Penguins/NHL
What If the Penguins lose the next two games and lose bad? Do things reach a boiling point with Mike Sullivan?
It’s a topic no one inside the organization wants to go and the message is pundits are wasting their time writing about this. But, I’m not a propaganda puff-puff piece website in town like so many are, so here we go; First and foremost there are so many layers on the Sullivan front. Chief among them: Sidney Crosby doesn’t want another coach and made that clear again all summer in discussions with management; FSG thinks Sullivan with his Massachusetts’s ties is the Bill Belichick of the NHL. Kyle Dubas even with the power he has and near $6.5 million a year salary, cannot fire Sullivan without having Tom Werner on board. Sullivan is regarded in team circles as being beyond Dubas’ scope. Then there’s the fact of the commitment both sides made to each other last summer. The Penguins in May offered Sullivan permission verbally if he wanted to explore options. They gave him an out in the most respectful way. Pittsburgh knew about New Jersey but the sleeper team at the forefront of this was the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
Both sides took a step forward to remaining committed to each other that even saw Sullivan getting close friend David Quinn a three-year contract to match his contract. That’s what makes things so complicated with the Penguins on a downward spiral. Let’s not sugar coat it, the Penguins are un-coachable right now with Sullivan behind the bench and when that transpires you just don’t turn things around with a blink of the eye. Bottom line — growing consensus in and out of Pittsburgh it would be To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
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What if the Penguins put Erik Karlsson on the Trade Market? Would there be a market?
Erik Karlsson in the midst of a disastrous six game run on this losing streak is going to soon be a talking point if things continue down this path. Dubas has called Karlsson part of the Core Four and while mostly regarded as a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer, there’s some in Karlsson’s camp who feel another trade may hurt his reputation and to just ride things out in Pittsburgh for his career. I’m sure many in Pittsburgh will say ‘no way’ but Karlsson is regarded in league circles as absolutely being tradeable, especially if Pittsburgh makes him a $7 million a year player as one league executive put it. The Ottawa reunion has always been out there but if and I mean if Dubas shopped Karlsson around this season, the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
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MORE BUZZ
Sounds like the Penguins would like to get Vasily Ponomarev now healthy around four games in Wilkes Barre before a callup to the NHL club. Don’t think he’ll be in Wilkes Barre long. Emil Bemstrom is also getting strong consideration for a callup as Penguins internally have discussed shaking up forward group. I wouldn’t buy any real estate in Pittsburgh if I was Jesse Puljujarvi……..Indications are Penguins bracing for a 2-3 absence for To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
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