If Sharks GM Doug Wilson has his druthers, the next coach to step behind the bench for the NHL's San Jose franchise will be a pretty big name.
Wilson, according to two separate reports, seems to be focusing his coaching search efforts on former Stanley Cup-winners Dan Bylsma and Mike Babcock.
"With the Worlds concluded, Dan Bylsma another name to watch on coaching front. San Jose has received permission to interview him," Craig Custance of ESPN tweeted.
Bylsma's name has come up in conjunction with the Sharks head coaching gig before, as he was floated as a potential replacement for the recently departed Todd McLellan going as far back as November.
Bylsma was the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2008 to 2014, during which time he reached the playoffs every season and managed a Stanley Cup victory.
He told Custance at the time that he wasn't used to being away from the game he'd spent his whole life around and was itching to get a chance to return to the NHL.
"In the first 10 games, there seemed to be a couple teams you heard rumors about," he said, per Custance. "A lot of those things went away for 15 games. Recently, you've heard a few more things."
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.ca reported around the same time that Wilson had actually "reached out to Bylsma" but the report was met by a strong rebuttal from Wilson.
"Tell whoever you want to tell that's not true," the embattled Sharks GM said, per CSNBayArea.com.
As for Babcock, once the Red Wings and GM Ken Holland gave him permission to seek out other potential head coaching opportunities, he immediately became the top option on the market for interested teams.
According to Ansar Khan of MLive.com, the Sharks and Wilson have indeed contacted Babcock and spoken with him, but despite their interest may not be in position to land the gritty head coach.
As Khan notes, they don't boast the same kind of payroll as Toronto or Buffalo - Babcock intends to become the highest-paid coach in the NHL on his next deal - and the Sharks cores of players, while talented, is aging.
