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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>PensBurgh -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>Pittsburgh Penguins blog for the five time, five time, five time, FIVE TIME Stanley Cup Champions</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/29974/pensburgh_fave.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2025-04-30T07:00:00-04:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.pensburgh.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.pensburgh.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2025-04-30T07:00:00-04:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2025-04-30T07:00:00-04:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Unconventional candidates for the Penguins to consider with their head coaching vacancy</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="Lausanne HC v ZSC Lions - National League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/egoZxEKaOBjH3dYzmUvUCiyXupM=/5x0:3404x2266/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057135/1243503902.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by RvS.Media/Robert Hradil/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p&gt;It doesn’t have to be a retread..&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="j1LnP1"&gt;Kyle Dubas gave a long answer about the future coach of the Penguins in his press &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/9iItCPmC_2w"&gt;conference on Monday&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="XaQHrk"&gt;“What we’re looking for now is we’re looking to hire a great head coach,” Dubas said. “Someone that could come in [and] continue to partner with us on all we’re undertaking, understands that the job ahead is going to be a time of transition.”&lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;p id="i6KeMy"&gt;He’d go onto finish the thought.&lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;p id="RR570N"&gt;“We’ll cast a wide net on this search; long time head coaches, coaches from Europe, coaches from junior, college. We’ll turn every page to find the best person for the job.”&lt;/p&gt;
  24. &lt;p id="AsUOhl"&gt;The wide net angle is interesting, Dubas mentioned that the team would use virtual interviews to start the process and eventually whittle the candidate pool down to in-person interviews.&lt;/p&gt;
  25. &lt;p id="2eVAIv"&gt;The Penguins have nothing but time, they can afford to talk to lots of candidates over the next few weeks. Dubas mentioned a timeline that could include not naming a coach until June. If nothing else that will make for an interesting process to get to know a variety of different possibilities. While there will be plenty of the usual &lt;a href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/29/24419934/potential-penguins-head-coach-candidates-after-mike-sullivan-split"&gt;suspects drawing attention&lt;/a&gt;, let’s talk about some other options.&lt;/p&gt;
  26. &lt;p id="QPa0bQ"&gt;It’s always been interesting that for a league where now &lt;a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/nhl/comments/1ip20qw/nhl_players_by_nation/"&gt;just over 30%&lt;/a&gt; of their players are European that NHL coaches are almost always North American. There have only been three European-trained coaches in league history. Alpo Suhonen lasted just one year in Chicago in 2000-01. Jaromir Jagr hand-picked Ivan Hlinka (and then drew up different, personalized forechecking schemes for his own line behind his coach’s back but that’s a different story) and Hlinka wasn’t long for Pittsburgh either. Recently, Anders Sorensen was named the current interim coach in Chicago, but it remains uncertain at best for how long he may last in that position (and could have well already coached his final game).&lt;/p&gt;
  27. &lt;p id="3vnmHK"&gt;That’s a limited history, &lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5092561/2023/11/29/why-dont-nhl-teams-hire-european-head-coaches/"&gt;The Athletic wondered&lt;/a&gt; why don’t NHL teams hire more European coaches back in 2023. Long answer short: the NHL is a league that rewards conservative-minded decision making. Known quantities are trusted more than unknown ones by managers whose own jobs could be in jeopardy if they botch a head coaching hire, which leads to predictable results of staying in familiar lanes. You can’t get slammed for an off-the-rails hire that turns into a mess by sticking with retreads that at least have some sort of track record to fall back on. That might not be a pleasing answer to all, but the safety net mentality is prevalent in NHL circles.&lt;/p&gt;
  28. &lt;p id="qEi4Fb"&gt;This could be a competitive advantage for the Penguins, since they don’t have a lot of pressure to perform in the short-term while they are building up their team and since Dubas enjoys the full support of what’s been a hands-off ownership group. Fenway Sports has also been bold in other sports to embrace a willingness to break traditional norms for coaching and management so if ever there was a circumstance for an NHL coaching hire to break the mold, it might well be in Pittsburgh right now.&lt;/p&gt;
  29. &lt;h3 id="zIVWk5"&gt;Rikard Grönborg&lt;/h3&gt;
