Peter DeBoer took the New Jersey Devils somewhere the San Jose Sharks have never been — the Stanley Cup finals.
Reports out of San Jose on Wednesday said DeBoer, whom the Devils fired last season, was close to an agreement to coach the Sharks. He would replace Todd McLellan, who for all his regular-season success couldn't get the team past the Western Conference finals and seldom beyond the Stanley Cup playoffs' first round.
UPDATE: The Sharks scheduled a 4 p.m. ET news conference on Thursday to announce their new coach. The Sharks didn't confirm they have hired DeBoer.
REPLACEMENTS: Mike Babock, Leafs | McLellan, Oilers | Dave Hakstol, Flyers
Peter DeBoer (Getty Images)
Why DeBoer? Puck possession. GM Doug Wilson is making over his team's aging roster and wants his new coach to use a puck-possession scheme.
As Canada's TSN noted last fall, every team wants to control the puck, so the term is more buzzword than byword.
It was time for McLellan and the Sharks to part company. And now the Sharks appear to have a replacement who will meet their general manager's basic requirement. Wilson can move onto his biggest needs — reshaping his roster.
Aged star centers Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton haven't been terrible, but neither has been successful in the Stanley Cup playoffs. A change is coming.
Confirmed thru source close to @SanJoseSharks that DeBoer will indeed be announced "in next day or two."
— Ross McKeon (@rossmckeon) May 27, 2015
DeBoer coached the Florida Panthers before arriving in New Jersey, and he is well regarded in the league despite his so-so career record of 217-200-77 in seven seasons. His biggest success came in his first season with the Devils, when his team lost in the finals to the Los Angeles Kings.
Breaking those numbers down, DeBoer was 103-107-36 with the Panthers and 114-93-41 with the Devils. His best seasons with both teams were his first.
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The Sharks missed the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons, but Wilson got owner Hasso Plattner's blessing to rebuild. Now, a month after parting ways with McLellan, Wilson has a coach in place.
The Devils, meanwhile, continue to seek a coach to replace last season's interim triumverate of Scott Stevens, Adam Oates and Lou Lamoriello.
DeBoer, 46, recently was McLellan's assistant with Team Canada at the world hockey championships. Canada was unbeaten en route to the gold medal.
Before entering the NHL, DeBoer spent 14 seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, coaching Kitchener to a league title in 2003 and 2008 and winning the Memorial Cup in '03.
The Sharks' interest in DeBoer goes back to 2008, when he was a leading candidate before McLellan's hiring, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Ross McKeon.