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‘Status quo’ not an option, but Sharks GM wants to keep coaching staff

Todd McLellan, Joe Thornton, Tomas Hertl, Brent Burns

San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan, tops, talks with defenseman Brent Burns (88), center Joe Thornton (19) and center Tomas Hertl (48), from Czech Republic, during the third period of Game 7 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 30, 2014. The Kings won 5-1. (AP Photo)

AP

From Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News, who was on hand to hear a very upset general manager, Doug Wilson, talk about the direction the Sharks will take after blowing a 3-0 series lead to the Kings:

Though it was coach Todd McLellan’s head that many expected to roll after Game 7’s defeat, Wilson also acknowledged the tenuousness of his own job. After all, it was Wilson who put together the group that became just the fourth in NHL history to lose a series it once led 3-0. Of the numerous crushing disappointments that San Jose has experienced in the postseason, this one was the most devastating. Which says a lot.

According to CSN Bay Area, it’s believed McLellan has two years remaining on his contract.

Of course, the questions facing the Sharks this summer go beyond the coach and GM.

For instance, will Dan Boyle re-sign? The veteran defenseman is a pending unrestricted free agent who’s repeatedly said he wants to finish his career in San Jose.

And what about the goaltending situation? Antti Niemi is only signed through next season, and the 30-year-old struggled against the Kings, finishing with a .884 save percentage in six games. Meanwhile, Alex Stalock, the netminder who couldn’t turn the tide when he got the start in Game 6, is a pending UFA.

Maybe there’s a significant trade to be made. We certainly wouldn’t count out the possibility. Not after that collapse. And not after watching how angry Wilson appeared today (see below).

“Nobody is bigger than this organization,” said the GM.

Granted, there’s a huge risk in overreacting to what happened in a matter of a week. The Sharks don’t need to be blown up. They were an outstanding team in the regular season; it wasn’t a fluke they won the first three against a very good Kings side.

But as Wilson admitted, “When you’re up 3-0 in the series, you step on their throat and put them away.”

And for the 10th straight postseason, the Sharks fell short.

Here’s Wilson: