Dan’s Daily: Dizzy Coaches Carousel; Playoff Demons; It’s All Dubas Now

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. The dizzying offseason news has begun, and the coaching carousel, including the Pittsburgh Penguins, is beginning to spin so fast that you may want to hang onto that painted pony just a little tighter. We’re probably at the end of the firings, but a couple of coaches still in the playoffs might need a win to avoid trouble. The Ottawa Senators are putting a good scare into the fragile playoff psyche of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and we dig into Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson vs. head coaches, as well as Kris Letang’s future.

We did the Live Chat on Tuesday, and coach/scout/hockey teacher Francis Anzalone joined us to begin casting the wide net for the Penguins coaching gig. I think it was one of our best Live Chats ever. Francis and I ping-ponged some names to start. In all, I think we got about a dozen names on the board, but circled a few to like. And he brought up a coach I used to check in with on a couple of Penguins prospects who could be a real dark horse candidate.

The listener numbers were incredible, so thank you. Our average viewer watched for about 30 minutes, which is a monster number. Radio guys would sell their mothers for a TSL (time spent listening) of 30 minutes.

I’ll post a link to the video below (we get paid much more when you go to the YouTube channel rather than watching it here, I don’t know why).

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The draft lottery is set. Those wins at the end of the season decreased the Penguins’ chances for the top pick by a couple of points. Here are the details, procedure, and odds for the NHL Draft Lottery.

Welcome back, Filip Hallander. The former Penguins prospect has returned from Sweden and is once again a potential Penguins player.

The coaching carousel spun a little faster Tuesday when Rick Tocchet bounced. He left Vancouver, and suddenly the rumors were confirmed, and that franchise was left reeling after a rocky year. There are now eight openings, and a handful of teams are already chasing Mike Sullivan.

The PHN Blog. We didn’t break any news, but I sharpened my pencil on a few issues, setting up for some potential team-shaking moves. It’s Erik Karlsson vs. head coaches, and we might be able to use the words coach killer. We opened the door on Kris Letang’s future, and now the organization exclusively rests on general manager Kyle Dubas.

Coaching candidates dominated the first 45 minutes. Then we got to your questions, too. You can check out the Penguins Live Chat here.

NHL Rumors, News, & Analysis

NY Post: Larry Brooks writes that the Rangers job is Sullivan’s if he wants it. He’s the right coach for the veterans, such as J.T. Miller, but how will he handle the underbelly of the Rangers’ young players? Brooks believes it’s a serious question that will determine Sullivan’s success in New York.

I think the perception trumps reality with Sullivan and young players, but I am elated…(expletive deleted) ELATED not to have that conversation ever again. It’s someone else’s problem now. Woohoo!

Daily Hive: Rick Tocchet is out in Vancouver, but it was his choice. He had a contract option that the team wanted to exercise, but he was done. Here’s why Tocchet left the Canucks, in his own words.

TSN: I knew TSN would have the right headline and coverage. While others are downplaying the potential calamity, TSN steered into the skid. The Maple Leafs insist, “They’re fine,” but the series heads back to Ottawa for a Game 6, despite a previous 3-0 series lead.

*cue the ominous organ music.

Ottawa Hockey Now: Heck yes, the scrappy Senators are fighting tooth and nail to get back into the series. Is a reverse sweep possible? Linus Ullmark pitched a shutout, and the Ottawa Senators are in it.

Sportsnet: It looked like LA might quickly run Edmonton out of the playoffs. Not so fast. Edmonton has blitzed LA and now holds a commanding 3-2 series lead. Edmonton is talking confidently, too.

New Jersey Hockey Now: It’s over in the swamp. Jacob Markstrom was dialed in, but his team just couldn’t beat the swarming Carolina Hurricanes. The injuries were too much to overcome, and the New Jersey Devils are out.

Vegas Hockey Now: Drama. Heartstopping drama. The series was tied 2-2, and the game was being played in Vegas. Minnesota starting goalie Filip Gustavsson fell ill, and former VGK star Marc-Andre Fleury took the Minnesota net, but the fireworks were in overtime as the Vegas Golden Knights prevailed.