Penguins/NHL
Sullivan the perfect coach In Place for the Penguins Transition Period?
As noted before, Ron Hextall was hired for the fact that Penguin ownership desired a change in philosophy in the style of a General Manager in how to toe the line of remining a contender in the present, while planning and transitioning to maintain a competitive team on a year by year basis as the likes of Sidney Crosby and others age.
Hence, avoid a Los Angeles, Detroit and Chicago type rebuild.
Mike Sullivan sure showed last season and is again this season five games in that he might be the perfect coach of playing the game of trying to win now, while having the coach and system in place to remain competitive in the years to come when the Penguins won’t be a realistic Cup contender.
Pittsburgh’s 3-0-2 start has been a coaching master piece and going back to last season this is more than just a 15-20 game window where Sullivan is getting more out of the group than he should be. A system and winning culture no matter who is in the lineup has put the Penguins in position that you better bring your effort level or your going to be run out of the building like what happened to the Maple Leafs Saturday, a 7-1 Penguins thrashing of the Leafs.
That will get results in the regular season.
In fact, Pittsburgh may very well show again months down the road that they’re built more for the regular season than the post-season. Regular season success to go with having the coach in place that can do more with less in getting regular season results, has much more weight now than it did per se for Dan Bylsma in 2014, who at one time early in the 2013-2014 season, some in the organization felt he could have a Lindy Ruff type Buffalo tenure in Pittsburgh.
— One feeling around the league is the Penguins won’t be afraid to add as the season progresses but it will be calculated. The sense seems to be there will be more of an appetite to move a To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
LATEST NHL BUZZ
— Chicago’s trainwreck season continued Sunday night with a 6-3 loss to the lowly Detroit Red Wings. They look like the 05-06 Penguins to the season where you brought in some named players, had a coach who didn’t know what he was doing and were hit with reality right away in getting run out of the building on a nightly basis in playing system-less hockey.
Chicago’s not just 0-5-1 on the season, every phase of their game has been atrocious on a pathetic level most nights.
And what has happened to Marc Andre Fleury. He looks lost out there.
Talk about a team in need of a cultural change.
Hello John Tortorella if ownership and management wants to try to double down on that roster.
— Vegas is off to a slow start and executives continue to buzz about that it’s added even more pressure for the Golden Knights to make a Jack Eichel trade happen. Vegas continues to emerge as a dark horse team for Eichel……
— Prior to the Golden Knights acquiring Mark Stone near the 2019 trade deadline, Phil Kessel was Golden Knights Plan B Option. Then coach Gerard To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
