Does Sullivan still have his job?

[icon6668]

After the crapshoot of results that was round 1, I think Sully keeps his job and the Pens do bugger all in the off season.
They'll look at all the upsets and think they were just unlucky and continue trying to bang a square peg into a round hole next year.

 

[BeatenLikeRentedMule]

Sully should be let go. He didn't make any adjustments after down 0-2 in the series. A smart coach would have gone to a form of the trap. Carolina shows how to beat this Isles team. Patience and trapping. Sully's line adjustments were awful as well.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Sully should be let go. He didn't make any adjustments after down 0-2 in the series. A smart coach would have gone to a form of the trap. Carolina shows how to beat this Isles team. Patience and trapping. Sully's line adjustments were awful as well.

By that logic, the Isles should fire Trotz because the series is only getting worse for them. After two close games, they were blown out tonight. Clearly Trotz doesn't know what he's doing, right?

 

[Coastal Kev]

Fire him....

You know he's not making it through next season, why wait. And if he does make it through next year, my prediction is that JR heads out with his arrogant ass,.

 

[BeatenLikeRentedMule]

By that logic, the Isles should fire Trotz because the series is only getting worse for them. After two close games, they were blown out tonight. Clearly Trotz doesn't know what he's doing, right?

No. Trots has over achieved with a team with no stars who have bought into his system. And it was 2-1 until their goalie was pulled. That's hardly a blowout.

Pens have played some of their worst hockey this year and one of their worst playoffs in franchise history. Pens have lots of big names who didn't look like they even wanted to be in the playoffs. That's on the coach.

 

[Empoleon8771]

No. Trots has over achieved with a team with no stars who have bought into his system.

Pens have played some of their worst hockey this year and one of their worst playoffs in franchise history. Pens have lots of big names who didn't look like they even wanted to be in the playoffs. That's on the coach.

Lol

Come on dude, the Penguins were below the Islanders in the standings. This is nothing compared to 2012 Flyers or 1993 Islanders just off the top of my head.

 

[BeatenLikeRentedMule]

Lol

Come on dude, the Penguins were below the Islanders in the standings. This is nothing compared to 2012 Flyers or 1993 Islanders just off the top of my head.

93 Pens played their asses off after taking the first couple of games lightly. It took a lucky bounce for Volek in OT of Game G7 for Isle to win.

2012 was bad but they generated goals and won a couple games after down 0-3 against Philly. At least Pens had a pulse in that series.

 

[BHD]

I realize it's the series is still fresh, but I would have to consider where to ranks. It has to be up there.

 

[Shwag33]

By that logic, the Isles should fire Trotz because the series is only getting worse for them. After two close games, they were blown out tonight. Clearly Trotz doesn't know what he's doing, right?

You must have not watched the game.... 2 empty nets, the game was tight the entire way.

 

[HandshakeLine]

The question is less "Does Sullivan deserve to be fired" and more "Is the team tuning him out?"

 

[BladeRunner66]

The question is less "Does Sullivan deserve to be fired" and more "Is the team tuning him out?"

I think he deserves to be fired for not adapting to a changing roster & his team playing like zombies clearly indicates they want him out.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

You must have not watched the game.... 2 empty nets, the game was tight the entire way.

It was a tongue-in-cheek post done to make a point.

One series shouldn't define a coach. And in Sullivan's case, he deserved a longer leash because of the success he's had. If the roster was better constructed, I'd give him more scrutiny. But this was a very flawed group and Sullivan deserves the chance to work with some fresh bodies.

 

[BladeRunner66]

It was a tongue-in-cheek post done to make a point.

One series shouldn't define a coach. And in Sullivan's case, he deserved a longer leash because of the success he's had. If the roster was better constructed, I'd give him more scrutiny. But this was a very flawed group and Sullivan deserves the chance to work with some fresh bodies.

He's dead, his group became like him, it was so f***ing obvious in PO. Sully has to go and JR has better come up with some seriously good trades in the off-season to save his wrinkled hide.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

It was a tongue-in-cheek post done to make a point.

One series shouldn't define a coach. And in Sullivan's case, he deserved a longer leash because of the success he's had. If the roster was better constructed, I'd give him more scrutiny. But this was a very flawed group and Sullivan deserves the chance to work with some fresh bodies.

This isn't about canning him after 1 series.
This is about a poor body of work after the 2nd Cup. Regular season and playoffs the past 2 seasons have been "mediocre" when you consider the talent on the roster.
They probably are tuning him out and that doesn't make him a bad coach, just an unfortunate victim of the hockey culture where players do that

 

[BeatenLikeRentedMule]

Fire him....

