The Pittsburgh Penguins head coach is was again overlooked.
Had it not been for head coach Mike Sullivan, the 2021-22 season may have turned out much different for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The NHL announced the finalists for the Jack Adams Award, given to the league’s best coach as voted on by the NHL Broadcaster’s Association.
The three nominees were Andrew Burnette of the Florida Panthers, Darryl Sutter of the Calgary Flames, and Gerard Gallant from the New York Rangers.
Sullivan was skipped out for a nomination despite being a top name for the award throughout the season.
It’s fair to call Sullivan’s absence a snubbing if you look at adversity he had to coach through.
Through the entire 82-game season, the penguins never once played with a fully healthy lineup but were still able to string together enough wins to reach the postseason.
Not only were the Penguins down at least a player or two every game during the 2021-22 season, but they were missing some of the most important names in the organization.
Sidney Crosby started the season on the injured reserve, Evgeni Malkin only played 41 games, and Evan Rodrigues was the only player to appear in all 82 contests.
Despite the constant lineup changes, the Penguins reached the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season with a record of 46-25-11, good for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Sullivan deserves a lot of the credit for getting the most out the players he had to work with.
Rodrigues hit new career highs with 19 goals, 24 assists, and 43 points.
Danton Heinen became a depth gem putting up 33 points.
Brian Boyle wasn’t supposed to play as much as he did signing with the team through a professional tryout offer; he played in 66 games and scored 21 points at the age of 37.
Looking at the NHL’s nominees, maybe there was a good fight to be had at the top.
Burnette bench bossed the highest scoring team in the NHL clinching the Panthers’ first ever Presidents’ Trophy.
Sutter turned a Flames team that looked to be lost at sea to a legit Stanley Cup contender.
Gallant, well he was carried by Igor Shesterkin who is a front runner for both the Vezina and Hart Trophy.
Sullivan deserves far more respect for the work he did behind the bench with the Penguins this year.
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