The Pittsburgh Penguins are struggling, and that is most evident with their head coach.
When you coach back-to-back championship teams, it's safe to say you get a fairly long leash. Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has earned that and then some during his seven and a half year stint with the team. With that long leash, Sullivan has become the winningest coach in team history, and at times feels above reproach. He's undoubtedly one of the best coaches in the entire league, but his performance this year is quickly becoming a stain on a nearly spotless coaching resume.
Like it or not, Sullivan is having his most disappointing season as the Penguins' bench boss. Sure, he's handcuffed by personnel and roster decisions made by management. Plenty of blame must be levied on general manager Ron Hextall's decisions since his arrival in Pittsburgh. But, while Sullivan is not responsible for the slew of overpaid, underperforming bottom of the lineup players, he is responsible for how he uses those players.
Poor Lineup Choices Continue to Plague Penguins
When Brian Dumoulin struggled for the entire first half of the season, what did Coach Sullivan do? He reduced his ice time and role, right? Well, if you only count the three games between December 3 and 9 (all games the team won, for the record), then absolutely. Since his temporary demotion, Dumoulin has played 19 minutes or more in all but two games.
Sullivan's third line center, Jeff Carter, is arguably the team's worst player this season. The metrics and eye tests paint a clear picture that the Penguins are a worse team with him on the ice. He's lost a step on the ice, and his once lethal release has disappeared.
It gets worse when using statistics from HockeyReference to see how poorly Jeff Carter drives play.. Through 52 games he's playing at a dismal level, posting a -6.4 relative Corsi at even strength. Simply put: opposing teams hem the Penguins in their defensive zone when Carter is one the ice. This statistic doesn't state the other team is scoring in all of these chances, but it does illustrate how grossly he and his line mates are performing.
Sullivan's response has been largely nothing. It's clear that despite the poor play, Sullivan trusts Carter more than the other bottom six forwards. Carter continues to receive over 20 shifts a night, and is often the first penalty killer sent over the boards. Sullivan has swapped wingers to flank Carter, with Brock McGinn, Kasper Kapanen, Drew O'Connor, and has even temporarily shifted Carter to the wing to reduce his responsibilities. All to no avail.
Carter has played a majority of the season with McGinn and Kapanen, and they have been awful. Among forward lines who have played a minimum of 125 minutes together, the trio has produced a 34.6% expected goals rate according to moneypuck.com. Whether it's stubbornness or obliviousness, Carter remains a go-to option for the Penguins and Sullivan continues to look worse for playing him.
Optimistic or Oblivious?
Sullivan was asked, again, about the third line's poor performance after the loss to the Devils. Clearly irritated, Sullivan responded by saying: "You guys ask me that question every day...they have some games where they've been good and others where they haven't been."
It's fair for a coach to protect his players and not call them out to the media. It's a huge part of the reason the Penguins' players admire and respect Sullivan so much. However, why can't he call out his own failures or ask about management's failures to provide a better team? His response to this repeated question this season is consistent with his above quote.
The problem is that it's false. Sullivan's third line has had only one good game since the All-Star break, but Sullivan doesn't say that. He instead opts to be more optimistic, but the more it happens, the more disingenuous it becomes.
Sullivan was given a three year contract extension prior to this season, and unless fired, will be behind the bench until the conclusion of the 2026-27 season. That is a level of job security a coaches rarely receive in this league.
Why then, with a hefty contract extension, the support of his players, and backed by his impressive experience, does Sullivan refuse to be more transparent about his and his team's failures? Accountability is missing from this team, and it starts first and foremost with the head coach.
There's plenty of blame to share regarding the state of the Penguins. From ownership, all the way down to the players on the ice, this team is failing. It's up to the coach to guide the team through.
There's no telling what goes on behind closed doors, but from what we can see, Sullivan is turning out one of the worst coaching performances of his career.
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