Salary Cap: Pens 2024 Summer Thread: "Thus, knocking us out of these superior numbers when we emerge! Mr. President, we must not allow a non-playoff bound gap!"

[DesertPenguin]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1800490434546008285

Another nail in the coffin. Needed a hardass motivator who challenges Sullivan, not a close friend of his who's meek, and who doesn't know how to run a power play.
Dubas is starting to lose me here.

I can't say I am surprised. One of Sully's old friends.

 

[SEALBound]

If Dubas built the team Sullivan wanted and it failed, why hasn’t the coach been fired, let alone hiring his buddy to his assist him in failing again? lol

Lol, well that's the million dollar question, now ain't it.

You're asking the wrong guy though. I think Sullivan should be fired 1000%.

It's hilarious that people think Quinn won't be worse than Reirden.

Reirden was part of a Penguins team that was continously excellent and won a cup with Washington. He was a solid assistant coach.

David Quinn was literally so bad of a coach the San Jose Sharks fired him when the point of that franchise was to suck.

It's a pretty low bar. We were bottom 3 in PP% at 15.3%, and #2 was 15.1%. That's, more or less, one goal. If he comes in and we are merely at #10, which would put us at 18%...that's a win. That's gets us an additional 7-8 goals which I believe would have help us win 2-3 more games which puts us in the 2WC slot.

More over, if it's just...different and SOMETHING changes, I think that's enough. I can at least stomach a new AC coming in, trying something new, and it failing vs the same AC, the same old shit, and the same shit result.

Don't get me wrong, this is a garbage addition to the staff given our current issues but at least there's a small potential of something different that didn't exist before.

Sullivan has run this team since JR took his ball and stomped home. The GMs are just window dressing and fall guys.

If that were true, we likely would have had Chychrun instead of Granlund.

JR I feel had a decent balance between working with the coaching staff but recognizing when he needs to be the GM in charge and make moves. Some worked out great (Hagelin, Daley, Schultz, Hornqvist, etc) and others not so great (Pearson, Gudbranson, Kapanen) but at least he had a willingness to be active. When you are competing, that's important. Look at the stones on Zito - Weeger and Huberdeau for Tkachuck, Reinhart, Bennett, Montour...all major pieces in the current push. Plenty of 1sts sent out in his time too - Chiarot, Giroux, Tkachuk, Reinhart...since 2021. He certainly didn't get overly attached to anyone, not unlike JR and they are reaping the benefits of it.

Hextall was the opposite if you believe the reports. Very little discussion with the coaching staff. Sat on his hands the majority of the time and when he did make moves...sometimes they were catastrophic to his career and his was fired, as he should have been.

Dubas might be in the "deferring a little TOO much to Sullivan and the coaching staff" but recent interviews suggest to me that he went that route, watched it fail with his name on it, so now he walking it back a bit.

 

[Gurglesons]

It's a pretty low bar. We were bottom 3 in PP% at 15.3%, and #2 was 15.1%. That's, more or less, one goal. If he comes in and we are merely at #10, which would put us at 18%...that's a win. That's gets us an additional 7-8 goals which I believe would have help us win 2-3 more games which puts us in the 2WC slot.

More over, if it's just...different and SOMETHING changes, I think that's enough. I can at least stomach a new AC coming in, trying something new, and it failing vs the same AC, the same old shit, and the same shit result.

I never bought the argument that Reirden was to blame for a power play that has been systematically the same since the day Mike Sullivan started coaching the Penguins.

Don't get me wrong, this is a garbage addition to the staff given our current issues but at least there's a small potential of something different that didn't exist before.

If that were true, we likely would have had Chychrun instead of Granlund.

JR I feel had a decent balance between working with the coaching staff but recognizing when he needs to be the GM in charge and make moves. Some worked out great (Hagelin, Daley, Schultz, Hornqvist, etc) and others not so great (Pearson, Gudbranson, Kapanen) but at least he had a willingness to be active. When you are competing, that's important. Look at the stones on Zito - Weeger and Huberdeau for Tkachuck, Reinhart, Bennett, Montour...all major pieces in the current push. Plenty of 1sts sent out in his time too - Chiarot, Giroux, Tkachuk, Reinhart...since 2021. He certainly didn't get overly attached to anyone, not unlike JR and they are reaping the benefits of it.

Hextall was the opposite if you believe the reports. Very little discussion with the coaching staff. Sat on his hands the majority of the time and when he did make moves...sometimes they were catastrophic to his career and his was fired, as he should have been.

Dubas might be in the "deferring a little TOO much to Sullivan and the coaching staff" but recent interviews suggest to me that he went that route, watched it fail with his name on it, so now he walking it back a bit.

Yeah, Hextall signed players like Jeff Carter who Mike Sullivan and the locker room proceeded to treat like he was a franchise legend this year. Total disconnect from Hextall and Sully...

If anything the more I watch this franchise fumble, I think it's more clear that Hextall actually tried to change things and was pushed out by Sullivan and others because of questioning job and player security.

Hextall deserves a gold star for not going a long with what Sullivan had to say or caring if that is what was happening lol.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I dunno man... he's walking it back so hard that it's looking like he's going to hire *checks notes* -- Sullivan's buddy?

Like this almost feels like a deal. "OK Kyle... little buddy... I'll LET you fire Todd but you have to hire my BFF after you do. Now go get me some coffee."

 

[Gurglesons]

I dunno man... he's walking it back so hard that it's looking like he's going to hire *checks notes* -- Sullivan's buddy?

Like this almost feels like a deal. "OK Kyle... little buddy... I'll LET you fire Todd but you have to hire my BFF after you do. Now go get me some coffee."

