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There’s a lot that gets said about loyalty in professional sports. Usually there’s not much of it yet for the San Jose Sharks the opposite rings true,  especially when it comes to General Manager Doug Wilson.

Yet somehow the Sharks can’t find a way to get rid of Wilson even though it’s deserved. He has proven consistently that the Sharks can only get so far in the playoffs and their season ends in disappointing fashion. There has been only one trip to the Stanley Cup Finals and even then during that series the Pittsburgh Penguins out hustled and out skated San Jose

The franchise quite possibly is the franchise that chokes the most in the playoffs.

Obviously now the Sharks are in rebuild mode with no plan. Even more frustrating are the moves that Wilson has made recently. He re-signed defensemen Brent Burns to an eight-year deal in 2016 that paid him $64 millon dollars.

Burns while a fan favorite has never been good defensively. At one point the Sharks moved him to wing and he struggled in that role as well. Then there’s Erik Karlsson’s contract extension which was even more shocking as it was also a eight-year deal.  One look at his plus/minus so far this season -7 tells somewhat of the story. He’s also had seasons of -30, -25, and -15.

Essentially Wilson has given long-term deals to two defensively challenged defensemen. Is it a wonder why goalie Martin Jones has struggled? Over the past two seasons excluding the current one he’s got a save percentage of 89.6, five shutouts and a goals against average of 2.96 and a record of 53-40. 

So far in 2021 he’s got a record of 6-5-1 with a 3.85 goals against average and a save percentage of 87.7.

It’s a far cry from his first three seasons with San Jose in which his save percentage was 91.5, he recorded 12 shutouts, had a  goals against average of 2.4 and a record of 102-68. Jones also signed a six-year contract extension in 2017.

Besides the questionable contract extensions given out Wilson has been terrible when it comes to the draft. Timo Meier has been a solid player for the Sharks, yet not spectacular. He got taken 9th overall in 2015 beyond that Tomas Hertl has been his best pick in the last decade and that was way back in 2012. Which also showcases how San Jose is ranked among the worst teams in the NHL in terms of top prospects. 

The Sharks at this point need to dump salaries and rebuild. Meaning that it is time for trades involving Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, Evander Kane,  Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Karlsson, and Burns. It’s apparent that Wilson isn’t the type of general manager who will clean house and start a rebuilding process so that means the only option at this point is to fire him. 

It’s beyond justifiable at this point due to the lack of success in the playoffs, the Sharks awful defense, and overall lack of talent on the roster.

San Jose need Wilson gone so the rebuilding process can begin. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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