Building on the above point here is an excerpt from Behind the Benches:
Early on in their tenure, Sullivan and his staff settled on the idea of trying Kessel on a line with Bonino. They thought it would give the Penguins a balance on all three lines, featuring Crosby one, Malkin on another and Kessel on the third. They didn’t see much downside, since the Penguins weren’t exactly tearing it up when Sullivan took over.
So Sullivan invited Kessel into his office and shared the idea. They talked about creating balance in an attempt to get Kessel on the ice against the opposing team’s third D pair. At the time, Kessel was playing with Malkin but that line wasn’t generating as much offense as Sullivan thought it could.
“Phil at the time didn’t have a lot of interest.” Sullivan says. “He understood our logic. I’m not sure he agreed with it. To his credit he said “Whatever you want.” But, I do think that for players to be at their best, they have to believe. At the time he was a good soldier. He did it, but I don’t think he really believed.”
Obviously Sullivan is replaceable, but Kessel definitely strikes me as someone that thinks he is always right.
