The San Jose Sharks were finalizing details on Thursday night to make David Quinn their next head coach, sources told ESPN.
No formal announcement was expected on Thursday from the team.
Quinn, 55, was previously the head coach of the New York Rangers from 2018-21, amassing a record of 96-87-25 in 208 games. The Rangers failed to appear in the Stanley Cup Playoff quarterfinals during his tenure, which coincided with the team’s rebuild. Before that, Quinn coached the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL and spent five seasons as head coach at Boston University. Quinn and San Jose GM Mike Grier were student-athletes at Boston University, though not at the same time.
The Sharks fired head coach Bob Boughner and his staff on July 1. Boughner, 51, had been San Jose’s coach for parts of three seasons, amassing a 67-85-23 record and failing to make the Stanley Cup playoffs each time.
It’s been an eventful offseason for San Jose. Grier was hired on July 5, becoming the first Black NHL general manager. He replaced Doug Wilson, who had been the team’s general manager since 2003. The Sharks also traded star defenseman Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes.