Making history and headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, the San Jose Sharks have found themselves in an embarrassingly dire situation to start off the season.
Sitting dead last in the National Hockey League with a 0-10-1 record, Sharks general manager Mike Grier said he’s let his team know their play is unacceptable.
“I just felt they needed to hear from me and what I’m seeing and what I expect from them,” Grier told reporters Monday. “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.”
Grier, a former Sharks player himself, has been GM since July 2022. The team finished the 2022-23 season with a 22-44-16 record, putting them second last in the Pacific Division and 29th overall in the league.
So, while it’s probably safe to say that neither Grier nor anyone else had any great expectations for the Sharks this year as they go through a period of rebuilding, it’s unlikely anyone foresaw just how poorly their first 11 games would go.
San Jose now holds the record for the worst goal differential (minus-42) in league history through the first 11 games of a season. Through their first 10 games, they had the fewest even-strength goals (six) in NHL history.
They also currently hold the league’s lowest points percentage (.045) of all time.
And their back-to-back blowout losses to the Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins only made matters worse. The Sharks’ 10-1 loss to the Canucks marked their most lopsided home loss in franchise history and when they followed it up with a 10-2 loss to the Penguins two nights later, they became the first team in 58 years to give up 10 goals in consecutive games.
According to Grier, changes will be made if the team doesn’t show any improvements going forward.
“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,” said Grier. “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.”
The Sharks will still be in pursuit of their first win Tuesday when they face the Philadelphia Flyers at home.
