Speculation: Offseason coaching thread: Should they stay or should they go?

[Grouch]

Sully to NJ means 1 thing and 1 thing only...........Jansen will look good in red and white when he's playing with Jack making $3m for the next 3 years.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Rossi or Yohe reported that Sullivan doesn't want to get rid of his assistants. Which is reason enough to get rid of him.

No, that was just one of the many excuses @DesertedPenguin gave Mike Sullivan for his lack of success and the stupidity of our management.

Yup. Which is strange, because as @Gurglesons is trying to rib me about, they weren't his hires.

I have a suspicion it has less to do with loyalty and more to do with self preservation. Dubas could potentially want to bring in someone with credentials who could theoretically replace Sullivan midseason if warranted, and Sullivan feels threatened. Whereas he doesn't feel threatened by Reirden and Vellucci.

 

[ThosePuckingPenguins]

Yup. Which is strange, because as @Gurglesons is trying to rib me about, they weren't his hires.

I have a suspicion it has less to do with loyalty and more to do with self preservation. Dubas could potentially want to bring in someone with credentials who could theoretically replace Sullivan midseason if warranted, and Sullivan feels threatened. Whereas he doesn't feel threatened by Reirden and Vellucci.

That’s 100% what this is. He sees they canned the WBS staff pretty quickly, he wants to get rid of the assistants and now he’s looking around thinking…well if we start out slow in the first 20-25 games next season, I’m probably out next.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

That’s 100% what this is. He sees they canned the WBS staff pretty quickly, he wants to get rid of the assistants and now he’s looking around thinking…well if we start out slow in the first 20-25 games next season, I’m probably out next.

And Dubas is probably playing some politics here, too. He can spend some time trying to work things out with Sullivan, come to a compromise. And if Sullivan refuses, he can then go to FSG with that ammunition and say, "Look, we tried to make it work, but we're at an impasse. My only recourse is to fire him."

I wouldn't be surprised if some of this stuff from Weekes/Kypreos is Sullivan using some friends like Tom Fitzgerald to get the rumor mill going to try to get some leverage.

I think Sullivan's camp was the source for some of the anti-Hextall/Burke content after they were canned, too.

 

[Andy99]

If it’s getting to all this, it’s time for Sullivan to go…all parties need to see this…it’s embarrassing that a team with no hope of contending has this type of dissension in the FO lol

 

[DesertedPenguin]

If it’s getting to all this, it’s time for Sullivan to go…all parties need to see this…it’s embarrassing that a team with no hope of contending has this type of dissension in the FO lol

The amusing thing is -- if Sullivan were to simply accept changes to his staff, he'd probably buy himself more time. He'd show a willingness to compromise and collaborate with Dubas, show that he's on board with making tough decisions to turn this around.

By fighting this particular battle, he's really putting himself on an island.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Didn't the team do the "shot across the bow" thing when they fired Tocchet, Recchi, Martin and Gonchar? I dunno.

If your ownership is so loyal to a losing coach that they'd refuse to sign off on his firing, or your GM is too incompetent to fire the guy who has been coaching a team that's steadily gotten worse for seven seasons, or your head coach is refusing to allow his incompetent assistants to be fired--you're kinda f***ed if any of those are true, and with this team, it could be an all of the above situation.

-edit- I just want to reiterate how crazy it is for anybody to stick their neck out for Todd f***ing Reirden's job, man. And for there to be hesitation on the part of the organization to just simply kick that dude out the door the second the clock hit zeroes in game 82. Just an asinine franchise.

 

[GilbertSeinfeld]

To be fair, Tocchet wasn't fired, he left to be the Coyotes head coach.

 

[66-30-33]

Sully to NJ means 1 thing and 1 thing only...........Jansen will look good in red and white when he's playing with Jack making $3m for the next 3 years.

ZAR will also have a new team.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

To be fair, Tocchet wasn't fired, he left to be the Coyotes head coach.

Oh yeah, fair. I was iffy on Tocchet but I couldn't be bothered caring enough to google it.

 

[The GM]

I know what a rebuild looks like. You can't do it with Sid and Malkin.

I don't think Sid will allow it either. He will probably just leave PIT which is I assume why Dubas is tip toeing the Sullivan situation.



Imagine this team last summer with the cap space and assets we had under Tulsky.

