Dan Rusanowsky has been around the Sharks since their inception.
As in, literally, Game 1. Which gives him unparalleled perspectives during these unprecedented times. Not just a pause in the sports world, but also the surprising struggles San Jose endured in 70 games this past season.
He chatted via FaceTime on Thursday to discuss these topics, and more.
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NBC Sports Bay Area: Can this past Sharks season be compared to any others?
My feeling where we are right now is an amalgamation of a couple different seasons, all put into one. I’m looking at it kind of similar to a couple seasons where the Sharks ended the year not making the playoffs.
And it’s certainly not that dis-similar to Year 1 one of Sharks history. With three games left in the season, the NHL Players' Association went on strike.
What if the Stanley Cup were not awarded in 2020, similar to 1919?
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It would be the third time. We didn’t have the Stanley Cup in 2005, because of the missed [lockout] year. But this is a different thing, entirely. First thing we have to recognize is that this season is not officially over, nor has anything been declared over.
On Bob Boughner potentially becoming the permanent head coach
I’m a big proponent of him getting an opportunity, as many of the people around the Sharks are. As Doug Wilson himself confirmed, he was seriously considering that, and felt [Boughner] has earned the opportunity for the things that he did.
I think it’s one of the strengths that Bob Boughner had, was to assess the situation, come in when things weren’t that good, and immediately gain respect from the top players. And certainly work well with a coaching staff that he didn’t know that well.
On the Sharks' young core that didn’t pan out in 2019-20
I don’t think that they were quite ready for it. The only way to find out is have them in there and see if they were ready to accept those responsibilities. They [the team] took a step back, they re-tooled, and now we’re going to see some changes.
Do the Sharks need to make at least one “wow” move this summer?
I think they have to do some heavy personnel analysis, there’s no doubt about that. There might be a big change or two that need to happen, partly for financial or salary cap reasons, in order to manage your money properly.