The Penguins have lost 9 of their last 10 games and everyone is grasping at anything to figure out why. I’ve heard fire Sullivan he’s lost the team, trade this player or trade that player.
I’ve heard just about everything but that Jack Johnson is a problem. A head scratch-er for sure. All I can figure is that journalists won’t touch him because he is a close friend of Sidney Crosby. Maybe that’s also the reason Sullivan won’t bench him. Is Jack Johnson untouchable? Night after night I watch Johnson turning over the puck, forcing bad plays and completely out of position and I hear crickets.
The team is losing and simple deduction tells you to look at what has changed with the team to figure out what is wrong. Here is a simple list of notable changes: Number one, the team has lost it’s team speed. Number two Phil Kessel’s supposed refusal to play on the third line takes away the great team balance. Number three the addition of Jack Johnson playing one third of every game.
Every time I’ve said wow Jack Johnson looks bad I have heard people say “give him time”. I will be the first to admit I liked the Rutherford signing and had high hopes that Johnson was just a victim of Columbus coach Tortella’s system. Here we are 19 games into the season the Penguins are in last place and Jack Johnson is the team’s worst player at -10.
I’ve heard from many hockey people that believe the +/- is not a true representation of a player and I partially agree. If a entire team is bad they can drag your +/- down.
The +/- is very accountable is when you have the teams worst. That means you are dragging the rest of the team down and you are the problem.
Johnson has been scored on while defending 10 goals more than the ones that the Pens scored while he was on the ice. To put that in perspective, the Penguins have lost 6 to 8 games this season by a goal (depending on whether you count empty net goals).
I know you’re still thinking the same as everyone else, it’s only 19 games in let him work through it. The problem is for Johnson it’s not 19 games in, it’s an entire career.
Since Johnson entered the league 12 years ago there is no other player on offense or defense in the NHL that has a worse +/- than he has. In fact he is -8 worse than the next closest person. For those mathematicians out there, that is 13 seasons of being the worst overall player in the NHL. It is time to give up the experiment.
For the Penguins to succeed Sullivan needs to stand up to Rutherford exactly how Dan Bylsma never did with Ray Shero. Sullivan has to tell Rutherford that Johnson is not working out. It’s time to bench Johnson, it’s time to move Johnson and it’s time to give Juuso Riikola the defensive position until Justin Shultz is back from injury.
Go Pens!
Hi Phil,
I’ve had similar thoughts about Murray, and the timing of a few of his injuries. I root for him too, but I’ve harbored another thought about him for some time now: He doesn’t embrace his number one status. Rather, he seems to shy away from it. I don’t think he’s comfortable being the go to guy. I don’t think it’s his temperament or his style. He gives off this seeming Zen-like vibe and I’m unable to tell if it’s really Zen-like, or a shield, or just plain fear.
It was easy for him to blend when he had MAF backing him. It’s clear, to me anyway, since Fleury left, Murray hasn’t been the same. He apparently doesn’t relish the spotlight, or the responsibility. I want to be wrong about this, but I don’t think I am. In addition to his repeated injuries, this is a problem. Maybe he needs a meeting with Fleury’s head doctor.
I said before the season started that I was high on DeSmith. I still am. I thought he is the better of him and Jarry. I think he’s proven that. But, I don’t know that he’s a number one goalie. He’s most certainly playing like one. He’s done everything they could possibly ask of him, but I’m not sure he could keep up this pace over 40-45 games. We may find out unless Murray can get his head straight and pick up the mantle of being number one.
As to giving up the body — laying out to block shots — I see it a bit differently. I watch just about every hockey game broadcast. While I haven’t paid strict attention to this part of the game, I haven’t seen much of this happening this year. It may be in part because it’s early in the season, but it also could be the beginning of a trend.
First, I have no doubt goal tending is better, league-wide, and that could curb the necessity, or urgency, for that style of play. Second, there could be an effort to curb injury. Either way, I haven’t seen many guys hitting the ice to block a shot this season, even on teams in desperate need of a win.
And to this point, re: Johnson, if there was ever a time for Johnson to give up the body, it was on the first goal last night against Columbus. He didn’t make much of an effort to get in front of that one.
I doubt he’ll be benched. I thought he should have been early on in the season, but now, not so much. He has been better defensively, and that’s one thing this team needs, right now. This week was beginning to look like the Canada trip with better defensive play from nearly everybody. When they play better in the neutral zone, they have the best chance of getting the W. I hope they keep it up.
