DONE DEAL: Jets have completed the deal of new head coach as confirmed by club statement.

The San Jose Sharks are a few weeks removed from removing Head Coach David Quinn and the team appears to be in no hurry to announce who the next coach will be. Some have speculated that with the presumed addition of Macklin Celebrini on draft day, the job just got a lot more interesting.

But San Jose isn’t the only team in search of a new vision. Several NHL clubs are looking for a new strategy, and many of them are a lot closer to a potential Stanley Cup than the Sharks. The Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets all need new bench bosses. That means some of the top candidates might like their options on a team that’s a little further along in the rebuilding process.

But who cares about them? Let’s take a look at some of the rumors about San Jose’s options.

Craig Berube

Many fans think Berube might be a good coach to help San Jose move forward, but if this is the direction management wants to take, there will be a lot of competition. Several outlets have reported that Berube has met with the Maple Leafs and the Devils. The former Cup-winning coach is in high demand, and San Jose is likely outclassed in this competition.

Ryan Warsofsky

The Sharks’ assistant coach might have a shot at the job. According to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey, Warsofsky interviewed with General Manager Mike Grier to take over for Quinn.

The good news is that Warsofsky is familiar with the team and Grier’s idea of what the Sharks should look like over the next couple of years. The bad news is that it’s hard to say where Warsofsky’s head is at. The longer this drags on, the more likely he is to start searching for a new place to call home.

After all, if the Sharks decide to go another direction, there’s no guarantee that the new coach will keep Warsofsky around. What’s more, if someone else is chosen it sends a clear message to the young, up-and-coming potential NHL coach that if he gets a shot, it won’t happen in San Jose.

Marco Sturm

There’s a lot of speculation around the league that the Sharks might want to go with a familiar face, someone who has played with the team before and has a long history in San Jose. Sturm would certainly fit that bill and is one of the more likely former Sharks to earn the job.

Sturm is currently coaching the Ontario Reign in round three of the Calder Cup playoffs, so he won’t be available for an interview until after the playoffs are done. Considering the way teams are looking to fill openings, if the Sharks are going to wait, it’s because Strum is considered a top contender.

The other issue is that this isn’t entirely in the Sharks’ control. Sturm is part of the Los Angeles Kings organization right now. LA is also looking for a head coach. While it would be easy to remove the interim tag from Jim Hiller’s name and make him the team’s official coach, the potential of losing Sturm may force the Kings to go in a different direction.

Jeff Blashill

This is a new name floated on Wednesday by Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast. While everything is just rumors and speculation at this point, Jeff Blashill’s name did come up in the Sharks head coach conversation.

Blashill is currently an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning and previously took a swing at head coaching in the NHL. He was the head coach of the Red Wings from 2016 through 2022 and went 204-261-72 in that time. The Red Wings made the playoffs in his first year of coaching, though the team was eliminated in the first round. Detroit did not make the playoffs in any of his subsequent years as the bench boss.

Prior to taking over the head coaching job in Detroit, he served as the head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL. He won a Calder Cup with the Griffins in 2013.

Other options for the Sharks head coach

Other names floating around for the head coaching job include Jeff Halpern, another assistant coach in Tampa Bay and Jay Leach, the current assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken. With the Kraken’s coaching future up in the air, it’s possible that Leach may need a change of scenery.

Another question circulating in the coaching rumor mill is whether Sheldon Keefe wants to get back into coaching quickly or if he’s planning to wait. Keefe’s availability may give some teams pause because they may consider him a prime candidate. Keefe, at this point, is not considered a candidate for San Jose’s head coaching job, and honestly, I’m not sure he’s what the Sharks need. Still, he’s another name to consider.