Penguins Update: Is Mike Sullivan Feeling the Heat?

As the Penguins lurch toward their second straight non-playoff season, it’s fair to say long-time coach Mike Sullivan is beginning to feel the heat. Indeed, media outlets that have traditionally been supportive of Sully are beginning to take a hard look at his performance behind the bench. Both Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now and Hooks Orpik of Pensburgh have written excellent articles on the subject of late, well-worth the read.

My personal take?

I think the Pens should’ve made a clean sweep and replaced Sullivan when they fired GM Ron Hextall and POHO Brian Burke last summer. His system and message just seem stale. Every coach has a shelf life. My sense is Sullivan has exceeded his here.

That’s not to suggest he’s a bad coach. Just that it’s time to move on. Especially in light of the way the Pens have fallen short of expectations this season. The same mistakes and shortfalls (i.e.; terrible power play, defensive lapses) play out with metronomic consistency without any hint of a solution from Sully and his staff.

Players who previously had strong track records such as Erik Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Ryan Graves have struggled in the ‘Burgh.

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