Mike Sullivan, Paul Maurice, Rod Brind-Amour, Peter DeBoer, Jared Bednar and maybe Jon Cooper. That is the debatable list of “untouchable” coaches in the NHL, based on their abilities to lead from behind the bench.
However, the second-longest tenured coach (behind Cooper in Tampa Bay) may be the closest he has been to leaving the city of Pittsburgh, and it may not be up to the Fenway Sports Group.
Sullivan has had plenty of success during his time in Pittsburgh. He’s never had a season with a Points Percentage under .500, he won two Stanley Cups in his first two seasons at the helm, and he’s held sustained success with the same core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang for 9 seasons.
However, after three straight years with declining success, and several instances of Sullivan not seeing eye-to-eye with the Penguins’ upper-management, could this be the best time to mutually part ways?
Despite such stability at the top of the coaching chain in the Steel City, the assistant roles have been a game of musical chairs.
Outside of the core, the roster has seen plenty of moving parts, not always for the better, and the Penguins even got new owners within the past three years.
But the most recent “parting ways” of associate coach Todd Reirden, who has been with the team for a total of 9 years, may be the last instance of Sullivan accepting another coaching change.
Reirden being the blame of this season is not without justification for new GM Kyle Dubas, as his main focus of the power play was more than underwhelming.
The Penguins finished 31st in the league in power play scoring and led the league in shorthanded goals allowed.