  30. &lt;p id="psxFFR"&gt;Grönborg has to be the top international candidate for an NHL team. He has a ton of experience on both sides of the ocean, having worked in the 1990’s in the NCAA and coach for a year in Canada’s WHL. He coached Sweden’s national teams in a variety of competitions in the World Championships, World Juniors and Olympics for a dozen years. After receiving feedback that he needed more club experience to get NHL attention, Grönborg has been coaching in the Swiss and now Finnish leagues for the &lt;a href="https://www.eliteprospects.com/staff/654/rikard-gronborg"&gt;past six seasons&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  31. &lt;p id="c53tqS"&gt;From a &lt;a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhl-might-finally-ripe-european-coach/"&gt;2019 Sportsnet article:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  32. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  33. &lt;p id="rzWmeP"&gt;Gronborg describes his approach as “a hybrid” between the North American and European style but believes the gap between those schools is shrinking.&lt;/p&gt;
  34. &lt;p id="urO8i7"&gt;“The hockey world nowadays is not that different, especially with the way the NHL has opened up play. All the hooking and holding of the past is gone, and that requires a skill game,” he says.&lt;/p&gt;
  35. &lt;p id="AX4KaB"&gt;Andreas Johnsson won a silver medal with Gronborg at the 2014 world juniors. The Maple Leafs forward says the respect the coach garnered from the players was instant and mutual — and he was impressed by Gronborg’s willingness to communicate.&lt;/p&gt;
  36. &lt;p id="RpRTDB"&gt;“I enjoyed playing for him,” Johnsson says. “He has a more North American style. In my position then, I wasn’t used to it. He’s very honest all the time and was pointing at the things he wants to get better.”&lt;/p&gt;
  37. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  38. &lt;p id="9Gzw9o"&gt;Grönborg &lt;a href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2020/7/8/21318076/weekes-new-jersey-devils-expected-name-tom-fitzgerald-general-manager-lindy-ruff-head-coach-siiiiigh"&gt;has interviewed&lt;/a&gt; reportedly with a couple of different in the somewhat past but never received a lot of traction for an NHL job. Given history and track record, he’s got to be the closest to an offer though. He’s 56 years-old and has a vast resume that includes working with almost every great Swedish player of the last generation. If nothing else, he should be a strong candidate for Dubas’s ‘wide net’ to talk to and figure out if there could be a match.&lt;/p&gt;
  39. &lt;h3 id="bRiaLt"&gt;Roger Rönnberg&lt;/h3&gt;
  40. &lt;p id="LTnrT0"&gt;The long-time Frolunda coach finally took a job outside of Sweden, Rönnberg will move to coach &lt;a href="https://swedenherald.com/article/roger-ronnberg-bids-tearful-farewell-to-frolunda-after-12-years"&gt;in Switzerland&lt;/a&gt; next season. (Switzerland is commonly seen in coaching circles as a solid gateway to the NHL since coaches like Marc Crawford, Guy Boucher and Bob Hartley have been hired back into the NHL coming out of Switzerland). Maybe Rönnberg would consider hanging a left instead of a right?&lt;/p&gt;
  41. &lt;p id="uwFlFM"&gt;From the above mentioned Athletic article, Rönnberg has achieved success with Frolunda (two league championships, four hockey Champions League titles) but also focuses on a common European mindset of melding team success with player development. This should be music to the ears of those who will need the next Penguin coach to be strong in that realm.&lt;/p&gt;
  42. &lt;p id="1GLiuV"&gt;“We have a rule in Frolunda: Everyone should succeed,” Rönnberg said. “My job is not to categorize players from good to bad, or get rid of five guys and get five new guys. I get 22 players at the start of the season and management tells me it’s my job to make those 22 guys good enough to have a chance to win. I think that’s a different perspective on coaching.”&lt;/p&gt;
  43. &lt;h3 id="tSCxfv"&gt;Sam Hallam&lt;/h3&gt;
  44. &lt;p id="1gtwHq"&gt;Hallam led Växjö Lakers to multiple SHL championships in the decade he worked there and took over after Grönberg as the head coach of Sweden’s national team since 2022. Hallam worked in NHL buildings in the 4 Nations Faceoff this winter. Despite working in Europe, English is the dominant language in hockey as &lt;a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/4-nations-face-off-gives-chance-to-sweden-and-finland-players-to-speak-native-languages"&gt;Hallam told nhl.com&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
  45. &lt;p id="38Y1mn"&gt;“There’s so much North American players, so most of us coaches, we coach in English,” Sweden coach Sam Hallam said. “So, for me, it’s great to actually be able to coach in Swedish.”&lt;/p&gt;
  46. &lt;p id="YadgDR"&gt;Hallam would love to coach in English though moving forward. Like so many other coaches looking to get on the NHL radar, he’s also believed to be interested in going to coach in &lt;a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/report-swedish-national-team-coach-sam-hallam-will-move-to-switzerland-in-2026"&gt;the Swiss league&lt;/a&gt; in 2026 after the Olympics are over. Hallam is younger than most of the other candidates at 45-years old.&lt;/p&gt;
  47. &lt;h3 id="kswfL4"&gt;Manny Malhotra&lt;/h3&gt;
  48. &lt;p id="7t2whV"&gt;Shifting gears from European options, the former NHL player Malhotra just finished up his first season as a head coach in AHL Abbotsford, where he led them to a second place (44-24-2-2) record. Malhotra was hired by Dubas to be a Toronto Maple Leaf assistant coach in 2020, in a world where past connections and established personal relationships tend to mean an awful lot. If the Pens want an up-and-comer with youth and a fresh perspective with ideally a developmental profile to help their younger players then Malhotra checks a lot of boxes from afar as what could be a very solid candidate. Pittsburgh might have to move quickly on this one if they’re interested, Vancouver is already talking about making Malhotra a candidate for their new open head coaching position on the NHL.&lt;/p&gt;
