner.”
Is he an involved enough owner to put Wilson on notice that he’s in danger of losing his job with another non-playoff season? We don’t know. Plattner has not said. But if he has indeed bought into Wilson’s plan to rebuild the Sharks fairly rapidly and on the fly, it would be a good idea for the Teutonic phantom to say so publicly.
Plattner does not need to hold a news conference, if he is shy or fearful of us scary reporters. The man is a high tech guru, right? He could just make a YouTube video and share it with season ticket holders. Because right now, many of them have the impression that Wilson is the one telling Plattner how to run the franchise, rather than vice versa.
Fans might disagree with the decisions being made, no matter what. But if Plattner emerges to explain his expectations for the 2015-16 season and to outline why he supports Wilson … well, then at least the paying customers will know their interests are being represented at the top of the food chain.
McLellan’s departure may not have outraged fans. But it surely made them curious and should have left them a little troubled. It’s an axiom that even the best NHL coaches get fired or leave. Todd McLellan was the best coach in Sharks history, going by his record and achievements. So what happened?
It cannot escape notice that there was a similar situation just a few miles away at Levi’s Stadium last autumn. And because of that, there will be inevitable comparisons between the Wilson-McLellan split and the way that Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers front office parted ways.
There is a slight difference, however, between the 49ers’ “mutual agreement” and the Sharks’ “mutual agreement.” The football team told Harbaugh two weeks before the end of last season he would not be coming back — and Harbaugh then agreed not to contest the firing because he had the University of Michigan job already lined up.
In the case of McLellan, the coach came to realize that he was not on the same page as Wilson about elements of the rebuilding plan. The general manager was puzzled why McLellan seemed unable to consistently motivate his team to victories over weaker teams.
Ultimately, McLellan simply offered the Sharks a smooth way to orchestrate his departure by saying he thought it was time for him to leave. But what would have happened if McLellan said he was enthused about returning to serve the final year remaining on his contract?
“We never got to that point,” Wilson said, more or less an admission that he would have fired McLellan.
The now-former Sharks coach, meanwhile, delineated his own reasons for what happened.
“With one year left, I had to analyze where everything was going,” said McLellan, who asked Wilson some questions about the team’s future course.
“I felt, with some of the answers I got, it was time,” McLellan said. “Part of it, I controlled and part of it the team controlled. We finalized things yesterday.”
McLellan declined to elaborate on what “some of the answers” were that led to his choice. So did Wilson. We may eventually learn. Right now, there’s a head coaching search to be done. The pressure is on Wilson to find someone better than McLellan to stand behind the bench, which won’t be easy. The Sharks might not even have a head coach by the time of the NHL draft in late June.
“We will do a thorough search, and I’m not sure it’s going to be time sensitive,” Wilson said. “It’s more important for us to get the guy that fits for us for a long time.”
Next season is a huge one for Wilson. His team must demonstrate conclusively that his rebuild plan is working — or demonstrate it more conclusively than it did this past season, anyway.
At some point this spring, Wilson also will receive an evaluation from his boss. The general manager said he last spoke to Plattner face-to-face a month ago, although they have spoken almost daily by phone since then. But there will be another face-to-face encounter in the near term.
Perhaps that meeting will occur at the World Championships in Prague later this month or early next. Wilson said he will be there for scouting purposes. Plattner only has to take a short flight from his European residence.
McLellan, of course, also will be in Prague. He will serve as head coach of Team Canada. You know, just in case they want to join him for a beer. By mutual agreement.
Read Mark Purdy’s blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/purdy. Contact him at mpurdy@mercurynews.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/MercPurdy.
Inside
Family helped McLellan make decision to move on. PAGE 5