Can Sullivan Coach Stars?

Darren McCord

Registered User
Dec 15, 2015
9,418
7,749
Serious question. Mike Sullivan has been the coach since December 2015.

In
2015/2016
2016/2017
They had Tocchet who was said to have good relationship with the stars especially Kessel.

Since then the team has struggled to have an identity. But it looked amazing this year when the line up was filled with guys like AJ, Lafferty, Blandhsi, agozzino, noesn. Then he gets healthy and they fall apart.

I think Sullivan is a good coach but does he have the respect or ability to work with stars? If not what do you do. Get another assistant who can or another coach who can?
 

HotCoffey

Registered User
Feb 22, 2013
928
137
No, but he can coach our ahl level lineup to a first round exit like nobody's business.
 

Big Friggin Dummy

Registered User
Feb 22, 2019
24,354
22,925
Yeah, he coached 'em to back to back Cups while completely changing the atmosphere to be more disciplined and completely revamping the style/system to play into our speed and skill.

Can Sullivan control his incessant urge to play favorites with bad players? No. That, I do not think he can do.
 

Peat

Registered User
Jun 14, 2016
29,398
25,268
Uhm... yes?

Our stars have been exceptional under Sully. Since Tocchet's gone, Geno and Sid are 6th and 7th for ppg despite injury problems and revolving casts and hitting the years in which everyone expects them to start edging gracefully towards that good night. Letang's 8th among dmen with over a 100 games. What exactly are we expecting here?

If the stars didn't respect Sully or want him here, he'd be gone.
 
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Pens x

Registered User
Oct 8, 2016
16,222
8,019
This is eerily similar to the Bylsma days. He coached much better with crappy players too.

The team gave up on Sully last year and are doing it again.

I know it might seem extreme, but it’s time to let go Recchi and Sully. We would be on an 8 game losing streak if it wasn’t for 2 games against AHL teams.
 

cheesedanish87

Registered User
Jun 27, 2012
10,797
2,157
Pittsburgh
Sid had a great year last year under Sully

Geno has had a great year this year under Sully.

Letang has always had ups and downs with his game throughout his career.
 

ChaosAgent

Registered User
May 8, 2018
17,824
12,165
When do the players get blamed? Sullivan has this team firing at all cylinders. Sid gets back and everyone gets comfortable.

Yeah the players are more to blame than Sullivan. I don't disagree with that at all. But as the old saying goes, easier to fire the coach than replace the players.
 

Andy99

Registered User
Jun 26, 2017
50,616
32,743
Yes, he can work with what he has...however, this team has gone from looking for skilled players to help our other skilled players to looking for forecheckers with little skill...and that’s on him because the GM is going along with what he wants to play....so I would say, like a lot of other coaches who were fourth line plugs in their careers, he has little patience for skill and prefers pluggers...
 

Big Friggin Dummy

Registered User
Feb 22, 2019
24,354
22,925
JR built a shit defense because he spent years acquiring awful fits/players like Reaves, Gudbranson, JJ, Pearson, Brassard, etc., which resulted in more years of him spending all of his time trying to undo those f***-ups. When you spray and pray like JR seems to do, and you miss a lot, you spend a lot of time cleaning up your own mess. This is the result of that approach. For every good deal, there are probably two or three that either didn't work out or completely backfired on JR.

This roster, particularly on the blueline, absolutely needs an overhaul. The forwards are close, need some tweaks at 1RW and 3C, but the blueline's in shambles beyond Dumo, Letang, Marino and Riikola--who never plays because the coach has just decided on a whim he doesn't like the guy.

We got work to do this summer, and depending on how the rest of the season/playoffs play out, Sully very realistically might not be a part of it.
 

Shockmaster

Registered User
Sep 11, 2012
16,008
3,377
Sullivan seems to have two major hurdles he can't get over. The first being his inability to tell Crosby "no" when it comes to wanting one of Sheary or Simon on his line. The other is his loyalty to "his guys" throughout the line-up.
 

Turin

Registered User
Feb 27, 2018
22,075
25,493
Yes, can he coach/ice a third pairing that is NHL level anymore? Remains to be seen.

The bottom six needs to score one day, that’s just as important as the stars playing well.
 

Anya6687

Registered User
Jul 12, 2015
233
213
Sullivan is easily top 5 coach in the nhl....so yes...he can coach stars

JR is the one that should be getting the criticism...he likes our defense and other than zucker trade...i dont think his last few trades made us better...actually think it has hurt us
 
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66-30-33

Registered User
Jan 24, 2006
63,144
16,166
Victoria, BC
He coached stars to back to back cups, so yes he can coach stars. In those cup years our best players were our star players.
 

Pens x

Registered User
Oct 8, 2016
16,222
8,019
It would greatly help the collective fanbase if people could remember back farther than 3 f***ing months before opening their mouths
Look back to last year’s playoff for proof of his incompetence. The team looks identical to how we finished last season.
 

turd

Registered User
Feb 1, 2013
2,943
1,387
JR is much more the problem than Sullivan is IMO. Although I do wonder if his system is sustainable year after year.
 

Pens x

Registered User
Oct 8, 2016
16,222
8,019
It’s not like our bottom six is composed of idiots like Sheahan, Mckegg, Archibald, Wilson, Rowney, etc. We should be able to ice three good lines, but dumbie doesn’t try enough combinations.
 
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Pens x

Registered User
Oct 8, 2016
16,222
8,019
Sully is the third longest tenured NHL coach in the league.

It’s not normal to keep coaches around for accomplishments from 3 years ago.
 

The Old Master

come and take it.
Sep 27, 2004
17,548
4,849
burgh
Sullivan is easily top 5 coach in the nhl.
and he seems like a n intelligent rational person. so i need to know what he sees that the rest of us uneducated blind masses don't. when it comes to riiky and some other line combos.:help:
edit; i'm talking to all our insiders... someone has to know something.
 
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ChaosAgent

Registered User
May 8, 2018
17,824
12,165
I still wonder about our breakouts. Too often I see other teams carrying the puck through the neutral zone with ease or getting through the lines with 1-2 simple passes that set them up well for a forecheck. Meanwhile we're on the struggle bus to get it out of our zone. We're flinging the puck everywhere and icing CONSTANTLY.

I don't have a background in Xs and Os. Am I imagining things? Is this a system issue - that teams have caught onto something we tend to do? Or is it that 3/6 of the defensemen suck.
 

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