  49. &lt;h3 id="2PmUJR"&gt;Mike Van Ryn&lt;/h3&gt;
  50. &lt;p id="BSZaUy"&gt;Another former NHL player, Van Ryn is another young but rising coach. He currently works as a Toronto NHL assistant (but his time in the organization did not overlap with Dubas). Dubas, though, surely will have quite a big file on Van Ryn from the two’s shared time in the OHL, where Van Ryn worked his way up in the mid-2010’s to be Kitchener’s head coach around the time that Dubas was running things in the Soo.&lt;/p&gt;
  51. &lt;p id="4yy9ZL"&gt;Van Ryn has been an NHL assistant coach for the past seven seasons and only has one year of pro head coaching under his belt (HC of AHL Tuscon, back in 2017-18). It would be a big promotion into the big seat of being an NHL head coach, but if the Pens wanted to get spicy and reach for a first timer Van Ryn is definitely the type of candidate who will be in the mix.&lt;/p&gt;
  52. &lt;p id="I79z9s"&gt;—&lt;/p&gt;
  53. &lt;p id="0RosJD"&gt;Time will tell what Dubas’s “wide net” will bring back. Given his lengthy timeline before naming a coach and history of being thorough, we can probably expect to hear a lot of interesting names linked to the process of determining who the next Penguin head coach will be.&lt;/p&gt;
  54.  
  55. </content>
  56.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/30/24420186/unconventional-choices-for-the-penguins-head-coaching-vacancy-nhl-coaches-from-europe-pittsburgh"/>
  57.    <id>https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/30/24420186/unconventional-choices-for-the-penguins-head-coaching-vacancy-nhl-coaches-from-europe-pittsburgh</id>
  58.    <author>
  59.      <name>Hooks Orpik</name>
  60.    </author>
  61.  </entry>
  62.  <entry>
  63.    <published>2025-04-30T06:00:00-04:00</published>
  64.    <updated>2025-04-30T06:00:00-04:00</updated>
  65.    <title>Pens Points: What’s old is new again?</title>
  66.    <content type="html">  
  67.  
  68.    &lt;figure&gt;
  69.      &lt;img alt="2016 NHL Stanley Cup Final - Game Three" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xDD9l83RwMCAhN_S5ph_hSRjkqs=/0x0:4634x3089/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057049/538147430.0.jpg" /&gt;
  70.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  71.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  72.  
  73.  &lt;p&gt;The Penguins bring back a former player while a former coach is ready to test the open market.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 id="z8bfaE"&gt;Here are your Pens Points for this Wednesday morning...&lt;/h2&gt;
  74. &lt;p id="QXY6tN"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.pensburgh.com"&gt;Pittsburgh Penguins&lt;/a&gt; have re-signed former second-round pick Filip Hallander to a two-year contract. [&lt;a href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/29/24401046/penguins-bringing-back-filip-hallander"&gt;PensBurgh&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  75. &lt;p id="kWv4CD"&gt;What is Kyle Dubas looking for with the next head coach? [&lt;a href="https://triblive.com/sports/its-a-complete-guess-what-kyle-dubas-is-looking-for-in-the-penguins-next-coach/"&gt;Trib Live&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  76. &lt;p id="4msh4F"&gt;With Dubas and the Penguins now in need of a head coach, who are some likely candidates that could succeed Mike Sullivan? [&lt;a href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/29/24419934/potential-penguins-head-coach-candidates-after-mike-sullivan-split"&gt;PensBurgh&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  77. &lt;p id="jIZVCd"&gt;There was a point in time not that long ago when I would have confidently told you that Tristan Jarry would never suit up for the Pittsburgh hockey club ever again. Fast forward to now, he’s in line to be the opening night starter come October. Jarry remains in the driver’s seat for now, despite the emergence of Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov. [&lt;a href="https://triblive.com/sports/after-turbulent-campaign-tristan-jarry-braces-for-challenge-from-penguins-young-goalies/"&gt;Trib Live&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  78. &lt;p id="W3i3B3"&gt;No criminal charges will be filed against Matt Petgrave after he was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of former Penguins forward Adam Johnson. [&lt;a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly2wkl17d7o"&gt;BBC&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  79. &lt;h2 id="oviX0E"&gt;News and notes from around the NHL...&lt;/h2&gt;
  80. &lt;p id="z6tluI"&gt;One of the potential coaching candidates in the above list is former Penguins player and assistant coach Rick Tocchet. Tocchet made it known on Tuesday that he will not return to the &lt;a href="https://www.nucksmisconduct.com"&gt;Vancouver Canucks&lt;/a&gt; as head coach for 2025-26. [&lt;a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/rick-tocchet-will-not-return-as-vancouver-coach"&gt;NHL&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  81. &lt;p id="rbIdtc"&gt;Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended for two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety for his elbow against Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel on Monday night. [&lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/44923985/panthers-aaron-ekblad-suspended-2-games-elbowing-lightning-brandon-hagel-head"&gt;ESPN&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  82.  
