Penguins/NHL
1. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel all on separate lines?
That appears to be the plan for Mike Sullivan moving forward once Sidney Crosby gets back to the lineup [hide]. The Penguins expect Crosby to return vs Minnesota.
Penguins GM Jim Rutherford revealed during an interview on 937 The Fan today that Sullivan told him a few days ago he would like to have Crosby, Malkin, Kessel on separate lines to avoid the opposition being able to match up a No. 1 pairing against one particular line.
Expect to see Phil Kessel and Nick Bonino stay together after the break.
My Take: This strategy sounds good on paper to spread things out but it rarely works out and not playing your best players with top talent doesn’t maximize their abilities. Some chatter in league circles of Jim Rutherford being interested in Tyler Bozak to play with Phil Kessel might not be so crazy after all…..
2. Rutherford was asked about why Derrick Pouliot is not up with the big club. Rutherford said he keeps asking Billy Guerin and Mark Recchi about Pouliot and the response from Recchi/Guerin continues to be that Pouliot’s “play has not been consistent” enough to warrant a callup.
Rutherford mentioned Pouliot believes he doesn’t deserve to be down there which could also be playing a factor in some inconsistency but Rutherford said during the interview what he doesn’t want is to bring Pouliot up and then have to send him back down. Once Pouliot comes up, Rutherford wants it to be permanent.
My Take: The Penguins handling of Derrick Pouliot might not be a popular one but it’s the right one. Though, the Penguins have not been pleased with Pouliot’s professionalism and commitment towards being a professional player (not talking about his citation on Halloween night), the Penguins have felt Pouliot has an attitude problem and I believe that’s playing a small factor in Pouliot still being in Wilkes Barre, but the reality is the kid is just not ready and proved that last season and again during training camp. He needs time to properly develop.
3. Rutherford mentioned several times during the interview that the timing of making the coaching change was not ideal due to the injuries and the schedule with little practice time. Rutherford also indicated he gave consideration to hiring Jacques Martin.
My Take: Some of Rutherford’s co-horts were certain that a coaching change was going to happen but not until after the Columbus game on the 21st where the organization would have the Christmas break to decompress. Something during the night of LA game ticked Rutherford off, a source said. Talks between Rutherford and Mike Sullivan began that night after the Wilkes Barre game and Penguins game ended vs Kings. A three year contract was officially finalized the following morning.[/hide]
Related posts:
Adrenaline rush from players with new system and coaching change starting to take shape in a big way
Penguins don’t plan to callup Derrick Pouliot
Morning Skate Buzz: Derrick Pouliot back with the team, working on top power play unit
Coaching Front: Dan Bylsma has been no one’s ‘Plan A’ but could emerge as a strong contender now for the Sabres job