Just be patient. Kyle Dubas has a plan on getting younger.

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

Initially, I don't like the hire and I don't like that he's a Sully guy. But I'm going to wait to cast judgment on this one in hopes that Quinn is somehow the Karlsson whisperer.

 

[HandshakeLine]

This is why I keep saying I want a track record of changes before I declare that we have done anything different.

 

[Gurglesons]

Initially, I don't like the hire and I don't like that he's a Sully guy. But I'm going to wait to cast judgment on this one in hopes that Quinn is somehow the Karlsson whisperer.

Yeah, Reirden was the defense whisperer. Look at what he did with Graves and Petry.

 

[HandshakeLine]

It’s just amazing that you can rely on this team to make the dumbest most unforced error.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

It’s just amazing that you can rely on this team to make the dumbest most unforced error.

Every. Single. Time.

I keep bringing up Wennberg as a joke, but I'll be damned if that's not a move that screams "end of Sid/Geno era Pittsburgh Penguins."

 

[Darren McCord]

Yeah, Reirden was the defense whisperer. Look at what he did with Graves and Petry.

To be fair Reirden was great for Letang just sucked with everyone else. Maybe Quinn will be good with Karlsson and suck with everything else. Still not a win but I’m trying to find some hope.

 

[SEALBound]

Every. Single. Time.

I keep bringing up Wennberg as a joke, but I'll be damned if that's not a move that screams "end of Sid/Geno era Pittsburgh Penguins."

We are at the end of the "cup contender" portion of the Sid and Geno era. We all knew these days would be coming.

The goal now should be roughly what it was last year - compete for a playoff spot, acquire assets.

Bringing in Wennberg would be a move that suggests "we want to compete but we won't sacrifice the future". Ideally it signals the desire to boos the third line's impact.

 

[MeinerEiner]

Has a decision been made regarding Velluci?

 

[Gurglesons]

We are at the end of the "cup contender" portion of the Sid and Geno era. We all knew these days would be coming.

The goal now should be roughly what it was last year - compete for a playoff spot, acquire assets.

Bringing in Wennberg would be a move that suggests "we want to compete but we won't sacrifice the future". Ideally it signals the desire to boos the third line's impact.

I didn't know the days were coming when we would choose loyalty to our coach over the players that won us three cups.

 

[eXile3]

I didn't know the days were coming when we would choose loyalty to our coach over the players that won us three cups.

Eh, I’m still not convinced that some of this isn’t coming from the players. I can see some of the older players not wanting to go through a coaching change at this stage in their careers. Complete speculation.

 

[Gurglesons]

Eh, I’m still not convinced that some of this isn’t coming from the players. I can see some of the older players not wanting to go through a coaching change at this stage in their careers. Complete speculation.

Yeah, I'm sure Sidney Crosby is stoked to be missing the playoffs two years in a row and hiring the head coach of the worst team in the league last year to help us get back.

 

[Turin]

Honestly whatever. If you’re gonna give Sully such a long ass leash at least let him make his own staff to an extent. I don’t think he’s ever picked his assistants here.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yeah, I'm sure Sidney Crosby is stoked to be missing the playoffs two years in a row and hiring the head coach of the worst team in the league last year to help us get back.

It is a pretty widely known fact that the core absolutely loves Sullivan, so I don't know why you're so dismissive of the idea.

The team doesn't view Sullivan nearly as nearly as big of a problem as fans do. Hell, the team probably views him as part of the solution, not a part of the problem.

 

[Gurglesons]

It is a pretty widely known fact that the core absolutely loves Sullivan, so I don't know why you're so dismissive of the idea.

The team doesn't view Sullivan nearly as nearly as big of a problem as fans do. Hell, the team probably views him as part of the solution, not a part of the problem.

Yeah, I'm sorry, but Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe saying this makes me believe the complete opposite.

 

[ThosePuckingPenguins]

Yeah, I'm sorry, but Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe saying this makes me believe the complete opposite.

Letang has flat out admitted that he, Sid and Geno only want to play for Sullivan.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I mean, if the core didn't stand by Sullivan, he'd have been gone a long time ago. I'm not saying any of the big three are directly telling FSG that he's their guy, but their refusal to speak out after years of compounding losses says to me they either adore the guy or at the very least are fine with things.

One out of character word from Sid and Sullivan would be gone. In an instant. /shrug

I know people get all f***ed up about "oh it's not Sid's job" or whatever, but like, at what point are we gonna accept that Sullivan's still here due in large part because of Sid, and to a lesser extent Geno and Letang? That's reality.

 

[eXile3]

Yeah, I'm sure Sidney Crosby is stoked to be missing the playoffs two years in a row and hiring the head coach of the worst team in the league last year to help us get back.

You don’t know what Sid’s opinion of Sully is though. He could be completely bought into the “we got some bad bounces” crap. I mean Rust was out there claiming they could have beat NY. Sully obviously has an influence on them.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

If Malkin is a big Sullivan backer we can add "is a masochist" to the things we now know about him.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

It’s just amazing that you can rely on this team to make the dumbest most unforced error.

I've kinda come around on this. This directly helps the tank and prospect pool, and increases the chance of a Sullivan firing.
If we're out of it by the deadline that means we can deal Jarry, Petts, Bunting, Smith...possibly even EK if he gets sick of this shit.
They weren't gonna go deep with another assistant coach anyway, right? So why waste assets when we can get returns?

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

Yeah, Reirden was the defense whisperer. Look at what he did with Graves and Petry.

What are you even trying to say here?