Quinn, who did not coach in the NHL this season, guided the United States to a fifth-place finish at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

"I think there's a lot that goes on when you get fired for the first time and you're not coaching a hockey team for the first time in 28 years," Quinn told "The Chirp with Daren Millard" podcast in December. "I think you get a chance to sit back and reflect a little bit. You can't believe you're not coaching. I just think there's a lot of emotions that go on when you're in the situation that I'm in and you try to make the most of it. You try to stay busy and stay sharp and stay in tune to the game."

The Sharks went 32-37-13 this season and finished 20 points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. It was the third straight season they failed to qualify for the postseason after reaching the playoffs 14 of the previous 15 seasons.

San Jose hired Mike Grier as the first Black general manager in NHL history on July 5 and traded defenseman Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes on July 13. The Sharks were the only NHL team without a coach.

Quinn was the 10th coach to be hired since the conclusion of the regular season joining Lane Lambert (New York Islanders, May 16), Bruce Cassidy (Vegas Golden Knights, June 14), John Tortorella (Philadelphia Flyers, June 17), Peter DeBoer (Dallas Stars, June 21), Paul Maurice (Florida Panthers, June 22), Luke Richardson (Chicago Blackhawks, June 27), Derek Lalonde (Detroit Red Wings, June 30), Jim Montgomery (Boston Bruins, July 1) and Rick Bowness (Winnipeg Jets, July 3).