— 55
Matt Murray is out. Again. His ninth injury and this is supposedly a “long term” injury.
I’ve previously mentioned all of my hockey buddies and people I sit by at the games that question the amazing timing of Murray injuries. Here we are with another one.
Now he is claiming it didn’t just happen and he has been playing with it for a while. I have an even bigger problem with that if it is true.
I’m 100% rooting for Murray, I just have a lot of questions about whether he can do the job. He is 57th oth of 61 goalies that have played 5 games or more this season. In the last two seasons only 3 goalies that have played at least 40 games are worse.
Great observation Phil !
Maybe a change of scenery ??
57th of 61 ..
Hello TOR&Rick&Phil,
Read this .
Sully is in denial. Teams are counterattacking them , make them look slow and dictating the pace among other things. He has no plan or adjustments to win games. He’s lost. Etc..
“When you look at our team over the last handful of seasons, we’ve had pretty good success with a certain style of play,” Sullivan said. “That style of play is built on the core of our team. When you look at the core of our players – (Sidney) Crosby, (Evgeni) Malkin, (Phil) Kessel, (Kris) Letang – all of those guys can skate. They can still skate. And so we believe there’s a certain style of play that gives our team the best chance to win.”
He struck back at critics who suggest major strategic changes are needed now that the Penguins, as time passes, do not have the speed advantage that they enjoyed en route to a transformative championship in 2016.
“Have some teams closed the speed gap? For sure. I think that’s just the evolution of the game,” Sullivan said. “Show me a team in the league that’s trying to play slow that’s winning. Show me a team in the league that’s trying to play on their heels that’s winning. It’s easy to throw darts and suggest that the style of play is the reason why we’re having the struggles that we’re having.”
He showed no proclivity to move his team toward a more conservative game plan that would include less aggressive pinching from his defensemen or more passivity on the forecheck to clog up the neutral zone.
“We can do a better job executing. We can make smarter decisions as a group. We’ve got to work together and work cooperatively together,” Sullivan said. “I think there’s an assumption out there that we just throw caution to the wind and there’s no calculation to our game and our aggression. There’s inherent risk in being passive out there too and letting teams just come at you.”
Despite his contention that his team doesn’t need to overhaul its style of play, Sullivan cannot deny the notion that some change is needed.
The Penguins have scored and allowed the same number of goals – 64 – through 19 games this season. That’s great offensively, sixth-best in the league. It’s terrible defensively, ranking fourth-worst.
He mentioned three ways the coaching staff plans to turn those numbers around.
First, he said they have already made some smaller changes to the team’s Xs and Os – not identity-altering seismic shifts, just some tweaks.
“We’ve made a couple of subtle adjustments here along the way over the last week to 10 days to try to help us get a little bit better and shore up some areas defensively,” Sullivan said.
Second, hit the film room.
“We had a film session this morning,” Sullivan said. “Obviously we’ve got to do a better job defending and making sure we stay on the right side of the puck or the right side of people in the critical areas of the rink.”
Finally, get to work in practice.
On Tuesday, for instance, the Penguins spent a good chunk of time working on breaking the puck out not off a dump-in but out of defensive-zone coverage.
“We’ve tried to implement tactics and strategies to try to simplify that process,” Sullivan said. “That’s an element that we work on almost daily with our team because our coaching staff believes in the importance of it. I do think we can be better at it.”
Hi Phil,
It has been a while. The elephant in the room is that Sidney and Jack are very close friends and Sidney has a lot to say.Your point exactly. No one is going to upset him.Period !
I wish Jack was never signed and we took the money and inked Ian Cole or a similar talent. Not the worse defensive player in the league by the numbers as you illustrated.
You make another astute observation regarding Kessel. With out his presence on the 3rd line and the injury to Brassard, the 3rd line is not a threat as it once was in the past. It needs to be addressed. Do the Pen’s have enough talent to field 3 offensive lines any more?
Final point Phil for me is the injury bug to Sidney, Geno, Letang, Murray, Schultz, and others. If you over play your 6 or 7 Key players, that many are no longer young men, then you risk the danger of burn out or serious injury.
We do not have the depth in the farm system to replace the front line players as we did in 2016. That is my concern.
Great article Phil.
