in the first round of the 2017 playoffs. Following the season, long-time stalwart Patrick Marleau left the team to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, ending his 20-year tenure with the team. He left holding almost every offensive record in team history, such as power-play goals, goals, short-handed goals and games played. In the 2017–18 season, the Sharks once again finished in third place in the Pacific Division. They swept the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the 2018 playoffs, but lost to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the second round. The 2018–19 season saw another playoff berth for the Sharks, overcoming a three games to one lead, once again by the Vegas Golden Knights, and in a dramatic comeback in the third period of game 7, and the team would make it into the Western Conference Finals, falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in six games. On October 8, 2019, after two seasons in Toronto, Patrick Marleau was re-acquired by the Sharks. Missing the playoffs On December 11, 2019, with the Sharks at 15–16–2 and failing to win a game during their five-game away game stretch, DeBoer and his staff were fired. After DeBoer's firing, assistant coach Bob Boughner was named interim head coach. In March 2020, four months after Boughner became interim coach, the league was forced to suspend operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the 2019–20 season resumed in June with the playoffs, the Sharks were not included. Boughner's interim label was removed on September 22, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the divisions for the 2020–21 season were realigned. The Sharks played in the West Division. The Sharks missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. General manager Doug Wilson took medical leave beginning November 26, 2021, and resigned while away from the team on April 7, 2022. Assistant general manager Joe Will was elevated to interim general manager while the team sought a permanent candidate for the role. The team missed the playoffs for the third straight season, and head coach Bob Boughner and other members of the coaching staff were relieved of duties in the summer in advance of the Sharks naming a new general manager. Mike Grier era (2022–present) On July 5, the Sharks hired former player Mike Grier to serve as their new general manager, becoming the first