You know he's not making it through next season, why wait. And if he does make it through next year, my prediction is that JR heads out with his arrogant ass,.

Pens have always performed better after a coaching change around December, at least this version of the Pens. Let the players see rock bottom and the upper management see some empty seats so they know this is a serious matter.

There really aren't many great coaches right now and dropping this guy so soon would make potential coaches think twice about coming here.

This will be the core's 5th coach which, to me, indicates the team has a lot of prima donnas - some of whom would might be better off with another club. Cough *Letang*, Cough *Malkin*. Get the right coach for a possible new, younger roster.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Lemieux and Jagr chased how many coaches out of town? And better ones than Sullivan too!

 

[Andy99]

Lemieux and Jagr chased how many coaches out of town? And better ones than Sullivan too!

Time honored Pens tradition...unfortunately JR has hitched his wagon to him, so he ain’t getting canned until JR does...

 

[HandshakeLine]

I mean, it's one thing to run Mike Johnston out of town, but it takes a special kind of diva to drive out THREE legendary coaches (Scotty Bowman, Herb Brooks, Ivan Hlinka).

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

I mean, it's one thing to run Mike Johnston out of town, but it takes a special kind of diva to drive out THREE legendary coaches (Scotty Bowman, Herb Brooks, Ivan Hlinka).

A Tradition Unlike Any Other

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

The question is less "Does Sullivan deserve to be fired" and more "Is the team tuning him out?"

If the team is tuning a coach out he prob should be fired even if it's not fair. Wouldnt be fair to get rid of a coach after he won back to back cups either but if they want to win another one thats something they need to look at. Do you reward a coach a certain amount of years because he won? Usually thats the case in sports. The non traditional thing to do would be to move on as soon as players stop listening to the things that worked for them when they won it...but that's what I would do.

Its a tough situation...do you get rid of some players on your team to see if things change and it doesnt? Or get rid of the coach and end up being worse because of it, for the chance to see if that could give the team another spark that they seem to need in order to win it all?

 

[joeyjake5]

IMO, MS is on a short two month leash next year. If the pens flounder by next mid-December, he will be fired and be the scapegoat.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

After the crapshoot of results that was round 1, I think Sully keeps his job and the Pens do bugger all in the off season.
They'll look at all the upsets and think they were just unlucky and continue trying to bang a square peg into a round hole next year.

I do think it was bad luck facing the Isles in the first round. If we faced them later on we would have probably won. That series reminded me of the Sens series in the ECF. Who knows, if we faced them round 1 we could have been caught off guard.

Still should be able to adjust and win but seemed like everything that could go against us did. Not to mention Malkin injured for the playoffs again. Letang as well..obviously wasnt the same.

Not making excuses for Sullivan but we did have bad luck with injuries late the last 2 years. He could have done much better with the lineup tho..thats my problem with him. We've seen what works and what usually doesn't. Hes been pretty stubborn going with what he "wants" to work. Changing the lineup for the start of the series after our team playing well to end the season(with a diff lineup) wasnt a good idea. Blueger being one example.

 

[BeatenLikeRentedMule]

I do think it was bad luck facing the Isles in the first round. If we faced them later on we would have probably won. That series reminded me of the Sens series in the ECF. Who knows, if we faced them round 1 we could have been caught off guard.

Still should be able to adjust and win but seemed like everything that could go against us did. Not to mention Malkin injured for the playoffs again. Letang as well..obviously wasnt the same.

Not making excuses for Sullivan but we did have bad luck with injuries late the last 2 years. He could have done much better with the lineup tho..thats my problem with him. We've seen what works and what usually doesn't. Hes been pretty stubborn going with what he "wants" to work. Changing the lineup for the start of the series after our team playing well to end the season(with a diff lineup) wasnt a good idea. Blueger being one example.

Those two you mentioned are injured every year, take stupid retaliatory penalties and are turnover machines.

The team was actually playing pretty good without them in the lineup.

 

[Andy99]

Those two you mentioned are injured every year, take stupid retaliatory penalties and are turnover machines.

The team was actually playing pretty good without them in the lineup.

Since December (I crossed out October and November since Oct was a good month for Geno and November a really Bad month for the team overall), Geno played in 44 games out of 58 and the Pens won 64% of those games. In Feb, he missed 5 games and the team was 1-4 and in March to early April, he missed 8 games and the team went 4-4...therefore, the team was not better off with Geno out of the lineup...despite his “poor” season

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Feels before reals, Andy.