Does Sullivan still have his job?

[Honour Over Glory]

After seeing that tweet by Sully...

f*** that guy.

 

[JBose7]

Even though he commands respect,Babcock is overrated. Trotz is good but not great. They need a new assistant coach, Martin is not the issue, but Recchi is. Sullivan is becoming maddening with running guys out of town and playing plugs

 

[Ogrezilla]

flip a coin. I can see it going either way. I would lean towards him still being here, but it's probably thin ice. A bad start after this will certainly be the end.

 

[turd]

Personally, I don’t care what they do. Won’t be upset if they keep him, won’t complain if they dump him. But what I would like to see happen if they keep him is for him and GMJR to get on the same f***ing page. Because they clearly are not right now and really haven’t been since the moment Tom Wilson began smashing into players. That sent GMJR into stupid mode ever since, which has led to a ridiculously structured team with no real identity at all.

I was watching the game on the CBC feed tonight, and toward the end, they kept showing Mario... he looked PISSED. Not sure if that’ll lead to anything but he was not happy.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Is Quennville still available?

No. Florida got him. Flyers got Vigneault too. Idk who option C is.

 

[BHD]

Who do you replace him with?

This is key. Todd Nelson is the guy I'm really interested in. His resume is impressive and, more importantly, players rave about him.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Yes because we refuse to change **** up unless we absolutely have to.

Even then, we don't change anything up because Sully gonna Sully.

 

[turd]

The more I think about it, I think GMJR is the one that needs to go and a new GM can decide Sully’s fate. I don’t know why anyone would have faith in JR to unf*** the situation he’s put us in. The contracts have been horrible (JJ, Horny, Rust), some recent head scratching deals (Reaves, Brass, Oleksiak, Hagelin). He’s just all over the place. Look what he did in Carolina after they won their Cup. He’s had way more bad years than good ones.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

This is key. Todd Nelson is the guy I'm really interested in. His resume is impressive and, more importantly, players rave about him.

If that's the route, I also try to pick up Sheldon Keefe for WBS and then pick up some very good up and coming assistants that have a decent resume like Ulf Samuelsson and another person.

I'd probably just straight up clear house. Clark should be fired for the crap job in WBS, Sully & his boys need to get the f*** out of town, I would even shit can Rutherford and pray Billy G is given a mentor/hand holder that the Team President trusts.

 

[Turin]

As long as JJ is on this team I don’t care either way.

 

[PensandCaps]

I say fire him. Its clear the team is unmotivated and has been playing care free hockey for two seasons now. Blowing leads, it seems obvious the players may be too comfortable.

Fire Sullivan, hire Cooper if he gets canned.

Can you trade coaches?

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

If Coach Q was still available, I'd feel a lot less confident in saying Sully will be our coach moving forward.

I still think JR is the real fraud here. I can't look past the fact that as soon as Botterill left, we started going after the Reaves', Oleksiaks, the Pearsons, the JJs, the Gudbransons, etc.

 

[Pancakes]

Yeah, he does

 

[Dangles78]

Sheldon Keefe?

 

[Pens x]

I’d love to see both JR and Sullivan fired. I would be shocked if this team doesn’t keep both, though.

Should Sullivan get fired? Absolutely. Will he? Nope.

The team has played uninspired hockey for 2 straight years. We have lost 8 of our last 9 playoff games, and this series was dominated by NYI.

I have no interest in starting out poorly next season with dumb shit sully again. Maybe he is only suited to coach all star teams.

 

[BHD]

If that's the route, I also try to pick up Sheldon Keefe for WBS and then pick up some very good up and coming assistants that have a decent resume like Ulf Samuelsson and another person.

I doubt he leaves TO right now. He's currently coaching a loaded Marlies roster while waiting for an opportunity at the NHL level. If he's coaching in Pennsylvania next season, it would be at the PPG Paints Arena.

 

[The Shovel Penguin]

I'm more annoyed with JR than I am Sullivan. Or whoever the hell it was that thought changing team identity was a good idea after winning 2 straight cups.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I just want someone to explain to me what Sullivan does that's so egregious, and wouldn't be a problem if another coach was in his spot.

Favoritism with certain players? Unanimous across the board as far as coaches go. Particularly former players who see themselves in these grinder types.

