Former Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau raised expectations for the upcoming San Jose Sharks season.
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Boudreau discussed the Sharks’ upcoming season on NHL Tonight and applauded the team for its offseason moves.
“I really believe they got some NHL players now. [Macklin] Celebrini and [Will] Smith are going to take some time,” Boudreau said. “At the same time, they’ve added NHL players. They didn’t have NHL players last year.”
Boudreau most recently was the bench boss of the Canucks from 2021-2023 and was let go awkwardly. He was left out to dry as reports suggested that the Canucks were hiring head coach Rick Tocchet, who was the 2024 Jack Adams winner but kept Boudreau as a coach for a short period.
The NHL Network analyst has coached over 1,000 NHL games and expects players on the Sharks roster to have a chip on their shoulder.
“If I’m a San Jose Shark, I have a little chip on my shoulder this year. I am not going to start out 0-12; I’m going to go out there and show them that we are a lot better,” Boudreau said. “When you get the Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow, and Jake Walman, these guys are NHL players. When you add those with good young players, I think they will be a lot tougher in the Pacific Division.”
The Sharks emphasized getting tougher and bringing in more quality NHLers. New head coach Ryan Warsofsky has said he expects improvement and changes to how things went down last season.
Boudreau laid out his August and September schedules from when he was coaching, and they closely match what Warsofsky has explained.
“The way we used to go about it, as soon as September would come along, I would have all the coaches meet. For three weeks straight, we’d be in the office, going over training camp. Going over the kind of camp we wanted to have. The teams we wanted to make for training camp,” Boudreau said. “In August, I would spend my time talking to players on the phone, making sure they were ready.”
Warsofksy has said that during the offseason, he wants to get to know his team personally and not discuss much hockey. He wants to connect with his team before they hit the ice.
Related: New Sharks Head Coach Shares How He Intends To Develop Shakir Mukhamadullin
The Sharks don’t project to make the postseason in 24-25, but there is an expectation that their play will improve.
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