Seems like there’s some smoke to that power struggle rumor after all. The media’s never critical of the team unless it’s coming from the FO.
Which is so odd, because that's what Sullivan had when he won back-to-back cups.
Supremely unlikable franchise lately. Gimme some guys who will rip shots even if they suck defensively and can't PK. Gimme some guys who are gonna require the opposing team to pop a couple ibuprofen the next morning for bumps and bruises. Gimme some guys who are gonna, even for a moment, give the other team pause when heading into the corners or right around the crease.
This team's hatred for specialist types is so weird to me, man. A shooter or a net front guy on the power play? No, sir, I will have one Rickard Rakell standing somewhere slot-adjacent about 15ft out from the crease, thank you.
The Pens revere these jack of all trades, swiss army knife archetypes and end up with guys who just don't do anything well at all.
I say bring it on. Struggle, fight, argue. At least show a f***ing pulse. Do something to change this team up that's only gotten more and more stale each subsequent year.
I say it every time someone like Bylsma falls in love with Glass or Adams, or Sullivan falls in love with a ZAR or Harkins; these mother f***ers see themselves in these loser players.
It's plain as day, man.
Sullivan makes a lot more sense when you realize that many of the coaching decisions that people praised during the back to back weren't really his and he resents it.
We really lost a lot when Tocchet left.
I really didn't like the idea of bringing in a JT Miller because I thought it'd just cause chaos in the room, but this team probably needs to be made uncomfortable tbh. They need guys who are gonna stand up and be like "The f*** are we doing on the power play, man? We have four f***ing Hall of Famers, how are we at like a 9% success rate?"
Meh this is revisionist crap imo. I loathe that Sullivan is still here as much as the next person but people trying to attribute those cups to all Tocchet or whoever is just nonsense. Sully had plenty to do with them. However bad he is now he was good then.
Exactly. And, to be fair, we have no idea what's said in their room. Maybe guys are saying those things. The problem is not a god damn thing is changing in the meantime, and we're all being fed a load of horse shit from the team through the media to boot.I really didn't like the idea of bringing in a JT Miller because I thought it'd just cause chaos in the room, but this team probably needs to be made uncomfortable tbh. They need guys who are gonna stand up and be like "The f*** are we doing on the power play, man? We have four f***ing Hall of Famers, how are we at like a 9% success rate?"
Even beyond the ACs, if it wasn't for injuries, none of the youth would have been given a chance. Those teams would have looked a lot more like this one, if Sullivan hadn't been newly-promoted (and unsure of himself), surrounded by a more talented AC group, had current Sid and Geno, and so on. We'd have watched Zigomanis and Megna and Porter PK ourselves out in the first round.
Yeah of course he had plenty to do with them, and nobody is going to take away those 2 cup wins. I just don't think he ever filled the role and voice that Tocchet filled adequately enough to make up for his own shortcomings.
It wouldn't hurt. Karlsson just seems happy to be here and playing with his bff Sid.I really didn't like the idea of bringing in a JT Miller because I thought it'd just cause chaos in the room, but this team probably needs to be made uncomfortable tbh. They need guys who are gonna stand up and be like "The f*** are we doing on the power play, man? We have four f***ing Hall of Famers, how are we at like a 9% success rate?"
Once Rutherford left, that was pretty much it. Hextall pissed away any valuable bottom 6 players we had.
Seems like you're referring to Acciari, Harkins, and Nieto. Hate to be THAT guy and correct you, but it should be:
Harkins got a lot of spiritual goals, they're like moral victories, very hard to come by.
What exactly did he do to be forced to not ice Kevin Porter again?
I think bigger than Tocchet or whoever else is that Sullivan never adjusted to changing circumstances. Our roster when he took it over could play the game he wanted to play and be successful.
He lives in a proverbial popemobile. He's known nothing but positive reinforcement since he became the Pens' coach, regardless of the results.
I think it's a little bit of both, but yeah I agree with all of this.I think Sullivan's issue is not that Tocchet or Gonch or whoever else is gone. It's that he got instant success and has been surrounded by nothing but yes men and people who revere the ground he walks on instead of challenging him. He has no reason to be on his toes and constantly evolve; he's heaped with praise by the organization, media and fanbase nonstop. He was given an extension two years before his current deal was even up, immediately following his fourth consecutive 1st round flop. Like, of course this guy's grown fat, happy and complacent on his throne.
Yeah, again I want to make it clear I don't think the ACs were solely responsible for the cup decisions. But having that competition and pushback made Sullivan make better decisions. Having those injuries forced him to roll with hot hands and youth. Having a Sid and Geno and Kessel in their primes helped cover up shortcomings of the system and on the roster.I think Sullivan's issue is not that Tocchet or Gonch or whoever else is gone. It's that he got instant success and has been surrounded by nothing but yes men and people who revere the ground he walks on instead of challenging him. He has no reason to be on his toes and constantly evolve; he's heaped with praise by the organization, media and fanbase nonstop. He was given an extension two years before his current deal was even up, immediately following his fourth consecutive 1st round flop. Like, of course this guy's grown fat, happy and complacent on his throne.
OR practiced 3-on-3 OR practiced the shootout.
Yeah for real. How on earth is this the dude we rushed to give all the credit for the B2B to?
I think Tocchet had plenty to do with the cups. So did Sullivan.
