According to a recent report, Pete DeBoer will be the next man tasked with taking the talented San Jose Sharks roster and turning it from perennial underperformer to Stanley Cup contender.
DeBoer, per Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, has been tabbed as the next head coach of the Sharks.
"A source told ESPN.com the hiring should be announced before the end of the week, although Sharks GM Doug Wilson on Wednesday declined to comment, saying he was still in the process of his coaching decision.
"But it will indeed be DeBoer."
According to LeBrun, an announcement is expected to come before the end of the week.
DeBoer, 46, was most recently the head coach of the New Jersey Devils, who he helmed to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012 despite dealing with a Lou Lamoriello-crafted roster lacking true game-changing talent.
DeBoer, already suffering from a talent-deficient lineup, was then asked by Lamoriello to overcome the losses of Adam Oates, Zach Parise and All World talent Ilya Kovalchuk, along with the will he/won't he Martin Brodeur saga.
He's a puck-possession guy focused on developing young talent, though he seems to do better with a veteran team - luckily, the Sharks have a healthy mix of both.
Wilson did his best to keep the team intact after their devastating playoff loss in the 2013-14 postseason to the Los Angeles Kings in which they squandered a 3-0 series lead. Offseason questions abounded in regards to the Sharks roster and then head coach Todd McLellan's future.
Wilson stuck with McLellan, but despite another strong, talented lineup, the group was unable to secure a postseason berth - the first time the franchise missed the playoffs in the last decade - and Wilson and McLellan decided to part ways after the season.
DeBoer suffered through ownership issues during his first head coaching stint with the Florida Panthers and now seems well-equipped to handle the everyday duties in San Jose, where veterans Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau head a talented, but underachieving Sharks crew.
Wilson has been adamant that the team will rebuild "reset on the fly," transitioning from an older roster to a younger, fresher core while still attempting to win.
The merits of the approach are questionable, but it seems DeBoer is now the man tasked with taking that vision and making it reality.
UPDATE, 2:38 p.m.: TSN's Darren Dreger is reporting that it's a four-year deal for DeBoer in San Jose.
DeBoer is believed to have agreed to a 4 year contract with the Sharks.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) May 27, 2015
