Start over? But with so much in flux, so much unclear, where to begin? And who’ll do it?
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26 Comments
A fitting end to a inconsistent season. Hopefully Hextall, Burke and Jarry won't be back to cause more destruction.
Hiring Hextall (and Burke) was Lemieux's second bad decision as a Penguin. The first was not going to the draft table after EJ selected him. And I can admit, I liked the Hextall hire when it happened. In retrospect, the only worse move they could've made was coaxing Mike Milbury out of retirement.
Thank you DK for your regular season of Daily Shots! Really looking forward to your off-season Daily Shots of Penguins.
DK thank you for giving me something to listen to in terms of my favorite hockey team even though it was extremely frustrating and disappointing, but having your insight and your proximity to the team was something truly special…. I truly miss the days of Mario,Francis,Kasparaitis, Jagr Tom Barrasso, and I still have a jar of Jagr peanut-butter I don’t know why but I do..but thank you for your excellent work but now on to the Pirates and Steelers draft;)
A great listen to get through the day! Go Pens!
What is Sully's excuse for 2019? 2020? 2021? 2022? And a bad roster in 2023 doesn't excuse his stubborness and continuously forcing the same shit that doesn't work. I have no faith in him. He lost the room years ago.
I wonder when Teflon Mike will ever face some blowback… I get it, great coach. Well that great coach hasn't helped us get past the first round in several years… then there is this abomination of a season.
OMG THEY LOST TO COLUMBUS 😂😂😂
Just read a story saying, "Jarry was hurt all season. Sullivan shouldn't have played him and Hextall should have traded for a goalie!" But if Jarry is hurt, why do the coaching and medical staffs both say he is healthy enough to play, and why did he play in an inconsequential game last night? And saying "Hextall should have traded for a goalie" is one thing, but actually identifying the goalie he could have obtained is another. Not defending Hextall's work in general here–I've been checking the news every hour all morning hoping to read that he's been fired.
If it's not mooted by the time you record your next episode, would you consider reviewing potential replacements for Hextall (and Burke)?
I agree that it's not time to remove Sullivan. If they get a capable replacement for Hextall who is able to address some of their personnel problems and the team STILL underperforms, then it makes sense to look at replacing the coach.
I push play on all three of your daily shots. And I want to thank you for doing them. DK Pittsburgh Sports is how I get all of my sport news. Thank you DK
Amazing coverage as always DK. Love your daily shot! And today I really needed a shot and this was the most responsible way to get it.
Hextall has to go. Granlund, Carter, has to go. Need more grit. Get a Maroon, Reeves, someone to protect your players.
Tampa won back to back cups partly because they have plenty of guys who will smash your face in if you even look at their stars wrong.
Many issues. I cannot believe how hextall held onto this job this long.
The Penguins are not a fast team anymore. Nor is Sullivan willing to get a enforcer. When he did get them he chucked them within six months.
Thanks for another great season DK! First thing I do every morning is toss this on while getting ready!
If Sullivan is safe then the team will either miss the playoffs again, or they'll sneak in as a wild card and they'll have another first round exit.
DK, hearing your reporting of Hextall going to be fired, we can at least go into this offseason with some hope for the future. Maybe not the immediate future with the butchering of this roster, but at least the darkness feels less heavy with Hextall gone.
It was the back 6 and Jarry that killed the season. Very little offensive production out of the back 6 and the top two lines had to do everything. Also the power play was atrocious. That was mostly due to not having a hornqvist type player that sits in front of the net and does the dirty work.
So, it seems everyone is fine and dandy with Sullivan sticking around…even though this will be his 3rd GM he coached under during this stretch, which might be an NHL first.
Someone please explain to me why everyone was so gung-ho on Bylsma being canned when he was, but Sullivan is somehow different, and obviously thought of as being much better that Bylsma? So much so, he's not even on a hot seat.
After essentially the same time removed from their respective Stanley Cup championships, with both having taken their teams to back-to-back appearances, and Sullivan fortunate enough to win both of his, why is Sullivan given so much slack to the point people want to change everything around him, including assistants, but keep ol’ Sully?
Bylsma was actually more successful than Sullivan in his years after his cup, but Sullivan is looked at like some head coaching icon by comparison, even though Bylsma has a Jack Adams coach of the year award on his resume given to him during his stretch of coaching “after” his cup win, and Sullivan doesn’t. Bylsma also didn’t go winless in playoff series wins in his last 5 seasons, whereas Sullivan hasn’t won even a single round since 2018, Bylsma also never missed the playoffs altogether. FYI: Bylsma has his impressive Kraken expansion team firing on all cylinders. This AHL coach might be worth looking at.
Both coaches most recent NHL playoff appearances resulted in a blown 3-1 first round lead to the Rangers. In both case each GM was accused of not doing enough to add bottom 6 depth to support the dynamic duo of Crosby and Malkin.
Shero was canned right afterwards, and Hextall will probably be gone before I finish this sentence. Everyone was held accountable, that is: except the mighty Sullivan. Let me put it this way: If Bylsma had at any point in his post-cup Penguins career, blown a 3-1 series lead in the first round, and then went on to not make the playoffs at all the very next season, would people have been ok with him coming back? Remember, he also had just signed a 2-year extension before the season he was fired started, so money wasn’t an issue like people are excusing Sullivan’s situation with.
Am I supposed to assume it was the team that carried Bylsma, and vice-versa with Sullivan? If I recall correctly, It was Bylsma who stepped in mid-season and rescued a young but floundering team under Therrien and took them to the final round only to lose in Game 6, just like Sullivan stepped in to replace Mike Johnston mid-season, and took a very experienced team to a Stanley Cup. At that point, both of their career arcs looked respectively similar. Both coaches also went on to win the Cup the very next season.
I need to have someone give me the big reveal, light bulb moment that explains why Sullivan is so much better a coach, that he can do even worse than Bylsma since his last cup win and not only keep his job, but people think that’s appropriate given almost identical circumstances that saw Bylsma essentially ridden out of town with pitchforks and torches.
Sorry DK, but I strongly disagree with you regarding Sullivan. His refusal to change styles and to bench old and slow veterans. His message fell on deaf ears for the past 5 seasons. Not to mention his playoff record since 2018 forward. Time for a change behind the bench!
Sullivan is largely responsible for this current roster. The media disgusts me with how arrogantly wrong they are time and time again.
You guys can talk about How Great the Boston Bruins are!!!
First Year watching the Pens and NHL hockey in general. It's been very up and down but I've enjoyed it, and DK I can say that I'm very appreciative of the show.
It's a 10-15 mintues I look forward to every weekday and has elevated my experience this year in watching professional hockey. I will be here for the off season, keep it up 👍
I don't completely blame hextall, great teams build through draft look at penguins picks from 2014 til now barely any made AHL nevermind NHL. As players age even if 2 of those picks turned out or 3 play with Letang,Crosby, Malkin lower salaries and they would have to speed and drive so players in late 30s don't have to do everything.
Of course Sully won’t blame the GM. When you’re in a high performance role like he is focusing on what he can control is the only way to approach it
Dejan, and daily listeners, who is your choice to become the Penguins Omar Khan in the off season? Candidates??
Sullivan also has a contract till 2026 or 27 so that’s a big Amt to payout