Todd McLellan, Sharks Agree to Part Ways: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

After a season in which the San Jose Sharks failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign, the team and head coach Todd McLellan have cut ties.

The team's official website announced the news:

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The San Jose Sharks (@sanjosesharks) and Todd McLellan have mutually agreed to part ways. 

In related moves, Assistant Coaches Jim Johnson and Jay Woodcroft, and Video Coordinator Brett Heimlich have been relieved of their duties. Associate Coach Larry Robinson moved into his full-time role of director of player development at the conclusion of the 2014-15 regular season.

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McLellan spoke about the decision, per the team's official Twitter account:

McLellan later spoke about his exit with the media, telling Ken Campbell of THN.com, "We had a team that should have had better results."

McLellan also touched on his relationship with Sharks star Joe Thornton, who was critical of the coach following the season, saying: "I have a ton of respect for Joe Thornton. ... There will be a day when he's put into the Hall of Fame," via Sportsnet Hockey Central.

As Nick Cotsonika of Yahoo Sports noted, the coaching market just got a whole lot stronger with McLellan joining its ranks:

McLellan spoke about his future, saying: "I'm a coach. I want to coach," via Campbell. McLellan also told Campbell that he'd be open to anything in terms of a next destination.

In terms of what McLellan will be looking for in a new organization, he told David Pollak of the Mercury News, "I'll look at people in the organization, then look at team and figure out if they have chance for success."

McLellan had a strong run as the head coach of the Sharks, finishing as the franchise leader in wins (311), games coached (540) and points percentage (.637), per the team's website. He led the Sharks to the playoffs seven times, won the Pacific Division three times, the Presidents' Trophy once and reached the conference finals in 2010 and 2011. 

Given his strong track record in San Jose, he'll almost assuredly be a prime target for teams looking to make a change at head coach this season. It would hardly be surprising if McLellan was the first coach signed to a new team this offseason while the replacement in San Jose will have big shoes to fill after McLellan's successful tenure.