The Type of Coach the Penguins Really Need; 3 Essential Qualities

There are times when absence makes the heart grow fonder, and there are times when absence exposes the greater deficiencies that routine and comfort mask. It is just a guess, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are most likely going through the latter after the termination of coach Mike Sullivan.

To investigate so many different coaches and styles and philosophies, it is impossible not to wonder if one of these new voices would have staved off the ugly collapse of 2023 or the uglier swoon that engulfed the middle of the 2023-24 season. The shock and the stench of the 7-0 dismantling by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 16, 2023, and finger-pointing that followed left a black mark that could neither be cleaned, flushed, nor scrubbed away with any sort of miracle cures from late-night infomercials.

Recall this morning-after column: Penguins Grades: Internal Frustration, Something is Deeply Wrong.

If there was a defining moment when Sullivan’s tenure continued in futility, that was it. Those sorts of heartless losses continued throughout the 2023-24 season, and there was no solution.

As the organization moves to a new era of both coaches and players, the possibilities suddenly bring a new optimism, even if the expected roster is more likely to land a lottery spot, rather than fight for a playoff spot.

A handful of coaches have been connected to the Penguins by implication, reporting, and admission. While PHN has spent considerable time dissecting the pros and cons of the potential Penguins coaches, perhaps the better question is: What qualities do the Penguins need in a new coach?

One of the most common knee-jerk responses in every search is a “get a defensive coach!” They need to be tough and defensive!

Go ahead and scratch that one off the list. The NHL isn’t youth sports, where a coach can teach the players how to play. Trying to install a defensive system upon the Penguins would be like trying to teach a shark table manners (that’s a line from former Penguins coach Gene Ubriacco, who lasted little more than one season, 1988-1989).

To shackle Sidney Crosby would be to commit a crime against hockey.

Even Sullivan admitted he needed to do a better job of getting buy-in on the commitment to defend, though Sullivan’s schemes were typically not restrictive in the name of defense. In fact, a hard-nosed defensive coach should never get the Penguins’ bench. It’s not just in the organization’s DNA.

No, the Penguins’ unique position with an experienced top of the lineup, several of whom the Hockey Hall of Fame will immortalize, and a plethora of newbies on the way will create specialized challenges in coordinating the instruction, game plans, and even managing expectations.

If you think Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGoarty are going to have magical seasons without struggle that mirror their effervecent short stints at the end of this season, you’ll be quite disappointed.

Owen Pickering, Tristan Broz, and potentially Harrison Brunicke will be in the lineup next season. Additionally, unheralded players such as Avery Hayes and future trade acquisitions who are most likely still too young to rent a car will be there, too. There will be plenty of rookie mistakes, growing pains, and bad habits.

In other words, at times, they will look just like the veterans did this season.

Penguins Coach

First, the camaraderie-building and family atmosphere of candidates Todd Nelson and D.J. Smith should be high on the list. There are times when a disciplinarian coach who commands tasks with unyielding efficiency is needed. This is not the time.

The Penguins are not an otherwise very good team that simply lacks direction. The wayward group was not undisciplined because of petulance and bad attitudes that a coach must weed out. They were bad defensively because, quite simply, they are bad defensively. There’s little reason to assign much more blame than that, nor is there reason to overcorrect via the coach.

Second, positivity. Some joy, some good vibes, and enthusiasm might go a long way with this group. Quite frankly, that has been missing for quite a while.

Sullivan was the disciplinarian when the team needed it most in 2015-16. However, he was shrewd enough to evolve with the team. As they needed his brain more than his foot, he adapted, leaving the team building to the team.

Sullivan was rarely, if ever, a coach who was a cheerleader or one who brought positivity. It’s only in the aftermath of his dismissal that we can see that particular aspect might have been far more helpful as the tough times grew longer. Far more than homespun criticisms regarding young players or resistance to change, a genuine weakness was that Sullivan’s teams succumbed to negativity. No one can coach or strategize their team’s way out of the darkness; more than a few players had their confidence shattered by situations and coaching decisions, and positive encouragement wasn’t a Sullivan strength.

A bit of that will be necessary as the next crop of players navigates the travails of how to be professionally competent NHL players.

Third, a commanding presence will be essential.

A softy or positive coach without presence will not work with the Penguins’ veterans. A commanding presence is a requirement to leading those who have won everything there is to win and seen everything there is to see. The Penguins will deviate from systems and schemes. They will decide they know better and do their own thing if a coach does not have the command.

History provides the proof. The final couple of years of Dan Bylsma and a season-plus of Mike Johnston are Exhibits A and B. In fact, there was a lost season under Sullivan in 2019 as Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin went their own way, causing fissures within the team.

Fans can easily say what should be done when players disagree. Scratch them, trade them, yell at them until they listen, are easy tropes to espouse, but hold little value in practicality. Athletes aren’t like the rest of us, who can be fired and replaced.

It’s been a decade since Crosby and the championship core had a coach different from Sullivan. Bryan Rust has played only 61 games combined between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Pittsburgh Penguins with a coach other than Sullivan. Necessarily, there will be differences and changes. There will be issues or directives that players may not want or like.

There will be decisions from above that no one likes, and the coach must keep his team on task.

A commanding presence in the face of Hall of Famers who might disagree or prefer past choices will be a necessary sales tool to get the proper buy-in. The meek shall inherit the earth, but they don’t win over locker rooms.

In the face of more losses than wins, a stiff chin who can keep selling the vision should be a prerequisite.