Line combos? When you have so many issues at forward, it's tough to get the combos perfect. Kessel seems to outright refuse to play with anyone but Geno for any length of time. Sid doesn't seem to want to play with Hornqvist or Kessel, and prefers guys like McCann, Rust and Simon. Phil and Geno are a train wreck at ES together, and actively make each other worse. This is a JR issue.

Adjust the system to his current roster? How in the world do you adjust your system, the one that won you back to back Cups, to be more palatable to a lineup of slow, ineffective blueliners who are wholly incapable of transition or offensive production? The entire machine runs on the blueline being its engine. When your engine is JJ, Maatta, Gudbranson and the ghost of Justin Schultz, you're absolutely done for. So, we play a slower, 2003-era style of game? Against teams that play fast, aggressive, forechecking hockey? Yeah, success awaits!

I'm not overly pleased with Sully, but I think the vast majority of things people want him crucified for are JR's fault.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I doubt he leaves TO right now. He's currently coaching a loaded Marlies roster while waiting for an opportunity at the NHL level. If he's coaching in Pennsylvania next season, it would be at the PPG Paints Arena.

Yeah but he can also be a mid season coaching replacement that wins a Stanley Cup.

Beat that as a sweetener!

 

[CertifiedLurker]

I just want someone to explain to me what Sullivan does that's so egregious, and wouldn't be a problem if another coach was in his spot.

Favoritism with certain players? Unanimous across the board as far as coaches go. Particularly former players who see themselves in these grinder types.

Line combos? When you have so many issues at forward, it's tough to get the combos perfect. Kessel seems to outright refuse to play with anyone but Geno for any length of time. Sid doesn't seem to want to play with Hornqvist or Kessel, and prefers guys like McCann, Rust and Simon. Phil and Geno are a train wreck at ES together, and actively make each other worse. This is a JR issue.

Adjust the system to his current roster? How in the world do you adjust your system, the one that won you back to back Cups, to be more palatable to a lineup of slow, ineffective blueliners who are wholly incapable of transition or offensive production? The entire machine runs on the blueline being its engine. When your engine is JJ, Maatta, Gudbranson and the ghost of Justin Schultz, you're absolutely done for. So, we play a slower, 2003-era style of game? Against teams that play fast, aggressive, forechecking hockey? Yeah, success awaits!

I'm not overly pleased with Sully, but I think the vast majority of things people want him crucified for are JR's fault.

Isn't it weird how Geno and Phil were great ES when this team had some semblance of a transition game.. really makes you think.

 

[Chuck Norris Trophy]

After seeing that tweet by Sully...

**** that guy.

What tweet?

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

What tweet?

yeah what tweet?

Get a young coach with new ideas who will play the best players.

Sam Ventura for GMJR. A man can dream. The clock ticks. Sid will be 32 and Geno 33 next season. You know we binked Bjugstad, McCann and Pettersson and still not enough. Time for Cullen to retire. Timeto ship out Horny, Maatta and JJ.

 

[cvrle1]

I would like to see him gone. I feel that he has lost touch with reality, and has lost some of the players in the room as well (if not most) Sure, he won B2B, but since then it looks like he forgot how to coach properly. Questionable decisions with lineup (Cole as an example) sudden lack of will to change things up when they are not working, playing players on top line that shouldnt be (see Rust) and just getting outcoached 2 years in a row by Trotz should signal time for a change.

As some have mentioned, who do you get? Q is off the table, Vigneault same thing (and not sure he would have worked here either) and other coaches that were fired this season that are free are crap. Thinking way outside the box, I would have said Iron Mike, but last I heard he isnt coaching any more due to prostate cancer. Dave Tippet, Darryl Sutter, Lindy Ruff, Bob Hartley, not sure if any of these would be good replacement. What is Michel Therrien doing these days haha.

Edit: Keenan was cleared in Feb to resume coaching if he chose to do so, after getting all clear for his cancer.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Reality check: Shero and Bylsma were here for two more seasons after the debacle against the Flyers in 2012.

That team was better than this one.

Mario and Burkle will demand changes, but they'll allow Rutherford and Sullivan a chance to enact those changes after winning two Cups.

 

[cvrle1]

Reality check: Shero and Bylsma were here for two more seasons after the debacle against the Flyers in 2012.

That team was better than this one.

Mario and Burkle will demand changes, but they'll allow Rutherford and Sullivan a chance to enact those changes after winning two Cups.

True, I just hope that they pull the plug on at least one. They did win 2 cups, but they also had 2 very sub par years after (including one that just came to very abrupt and embarrassing end)