Cheers
Jim
Hey Jim!
Good to hear from you! Whatever happened with Ian Cole wasn’t good for anyone. I’m hoping with Brassard back along with Crosby who will also be back tomorrow the offense can even out. Brassard will be with Aston-Reese and Simon. I’m guessing that pairing is only being set so that Crosby can be snuck in with the two when the matchup is good.
It would be interesting to put Sprong on Brassard’s wing as a test. He would get a great center that everyone has wanted for him along with weaker defensive matchups from the other team.
Thanks for the reply Phil. You raised some good points.
Sadly for me to say, I think Sprong should be traded before to much further damage can be done. Funny, I watched Daniel play live in the QHL and I was impressed how he chased the puck, went into the corners and was a physical presence in the playoffs. At the NHL level it seems to have all vanished. It makes you wonder. Is it him or the Coaching staff ??
Maybe you package him and a roster d man for another d man with upgraded abilities? ( Jack, Kris or Olli… does not matter to me ..as long as we get a better one back in return and the Cap works.)
Good night.
Jim
Wow Phil.
Welcome back to the writing side of PenguinPoop…with a flourish!
I always respect your opinion because 1) you know hockey and 2) you go to so many games and really watch guys in all facets of their game.
Like, you I was really hopeful about the Johnson signing. And like you, I tried to convince myself that perhaps his poor career plus/minus was a result of being in unfavorable situations and/or having too much weight placed on his shoulders. After all, he was a former No. 3 overall pick.
It’s pretty apparent from watching him that he’s a defensive liability. More to the point, he seems to hesitate at times…like he’s not sure who he’s supposed to cover. Not terribly difficult to understand, really, given the Pens’ overall lack of defensive structure and the plethora of odd-man breaks against. But you know what they say about he who hesitates…
I’d like to see them give Riikola a shot, too. It makes no sense to have the kid sitting in mothballs. If they’re not going to play him, send him down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and get him some ice time.
Rick
Hey Rick,
Thanks!
They didn’t quite listen to me and bench Johnson, but it looks like Sullivan is sitting Ruhwedel tomorrow night and playing Riikola. It’s a start. Riikola will be paired with Maatta. The good news is Oleksiak is OK and will be playing. The bad news for him, it looks like he will be paired with Johnson.
Hey Phil ,
Sorry for grammar mistakes iPhone.
Also Rutherford defer to much to Sullivan and he gives him to much leeway. It needs to be a sit down. Rutherford needs to stop deferring so much and put down what he expected to him do with players. . Not to the media. They are on different pages and paths. Ultimately, Some want to blame the players instead of giving a fair criticism to him. He’s getting a pass in all of the this.
He bares no responsibilities because he won cups and all this bs. Sorry. I wouldn’t mind to see Pens lose again on Wednesday without Sidney Crosby. It time to look at Mike Sullivan. He has under-performed for two seasons. He’s the problem and not the solution. Trades can happen But coaching and system can stay the same and hurt this team.
8 -9 losses tells you . Last season give you a perspective of glaring issues that’s still there. Way Worse.
Hey Dee,
Crosby is back.
Awesome. I found out last night. 🙏🏿 Then he confirmed it this morning with morning skate. Malkin is good. Maintenance day from that hit to the back of the head.
Hey Phil,
When Rutherford signed Johnson, I was willing to give him a chance. I have never really liked CBJ so I never payed close attention to Johnson, so I tried to have an open mind. However, as many times as we have argued over other players, you won’t get one from me, here. Bench Johnson!!!!!!!
I really kept away from watching Columbus also. We agree on something. There is hope for us yet. 🙂
Hello Phil,
Well..Well..
I stated several times Jack Johnson’s issues and that he isn’t good for this team. I tried to be very open mind due to the fact Rutherford signed him to 5 friggin years.
Very happy that Conor Sheary is gone . I didn’t like money spend on him and money spend on Bryan Rust. 10 million was wasted. I like Rust , I ready do .
I respect his game and his versatility. He’s complementary 3rd liner at best. Rust can be replaced with someone cheaper or close to the same price that will effectively get defensively with more goals to help this team. Rust is questionable to me. For many reasons. He seem to got it together lately. I do think he needs to be consistency on a someone’s line more than 3 games so he play the way he needs to.
They will not bench Jack Johnson. They do not want look stupid. Pens coaching staff have accountability problems and not objectively assessing players .
