San Jose Sharks GM meets with players, promises changes if no improvement

SAN JOSE – With his team off to a historically dismal start, San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier said changes – to the roster and potentially to the coaching staff — will be in the offing if improvement does not come soon.

After watching the Sharks get outscored 20-3 in their last two games and fall to 0-10-1 this season, Grier, for the first time as the team’s GM, met with the players Monday morning and emphasized how unacceptable the start — and particularly the beginning of this homestand — has been.

Grier said his conversation with the players, rare for any general manager at this stage of the season, was one-way in nature.

“I just felt they needed to hear from me and what I’m seeing and what I expect from them,” Grier said. “To let them know what’s happening was not acceptable from my end. There are certain things I won’t tolerate and some of that stuff has been happening, and I kind of let them know that. We’ll kind of go from there.”

San Jose (0-10-1) has tied a league record by losing their first 11 games of the season and will become the only team in NHL history to start a season with 12 straight losses if they don’t win Tuesday night against Philadelphia.

The Sharks were blasted 10-1 by the Vancouver Canucks last Thursday for their most lopsided home loss in franchise history. Two days later, Erik Karlsson and the Pittsburgh Penguins ran away with a 10-2 victory at SAP Center, marking the first time since 1965 that an NHL team has allowed 10 goals or more in back-to-back games.

The Sharks have scored only 12 goals all season.

“If I don’t see what I want to see, we’ll be evaluating everything and looking at everything. I mean, this can’t go on for much longer,” Grier said Monday in a 45-minute sit-down interview with reporters. “The fans deserve more. The owner has been supportive and backing me and the team forever. (It deserves) to be better for everyone.

“If the response isn’t there and I’m not seeing what I need to see then everything will be evaluated, and I’m sure there’ll be some changes made.”

Just as much as he wants to see an improved record, Grier said he’ll evaluate every player’s level of effort and willingness to compete.

Grier said this roster is much more capable than it has shown. After the last two losses, the Sharks’ -43-goal differential is the worst NHL history for any team after 11 games.

“The games have been too easy for Vancouver and (Pittsburgh) here,” Grier said. “It’s just been too easy to come into our building and play. Guys zipping pucks around and the other team thinking it’s ‘point night’ when they’re in here. That’s the kind of stuff that to me is not acceptable.

“So, it’s more ‘compete,’ more pushback, and playing within the structure better. We can’t be giving up the chances we’re giving up. Those are probably the three main things I would say I look for in the next little while and hopefully, it improves.”

Grier said he hasn’t considered making a change behind the bench just yet, feeling that coach David Quinn’s message is still being heard by the players. Quinn will be evaluated, at least partly, on whether opponents find a greater degree of difficulty in playing against the Sharks.

“That’ll show me that the players are still buying into what (the coaches) are preaching,” Grier said. “That’s a big barometer.”

Grier said nothing will be off the table if the Sharks continue to get embarrassed, especially at home. Since the start of last season when Grier and Quinn took over, San Jose’s record is 22-54-17, which includes an 8-27-12 mark at the formerly formidable Shark Tank.

“When you move forward and things aren’t getting better, then everything’s got to be looked at,” Grier said. “Right now, I think the players are still buying in and everyone can be better. The players, the coaches, and myself, we can all do a little bit more and all be better.”

Grier said he’ll look to try to upgrade the roster, but only if it fits with his long-term plan. The Sharks, in full rebuild mode, want to accumulate as many draft picks and prospects as possible to better position themselves in the future, while doing what they can to develop those already in their system.

“The broader plan, that’s what takes precedent here,” Grier said. “We’ve got to stay with it, stay with the vision with what we want to do. A lot of times you get yourself in trouble if you’re just trying to make moves for the short term and then it affects the long term.

“We’ve got to look around and see if there’s something there that maybe fits in what we want to do long term, age-wise, and player profile-wise. Maybe there are things we’ll look at. But definitely not going to do anything that would jeopardize or get in the way of any of our young players’ development or moving important draft capital just to try and salvage the season.”

The answer, at least for right now from Grier’s perspective, has to come from those already in the room.

“You can’t really hide from what’s been happening here,” Grier said. “So I thought it was important that they hear from me and know what I expect from them. It’s just something I felt needed to be done. Hopefully, it was good for them. We’ll see.”