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Confirmed with Link: Kyle Dubas named President of Hockey Operations

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Maybe it's the Bills fan in me that's had optimism beaten out decades ago, but I never expected Sullivan's job to be in any danger, or for the new FO folks to come in and say anything but absolutely shining things about the guy. I still think this little corner of the internet, full of all of us f***in' obsessed dummies, is the only place that finds any critique, scathing or nominal, in Sullivan's coaching. It's been that way for years, and will probably continue to be that way for many more. :laugh:
 
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JTG said:
I don't follow the Leafs, so I believe you. I hope Dubas having some more flexibility and power shows that he actually much better than he was in Toronto. Toronto to me seems like working for the government - layers upon layers of management, slow to react, and it just milks any will to live out of your system if you have to work under the crown.
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As someone who closely follows the Leafs, Tavares was 100% a Dubas move. He loved every minute of it, and doesn’t even have to be there for the arse-end of the deal (34yo Tavares making 11M), which the Leafs will have to deal with for another 2 seasons.
 
give sully a roster that has qualities like his cup winners and see what happens seems moderately fine to me
 
BlindWillyMcHurt said:
To be clear I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud. I think this has the potential to be a really good hire. I'm not going to fawn all over the guy yet because he speaks well and looks good in a suit. If those were true markers for success... well... I'd be rolling in it by now. But still... it isn't just the subterranean bar speaking... I think he really can be good in this role and I'm excited to get a guy from well outside the organization and isn't some old washed up player.

I'm just saying that ya'll aren't going to see some fresh new exciting approach out on the ice next year or likely for years down the road. Sullivan does what he does. Dubas and co. can idiot-proof the lineup a bit and hopefully get them younger. But you simply aren't changing how this team is deployed and how they prepare until Mike Sullivan is the guy munching nachos on his couch waiting for other teams to call.
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This is largely my take too. Like I don’t think that Dubas is a bad hire per se, I’m just very cynical that this very dysfunctional team will congeal into something interesting, like week old bacon grease.

Coastal Kev said:
Sullivan is he noose strangling the franchise. Until he's gone, nothing else matters.
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I mean, when you’re right, you’re right.

cookthebooks said:
give sully a roster that has qualities like his cup winners and see what happens seems moderately fine to me
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What was so not like his rosters in 2018? 2019? 2020?
 
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BlindWillyMcHurt said:
To be clear I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud. I think this has the potential to be a really good hire. I'm not going to fawn all over the guy yet because he speaks well and looks good in a suit. If those were true markers for success... well... I'd be rolling in it by now. But still... it isn't just the subterranean bar speaking... I think he really can be good in this role and I'm excited to get a guy from well outside the organization and isn't some old washed up player.

I'm just saying that ya'll aren't going to see some fresh new exciting approach out on the ice next year or likely for years down the road. Sullivan does what he does. Dubas and co. can idiot-proof the lineup a bit and hopefully get them younger. But you simply aren't changing how this team is deployed and how they prepare until Mike Sullivan is the guy munching nachos on his couch waiting for other teams to call.
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Oh I agree. I was just kind of building off your point that I'm not sure how it's going to work between the two because they have vastly different ideas of how a team should play and what type of players should fill out the roster.

I'm also morbidly curious to see how the Sullivan apologists excuse it if the team struggles again with a different GM, providing different players and Sullivan continuing to miscast the roster.

"It's not Sullivan's fault, it's Rutherford ... err ... Hextall ... err ... Dubas' fault! GeT bEtTeR pLaYeRs!"
 
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It's a good day to be a Pens fan. I honestly believe (had believed since day 1) we are in good hands with FSG. Today was a big step in proving that with their prior reputation. Even if the NHL is a learning curve for them, we are seeing progress in this ownership group.
 
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Sully has given plenty of opportunities to skillful guys (and often got a ton out of them).

The caveat is they have to be willing to work and battle, and be smart about when to try something and when to make a safe play.

Guys like Guentzel, Rakell, hell, Sheary will do great. Guys like Kahun and Kapanen don't. Up to Dubas to get the former.

Tbh it's always surprised me how many people seem to have a problem with this. Teams that get outworked and outthought lose most of their hockey games at the NHL level. And happily I don't think Dubas has much history of tolerating the latter either.
 
Hopefully Dubas & Co. decide to no longer chase guys like the mummified remains of Jeff Carter, Ryan Reaves, Mikael Granlund, Brock McGinn, etc. so the roster is as good as it can get. That's one way for the FO to potentially be like "Hmm maybe this Sullivan character isn't an omnipotent being after all..."

Step one of many, likely spanning a decade or so. :laugh:
 
The only appreciable difference I see in the SC rosters and recent rosters is age.

If anything this past year's team was one of the best they had on paper for a while and they missed. Whoops.

I mean the third line sucked ass but according to you guys the third line needs desperate attention every single season so I'm not convinced this fanbase even knows what one SHOULD look like. Just bear in mind that whoever it might be will be getting cratered with like 70+ percent DZ starts so best of luck, there. Maybe throw even MORE money at it?
 
And again, I don’t know how you square the circle of Sullivan going out and advocating for players like Rodrigues and then claim he didn’t get the roster he wanted.

By all accounts Sullivan had lots of input on the roster the last few years of JR’s tenure and into Hextall’s. I’ll give him a pass on Granlund though. That was not his fault.
 
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HandshakeLine said:
And again, I don’t know how you square the circle of Sullivan going out and advocating for players like Rodrigues and then claim he didn’t get the roster he wanted.

By all accounts Sullivan had lots of input on the roster the last few years of JR’s tenure and into Hextall’s. I’ll give him a pass on Granlund though. That was not his fault.
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Rodrigues wasn't anything special, but he's also an odd one to single out as being a bad decision by Sullivan.
 
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