Jack Johnson suffocates Penguins offensively and give Penguins brutal defensively goals to opposition.
•He brings down his defensive partner
•low hockey iq
•No
contextual awareness whatsoever
•He take the man not the puck
•boneheaded decisions
•boneheaded get out postion hits
•slow to react
•85% in postion to do the right thing to have good outcomes for better results. No he turns around does it badly. Then he’s on the back side of bad , bad results on the ice.
•His head isn’t on a swivel on the ice.
•no confidence
• put himself and his partner in bad spots.
• very slow and very tentative
• bad shot and no deception with skating to get a clear lane to shoot a puck.
•bad clear attempts
•lacks situational awareness
•Bad defending around the crease.
• loose puck battles to often
•cough the puck
•pinches at the wrong time.
•plays scared
• then many small unexplained costly mistakes
•BrutalLy,Bad defensively
• He does work hard . It isn’t good enough and mesh well with Pens style of hockey.
I will let it at that. To much to go on.
I do not think Rudwedel deserves to be scratched. Rudwedel was fine until he gotwith him. Every partner he has brings down. It was only small spurts Letang and Johnson look ok. They had major issues.
If it was up to me. Johnson and Letang would be scratched for 2-8games.
Ethan Prow deserves a look. Riikola come maybe get some more consistency game to grow more . He still needs to develop more .
At the end day , Justin Shultz is very valuable to this team and he’s truly missed.
Määttä needs a consistent defensive partner . He isn’t getting it. Olenskiak and Määttä were fine . Sullivan is rotating his partners to much and that effectives his all round game. He shows every game what he capable off . Last Night he had 2-3 different partners.
He was doing fine with him. Sullivan is the problem and hold wrong players accountable.
Lol, That list of yours. I cannot disagree with any of the items. I agree they will not bench him. The questions are, have they been trying to move him and how bad will the team have to do before they do something about it?
I would bet money that Sullivan wants to sit Johnson but with the long contract that Rutherford signed Johnson to, it would really make Rutherford look bad. Can Rutherford admit his mistake and move Johnson for and adequate fill in defenseman of any sort?
I do agree that Shultz is really missed.
I am going to admit after me ripping Letang to shreds the last two years, he is not playing horribly.
I’m not ready to give up on Sullivan. I didn’t like what he did to Cole, but there were rumors of off ice problems with Cole. Otherwise the guy has won two cups and lost one year to the team that won the cup. This season is his to lose. He has made other player choices that I disagreed with, but it is really hard to argue with the results.
The Pens lost a lot of 3rd-4th line talent to salary cap and it’s hard to keep going to that well without it drying up.
If Sullivan has a first round playoff loss without lots of injuries to major players then we should talk his ouster.
Hey Phil,
Have you heard anything about JR trying to move Johnson?
I would think that he would have more problems moving Johnson than anyone else on this team. Between his play and his contract, I am pretty sure, barring a Scuderi – Daly miracle the Pens bought the farm on this one.
Haven’t heard a thing. I can’t imagine that if anything came along he wouldn’t swing it though.
Hello Phill,
We will agree to disagree. Letang hasn’t been that horrible. He hasn’t been that good either. He been ok. Alright. Nothing special. I feel like I see the same thing from him.
•He still play reckless
•not consistent enough
•not a leader on the ice
•bad defensively
•Ok offensively ( most points come from powerplay he suffocated it and get the points from hard work of others)
•bad hard passes ( hard pass lead to a goal for Sabres )
•bad in his zone
Passes to opponents shin passes and other defenders feet.
•offensive weapon for opponents
•Bad defensively
•plays liike a foward not a aware defenseman
•bad clear attempts
•always tapping stick want the puck in the ozone and not close to the blue line to get back to defend his zone. Get up To easily.
•fumbles puck
•always aggressively pinch
•don’t win puck battles
•always looking to get points instead of being a defenseman that get puck deep and not to opposition to score goals.
•hope passes. Behind players and they don’t connect.
•bad puck management and bad puck decisions
No situational awareness/ low hockey iq
For the most part ,Pens get a better breakout and sometimes offensive pressure with other defenseman than him. That’s observations.
I would still scratch him and give other defenseman a chance in the line up. Ethan Prow and Rikkola without him in the line up.
Rikkola is playing tonight.