The Penguins have elected to “part ways” with associate coach Todd Reirden. A nice way of saying he was dismissed or axed, whichever you prefer.
The announcement was made today by Pens POHO/GM Kyle Dubas.
It was pretty much a given that the 52-year-old Reirden, whose contract expires at the end of the current season, would not be re-upped. In addition to coaching the problematic black-and-gold defense, Reirden was in charge of the power play, which ranked a woeful 30th in conversation rate (15.3%) and 28th in goals (40) while yielding 12 shorthanded goals…tied for worst in the league.
In short…the unit was an unmitigated disaster. A black hole that more often than not sucked the life out of the team instead of providing a boon as expected or hoped.
In Reirden’s defense, I’m sure he didn’t instruct his charges to stand around and pass the puck around the perimeter, with an occasional risky, point-to-point pass mixed in. It’s almost as if some of our veterans were using the man-advantage as an active rest period to catch an on-ice breather between their regular shifts.
Too, I think it was a case of too many executive chefs (or future Hall of Famers) and not enough sous chefs. A situation exacerbated by the addition of three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson.
Still, ultimately it’s a coach’s responsibility to get the players to buy into and execute what’s he’s selling. In that regard the veteran coach, generally well-respected, failed to produce the goods.
Hey Rick,
The Penguins Power Play problems are far more serious design flaws than anything else. Simply put the PP is beyond static. The players stand around the perimeter passing the puck with only the player with the puck ever considering moving (considering not necessarily actually moving). Opponent’s PK almost never break a sweat defending our Pens. Reirden and clown whose shoulder’s he had been sitting on (Sullivan) could have all the buy in that they could hope for but the bottom line is that it was their system that was at fault. Perhaps, if Crosby, Malking, and Letang or Karlsson were still in their prime they could have run through the brick wall that their bosses ordered them into, but just like all those dough boys ordered over the top and into no man’s land, they were doomed by tactical and strategic failures.
I only watched a couple of Wheeling games, but the PP I saw the Nailer’s execute was full of a fast moving, constantly skating 5-man unit. It wasn’t just the player with the puck moving but all of his teammates as well. Opponents had to skate with them and not simply stand still, tight in their box, cutting off passing lanes.
I will not miss Reirden. My only problem with this is once again, as I stated on your other post, the move is falls far too short. The team keeps changing out players, Assistant Coaches, and even GMs, but they still refuse to even consider the most likely cause of the continued frustration of the last six seasons – the HC.