Sharks GM holds meeting with players amid 'unacceptable' start
San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier made it clear that even he didn't expect such an abysmal start from his rebuilding team.
"We expected some pain as we go through this situation," Grier said Monday, according to NBC Sports' Sheng Peng. "But the last two games in particular, it hasn't been good enough. The compete, the effort, it's not good enough. It's unacceptable."
The Sharks became the first team in 58 years to surrender double-digit goals in consecutive games when they fell 10-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday and 10-1 to the Vancouver Canucks two nights prior.
The putrid showings spurred Grier to hold a meeting with the players.
"It was one-way. I just felt they needed to hear from me and what I'm seeing and what I expect from them," he explained. "I let them know what was happening was not acceptable."
The Sharks are still seeking their first win amid one of the more nightmarish starts to a season in NHL history. They've mustered just 12 goals while surrendering 54 for a goal differential of minus-42. The Edmonton Oilers own the league's second-worst differential this season at minus-14.
Grier conceded that everyone in the organization has to be better and wouldn't lay all of the blame on head coach David Quinn's shoulders.
"I think the players respect (Quinn), and I think one of his biggest qualities is that he communicates well," he said. "So I think the players know what's expected of them. I think they know where they stand with him."
The executive added he'll be monitoring his team for signs of life in the coming days before determining his next move.
"We'll see how they respond here over the next week, in the next couple of games, as we go forward," he said. "If I don't see what I want to see, we'll be evaluating everything and looking at everything. This can't go on for much longer.
"(If) the response isn't there and I'm not seeing what I need to see, then everything will be evaluated, and I'm sure there'll be some changes made."
The 0-10-1 Sharks' first chance to turn things around will come Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.