Proposal: Swapping Mike Sullivan for Barry Trotz

[Rodgerwilco]

So I was having a discussion with a few friends on social media and wanted to see what everyone here thought.

With Barry Trotz being currently available and the Penguins once again failing to win a playoff series this season, what would yinz think about the Penguins relieving Sullivan of his coaching position and replacing him with Barry Trotz?

Please note, I am not saying my opinion one way or the other here or trying to convince anyone of anything, I would prefer to remain neutral and see what everyone here thinks.

Click to read more...

 

[Empoleon8771]

This roster isn't built to succeed with Trotz as a coach. If you wanted to replace Sullivan with someone, Cassidy was the guy that made the most sense.

I also think Trotz is a super overrated coach overall. He had that great run with the Islanders when the team was built exactly how a Trotz team needs to be built, and he won that one cup in Washington. But beyond that? He's been a consistent 1st or 2nd round playoff loser.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

So I was having a discussion with a few friends on social media and wanted to see what everyone here thought.

With Barry Trotz being currently available and the Penguins once again failing to win a playoff series this season, what would yinz think about the Penguins relieving Sullivan of his coaching position and replacing him with Barry Trotz?

Please note, I am not saying my opinion one way or the other here or trying to convince anyone of anything, I would prefer to remain neutral and see what everyone here thinks.

I'd rather do...

Head coach - Ryan Warsofsky
Assistant Coach Defense/Pk - Jay McKee
Assistant Coach Powerplay/Forwards - Pat Dwyer (his guy he has had with Charlotte and Chicago)

That's the direction I would head with this. Coaches that are up and coming and ready. Ryan has been great with development and has a good track record with winning in the ahl and is primed to be a head coach. Jay is one of the better coaches in the OHL and is amazing with developing young defensemen and is an ex penguin to boot. Dwyer has been with Ryan most of the way.

This would bring a fresh new outlook with utilizing this roster and the farm team. I mean with Sully he's going to keep doing the same things like he's shown the last 5yrs with awful playoff results. What's going to change? How many more players is he going to f*** up before its finally enough? 4 straight first round exits don't seem to phase our moronic new ownership.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Pens media: “So Crosby how do you feel about swapping Sullivan for Trotz?”

Crosby:

 

[HandshakeLine]

I miss that Sid.

 

[dogthateats]

Swapping Spit with Mike Sullivan and Barry Trotz every Friday at 3:00PM on B94 — your home for every Pittsburgh Riverhounds game with John Fedko, an iHeartRadio affiliate.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

I miss that Sid.

That was literally from this season.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I'd rather do...

Head coach - Ryan Warsofsky
Assistant Coach Defense/Pk - Jay McKee
Assistant Coach Powerplay/Forwards - Pat Dwyer (his guy he has had with Charlotte and Chicago)

That's the direction I would head with this. Coaches that are up and coming and ready. Ryan has been great with development and has a good track record with winning in the ahl and is primed to be a head coach. Jay is one of the better coaches in the OHL and is amazing with developing young defensemen and is an ex penguin to boot. Dwyer has been with Ryan most of the way.

This would bring a fresh new outlook with utilizing this roster and the farm team. I mean with Sully he's going to keep doing the same things like he's shown the last 5yrs with awful playoff results. What's going to change? How many more players is he going to f*** up before its finally enough? 4 straight first round exits don't seem to phase our moronic new ownership.

That does sound like a solid roadmap there. I was more looking for specifics on this, as the conversation was more about gaining Trotz specifically than it was about removing Sullivan.

I have to say, to be fair, the new ownership group hasn't even had a full off-season to make any moves.

 

[K Fleur]

Trots has gone out of his way to praise Crosby a few times.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Trots has gone out of his way to praise Crosby a few times.

I have too and that didn't land me the GM job I was vying for.

 

[Hisch13r]

Please do that.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Please do that.

Post of the day from a devil

 

[HandshakeLine]

That was literally from this season.

I know, I want to see Sid smacking fools 24/7, 365.

Can't a man dream?

 

[Pens x]

Yes, at least we won’t have to lose against Trotz in the playoffs if he’s our coach.

 

[66-30-33]

I have too and that didn't land me the GM job I was vying for.

My jobs hiring.

 

[Pens x]

If they are keeping clown Sully, stop taking roster advice from the chooch.

 

[Victor Z]

If you wanted to replace Sullivan with someone, Cassidy was the guy that made the most sense.

Yep. At least of those 2 guys, Cassidy would have been the much better option.

 

[Zbynek]

This roster isn't built to succeed with Trotz as a coach. If you wanted to replace Sullivan with someone, Cassidy was the guy that made the most sense.

I also think Trotz is a super overrated coach overall. He had that great run with the Islanders when the team was built exactly how a Trotz team needs to be built, and he won that one cup in Washington. But beyond that? He's been a consistent 1st or 2nd round playoff loser.

"Other than that one time he won a Stanley Cup" sounds bizarre to me.

Trotz is the 3rd winningest coach in NHL history and has coached teams of all different makeups. So to say he couldn't coach this team because of how it's built is just wrong.

14 playoff berths in the past 18 years of coaching. Made it to the 2nd round or later for 7 straight years until NYI missed it this year. I have never seen a single good reason on this forum for why we shouldn't consider Trotz other than "His game is boring".

Too bad it will never happen because FSG has a hard-on for Mike Sullivan's shtick.

 

[HandshakeLine]

I am absolutely befuddled by how often this board oscillates wildly between "the performance is entirely on the shoulders of the players, the coach is not responsible" and "the coach deserves all the credit for the performance of the players." Often within a single post!



In the end, as with pretty much everything, the truth is in the middle. Having Trotz is not going to make this squad into the Islanders. Having Sullivan is not going to make the BJs into the Pens. But the coaches are going to bring their own distinct flavor to the squads because they make the decisions, they run the room, they reward or punish performance on the ice, they hire the assistants (sometimes), they design the special team schemes (sometimes).

And sometimes, they coach. But apparently not often.

 

[Zbynek]

I am absolutely befuddled by how often this board oscillates wildly between "the performance is entirely on the shoulders of the players, the coach is not responsible" and "the coach deserves all the credit for the performance of the players." Often within a single post!



In the end, as with pretty much everything, the truth is in the middle. Having Trotz is not going to make this squad into the Islanders. Having Sullivan is not going to make the BJs into the Pens. But the coaches are going to bring their own distinct flavor to the squads because they make the decisions, they run the room, they reward or punish performance on the ice, they hire the assistants (sometimes), they design the special team schemes (sometimes).

And sometimes, they coach. But apparently not often.

I think the reality is somewhere in between these two statements. Coaches are there to get the most out of their players but obviously they don't play a Crosby/McDavid type role en route to the Cup.

Coaches are similar to goalies in that the pendulum can swing on them in moment's notice. They quickly fall out of favor with fans and management, and the writing is on the wall.

Another important point here to consider is momentum. You can have one of the best coaches in the league and still not find success in consecutive years. (Cassidy and Trotz are both successful, highly praised coaches but got canned without an afterthought) Sometimes, you need to make a coaching change for coaching change's sake, to throw some spark into the team's momentum.

In fact, look no further to the last 3 Cups we won. That's exactly what happened - we capitalized off the momentum of a coaching change.