Speculation: Offseason coaching thread: Should they stay or should they go?

[Darren McCord]

I certainly remember how excited everyone was and how we could barely believe we got Mike Sullivan when he first was hired by WBS.

Just like how Colorado loved getting Bednar who is know apparently a top coach in the league even though they were absolutely awful with him at the helm the first year.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Saying "there are no good coaches available" is not an argument for not firing Sullivan, as others have already said. On the other hand, if there are only legitimately bad coaches available, then you don't fire Sullivan. If the alternative is Dave Hakstol, you keep Sullivan.

I feel like that's a fairly reasonable take here. Don't fire Sullivan to bring in some shit tier coach just for the sake of change, but you don't need a proven great coach to justify firing Sullivan.

 

[BusinessGoose]

I think this is where i must say "I will eat my shoe, live, on television" if this happens

 

[Darren McCord]

Saying "there are no good coaches available" is not an argument for not firing Sullivan, as others have already said. On the other hand, if there are only legitimately bad coaches available, then you don't fire Sullivan. If the alternative is Dave Hakstol, you keep Sullivan.

I agree with the first part but the second part is contradictory. There are never only legitimately bad coaches available. Your team may only look at trash options but they doesn't mean good coaches arent available.

 

[Pens x]

Ive been wanting that smug **** Sully gone since 2020, but good god, why is Hakstol’s name even a consideration? What’s Kevin Constantine up to these days or Mike Johnston? Good lord.

 

[Turin]

There aren't any good coaches available, and Mike Sullivan is past his due date here in Pittsburgh. I think both things can be true.

Anybody available is better than Hakstol

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Mike Sullivan and Rod Brind'Amour were just retired former players looking for jobs before they were "top tier" head coaches.

That isn't to say there aren't flat out awful coaches. There are. I have no idea how Hakstol is even still finding work, for instance.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Just like how Colorado loved getting Bednar who is know apparently a top coach in the league even though they were absolutely awful with him at the helm the first year.

Bednar was promoted at the last minute because of the Roy situation. He was hired a month before camp. The franchise was in shambles.

He's proven his worth since that first year.

 

[NeonKnight]

The Pittsburgh Penguins have not been asked for permission, nor have they granted permission, for the New Jersey Devils to speak to head coach Mike Sullivan, Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas said Tuesday.

“There have been no requests and no permissions granted,” Dubas said in a text message to The Athletic.

 

[Borgir]

Ventriloquist doll Woodcroft is pushing hard for a new gig.

 

[Gurglesons]

The Pittsburgh Penguins have not been asked for permission, nor have they granted permission, for the New Jersey Devils to speak to head coach Mike Sullivan, Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas said Tuesday.

“There have been no requests and no permissions granted,” Dubas said in a text message to The Athletic.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Love the irony of lightning rod Rossi being the one to do the actual journalism here and get Dubas to comment publicly.



Seravalli chimes in.

 

[Darren McCord]

Bednar was promoted at the last minute because of the Roy situation. He was hired a month before camp. The franchise was in shambles.

He's proven his worth since that first year.

That is the point. You don't need to bring in a name. There are good coaches out there who haven't got a shot.

 

[Gurglesons]

Love the irony of lightning rod Rossi being the one to do the actual journalism here and get Dubas to comment publicly.



Seravalli chimes in.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

That is the point. You don't need to bring in a name. There are good coaches out there who haven't got a shot.

It's like AHL players except even moreso.

I wish more guys who AREN'T former players would coach. Think you'd see more ability to think around corners and less idiotic adherence to some "old school" methods and ways of thinking.

 

[Darren McCord]

Maybe Sullivan is threatening to go if they fire the assistants. I hope so and it would make it easier to get rid of the bunch.

Maybe Sully is leaking the stuff for leverage.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Hey, just because no permission was granted doesn't mean Sully isn't having an internal battle that ultimately ends with him choosing to resign from his spot as Penguins head coach!

...f***.

 

[molon labe]

Reminds me of some horrendous relationships I've witnessed. Somehow the two end up back together time and again, and 'somehow' things don't change. She's insane. He drinks. Abuse. Cheating. Whatever - it's usually all there. Two basket cases tied to one another.

6 years of failure...but maybe we need until Christmas break THIS year to determine if Sullivan is past his time here.

Every day that passes is just another day in the saga that is Penguin FO insanity. Maybe Sully has nudes of them. Maybe Sully is their weed man. Whatever the case - it's not that he's a great coach and they feel they can have success with them - because if that's the case there's got to be some sort of legal ground here that we can have their heads checked because that level of insanity shouldn't be walking the streets.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Honestly at this point if I'm Sullivan I'm just strutting around all day like Vince McMahon making ridiculous demands and seeing how far I can push this whole asinine hostage situation.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Don't worry guys, the team can excuse six years of steady decline and repeated failures, but they draw the line at seven years of steady decline and repeated failures. Just gotta wait another calendar year.

 

[SEALBound]

Honestly at this point if I'm Sullivan I'm just strutting around all day like Vince McMahon making ridiculous demands and seeing how far I can push this whole asinine hostage situation.

On the outside maybe. Inside, I can't imagine he's THAT unaware of the totality of his failures since 2017.

 

[Gurglesons]

It's funny when somehow you are still the most embarassing franchise over the summer with what has happened to the Leafs and Yotes.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

On the outside maybe. Inside, I can't imagine he's THAT unaware of the totality of his failures since 2017.

Denial is a terrific panacea for a raging ego, my friend.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

It's funny when somehow you are still the most embarassing franchise over the summer with what has happened to the Leafs and Yotes.

Buffalo hired Ruff, so there's at least a tiny bit of competition.

But yeah, nod goes to the Pens imo.

 

[Empoleon8771]

That seems more like a lawyer answer from Dubas than anything. New Jersey may have not asked permission to talk with Sullivan about a job, but that doesn't mean that Sullivan and Dubas have not had discussions about Sullivan's future with the Penguins.

That's not even me coping, it's just that the Dubas quote doesn't really seem to kill what is being suggested out there. No one was saying that New Jersey was asking for permission to talk with Sullivan, what was being discussed is that Sullivan is interested in coaching for New Jersey and the team and him may mutually agree to part ways.