Penguins Sullivan Feeling the Heat?

During the Three Stooges short Half-Wits Holiday, Moe snatches a pie from Curly’s grasp and, seeing the hostess of the party approach, frantically tosses it up to the ceiling where it sticks. Temporarily.

When the hostess tries to engage him in small talk, Moe nervously keeps stealing glances at the pie, which is gradually becoming unstuck.

“Young man, you act as if the Sword of Damocles is hanging over your head,” she observes.

“Lady, you must be psychic!” Moe replies before fleeing in haste. Baffled, the hostess looks up and…SPLAT…pie in the face.

I wonder if Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is feeling similar trepidation? Today GM Jim Rutherford announced that Todd Reirden, late of the Washington Capitals, and Mike Vellucci have been named as his assistant coaches.

Could the hot seat be any hotter? Or the message more clear?

Win or else.

In Sullivan’s defense, I think he squeezed about as much as he was going to get out of the last two black-and-gold squads. But early postseason failures aren’t going to cut it in the ‘burgh. Not while ownership is still paying top-dollar to keep the gifted but aging core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang together. Realistic or not, expectations are higher. Much higher.

Too, there’s the matter of Sullivan’s shelf life. He’s held the reins nearly five full seasons…a lifetime for a hockey coach. Michel Therrien, a very good albeit hard-line skipper, lasted the equivalent of three full seasons in the Steel City. Player friendly Dan Bylsma, five and change.

Given that Sullivan’s style, straightforward and brutally honest, lies somewhere between the two? Maybe his message isn’t having the same affect as it once did.

Reirden, who’ll run the defense and the power play, was an assistant under Bylsma from 2010-2014. He comes with a glowing reputation for building a strong rapport with his players while engendering a strong sense of loyalty. Sounds a lot like former Pens assistant Rick Tocchet in that regard.

The Capitals thought so highly of him that they nudged Cup-winning coach Barry Trotz out the door to make room. A decision they came to rue following two early playoff exits.

Still, Reirden is highly regarded. Former Pens defenseman Matt Niskanen credits Reirden for resurrecting his career. Are the Pens hoping he’ll perform similar magic with…say…Jack Johnson?

Vellucci, who’ll handle the forwards and the penalty kill, served as coach and general manager at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season. In 2017-18 he led the Charlotte Checkers to a Calder Cup, the AHL version of the Stanley Cup. He has a long and established relationship with Rutherford.

I’ll close this section by referencing my lead-in. With the exception of a couple of cameos, Half-Wits Holiday was Curly’s last appearance in the Stooges shorts. Sadly, the scene I described was his last…he suffered a stroke moments later.

Could this be Sullivan’s swan song as well?

Class Act

Sullivan’s time at the helm may be growing short. And I’ve been critical of his coaching and personnel preferences from time to time. (As if I could do better.)

But one fact is undeniable. He’s a quality person and a class act.

Earlier this week the Rangers hired former Pens’ assistant Jacques Martin, who probably didn’t deserve to be canned by the Pens. Apparently, Sullivan had a great deal to do with it.

“With my relationship with ‘Sully,’ he and I talked, and it just steamrolled from there,” said Rangers coach David Quinn, who was a teammate of Sullivan’s at Boston College. “Mike said basically ‘[Jacques] wasn’t my assistant coach, we were co-coaches.'”

It’s all-too-easy to forget these guys are human, with loved ones to care for and everyday challenges and responsibilities to face, just like the rest of us. On both a personal and professional level, this off-season has to be very unsettling for Sullivan. Yet there he was, using his influence and connections to help a friend and colleague.

It says an awful lot about his character and the kind of man he is. That and those two Stanley Cups.

On the Block?

Rumor has it, Rutherford’s already had offers for a goalie. Most sites seem to think it’s Matt Murray, who was listed by TSN’s Frank Seravalli as the NHL player most likely to be dealt over the off-season.

The fact that the Pens extended goaltending coach Mike Buckley, who hasn’t exactly gotten the best out of Murray, might be a further indication that the Thunder Bay native is headed out of town.

Seravalli also lists Letang and Jared McCann among his top 20 players most likely to be traded.

Could Evgeni Malkin join the list? When asked during a recent Two Man Advantage podcast if the Pens’ MVP could be dealt, Rutherford didn’t exactly close the door.

“The best way to answer the question is: I’m not shopping (Malkin). I’m not shopping our core players, but we all know that in our game, one of the great, if not the greatest player (Wayne) Gretzky was traded,” JR stated. “You want to always listen if somebody’s got something to offer.”

Things that make you go Hmmmm…