Would've been lights out.

Like what the oilers successfully did?

 

[Rave7215]

So... in essence what we're saying here is that @Gurglesons is probably right, pending the next couple of weeks?

Oh god. He's going to be intolerable lol

Going to be?

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Didn't think team do the "shot across the bow" thing when they fired Tocchet, Recchi, Martin and Gonchar? I dunno.

If your ownership is so loyal to a losing coach that they'd refuse to sign off on his firing, or your GM is too incompetent to fire the guy who has been coaching a team that's steadily gotten worse for seven seasons, or your head coach is refusing to allow his incompetent assistants to be fired--you're kinda f***ed if any of those are true, and with this team, it could be an all of the above situation.

-edit- I just want to reiterate how crazy it is for anybody to stick their neck out for Todd f***ing Reirden's job, man. And for there to be hesitation on the part of the organization to just simply kick that dude out the door the second the clock hit zeroes in game 82. Just an asinine franchise.

Find yourself a woman who looks at you like Reirden does at Sullivan and you'll understand.

 

[HandshakeLine]

If the Penguins MUST keep Sully and Sully INSISTS on keeping his coaches, the only concession that should be made is that Dubas gets to hire an additional associate coach of his choosing.

Someone, ANYONE, needs to be able to challenge Sullivan when needed. A big issue has been a guy like Tocchet who will nut up and speak up no longer being here.

If Dubas took a job with even less freedom than he had in Toronto, then he's a bigger sucker than I thought.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Find yourself a woman who looks at you like Reirden does at Sullivan and you'll understand.

Why does every picture of this man look like he's trying to remember why he walked into the kitchen?

 

[HandshakeLine]

View attachment 862941
Why does every picture of this man look like he's trying to remember why he walked into the kitchen?

"Puck... puck goes where?"

 

[cygnus47]

"Puck... puck goes where?"

And you look at the board and it's just the usual PP lineup numbers drawn on the wrong dot.

 

[Sidgeni Malkby]

View attachment 862941
Why does every picture of this man look like he's trying to remember why he walked into the kitchen?

Maybe he's deciding if he's holding the board in the right direction. Strategy is confuse the team, so they are on edge and perform better!

 

[BusinessGoose]

"Puck... puck goes where?"

"in the net!"



"no, no, todd! In the OTHER team's net!!!"

 

[chethejet]

I think what Dubas does as to adding to the roster will indicate him and Spezza know what they want and will move away from Sullivan and his crap system. Bigger stronger with more grit is what is needed. Move Smith who is soft on this team and add a couple physical wingers like Stephenson for example sets the tone here.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Yup. Which is strange, because as @Gurglesons is trying to rib me about, they weren't his hires.

I have a suspicion it has less to do with loyalty and more to do with self preservation. Dubas could potentially want to bring in someone with credentials who could theoretically replace Sullivan midseason if warranted, and Sullivan feels threatened. Whereas he doesn't feel threatened by Reirden and Vellucci.

Nobody feels threatened by Todd and that's part of the problem, dude is a f***ing joke and just emits virgin defeatist energy.

 

[Jacob]

If nothing else I'd probably swap special teams duties between Reirden and Vellucci. Or hire a designated powerplay coach. It's already pretty crowded on the bench, though, so it'd have to be someone that stays in the press box.

 

[HandshakeLine]

If we’re talking non bench coaching duties video could probably use a change too given how woefully unprepared this team has looked for several years.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Friedman and Marek touch on Sullivan - and Jon Cooper - on 32 Thoughts Podcast.

32 Thoughts: The Podcast

Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.

www.sportsnet.ca

Nothing significant, though Friedman says he believes much of the Sullivan and Cooper talk has been more about teams doing their due diligence to see if there is a chance those guys would be available rather than their current teams looking to move on.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

If nothing else I'd probably swap special teams duties between Reirden and Vellucci. Or hire a designated powerplay coach. It's already pretty crowded on the bench, though, so it'd have to be someone that stays in the press box.

Would you bring Vellucci back, if Sully and Reirden were gone? I'm kinda torn on this. The PK was 10th.
He also works with the Forwards. Kind of a mixed bag with results there. Encouraging signs with DOC and Puustinen. Bunting did great. Rust terrific.
I would consider it, but only if the other assistant was an alpha male type. Feel like that's sorely needed.