  83. </content>
  84.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/30/24420580/pens-points-whats-old-is-new-again-penguins-hallander-kyle-dubas-nhl-rick-tocchet-canucks"/>
  85.    <id>https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/30/24420580/pens-points-whats-old-is-new-again-penguins-hallander-kyle-dubas-nhl-rick-tocchet-canucks</id>
  86.    <author>
  87.      <name>Garrett Behanna</name>
  88.    </author>
  89.  </entry>
  90.  <entry>
  91.    <published>2025-04-29T08:09:25-04:00</published>
  92.    <updated>2025-04-29T08:09:25-04:00</updated>
  93.    <title>Penguins bringing back Filip Hallander </title>
  94.    <content type="html">  
  95.  
  96.    &lt;figure&gt;
  97.      &lt;img alt="NHL: SEP 25 Blue Jackets at Penguins" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7kFaC3rsVUCjAWOfqNpVr1CWAQI=/81x0:5034x3302/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74055377/1243529327.0.jpg" /&gt;
  98.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  99.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  100.  
  101.  &lt;p&gt;Former second round draft pick re-joining Pittsburgh’s organization on two-year contract&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="bHi7cb"&gt;Filip Hallander turns 25 this June and already has had a lot of twist and turns in his career. The latest chapter will have Hallander will rejoining the Penguins on a two year contract.&lt;/p&gt;
  102. &lt;div id="5gaGJL"&gt;
  103. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  104. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoPens?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#LetsGoPens&lt;/a&gt; signed F Filip Hallander to a two-year, $775K AAV contract (1-way) starting in 25-26, per &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/PuckPedia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@PuckPedia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The 24 y/o had 53 pts in 51 GP this season for Timra IK (SHL).&lt;a href="https://t.co/iECLan53Wn"&gt;https://t.co/iECLan53Wn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/PuckReportNHL/status/1917076954592809468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 29, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  105. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  106. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  107.  
  108. &lt;/div&gt;
  109. &lt;p id="BNr2JO"&gt;The news has been a long time coming, the SHL team that Hallander played for last season already announced his departure &lt;a href="https://x.com/SethRorabaugh/status/1908246601233011043"&gt;and wished him well&lt;/a&gt; several weeks ago. As of this morning, Pittsburgh hasn’t formally announced the deal yet but per Puck Pedia it’s now been registered and will be for two seasons.&lt;/p&gt;
  110. &lt;p id="SpXrqw"&gt;Hallander excelled with Timra, finishing second in the Swedish league in 2024-25 with 53 points (26G+27A) in 51 games. Those 53 points in a season are the most in team history, topping the previous record of a player named Henrik Zetterberg.&lt;/p&gt;
  111. &lt;p id="vkXMay"&gt;Hallander, drafted by Pittsburgh in the second round back in 2018, has been around the block. The Pens traded his rights to Toronto in 2020 for Kasperi Kapanen, only to trade back for the Swedish winger for Jared McCann in 2021. Hallander then spent two season in the Pens’ organization, playing only three total NHL games from 2021-23 and spending the rest of his time with AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre. In summer 2023 he decided to head back to Sweden to play for Timra the last two seasons.&lt;/p&gt;
  112. &lt;p id="0RJsqx"&gt;What does this mean for 2025-26? At worst it gives Pittsburgh another depth option and a training camp lottery ticket to see if Hallanader has has raised his game to NHL caliber. If so, that’s a win to have another young player in the mix. &lt;/p&gt;
  113. &lt;p id="InOVgi"&gt;If not, Pittsburgh can always send him back to the AHL where history has shown he’s a pretty good player at that level and see how the season goes for him as a possible candidate to be called up when injuries strike. Under Kyle Dubas/Jason Spezza, Pittsburgh and FSG has invested heavily in highly paid minor league players as of late. The details of Hallander’s contract reportedly include the same $775,000 salary regardless of what league he plays in. Based on his age and the years that have past from his first NHL contract, Hallander would have to clear waivers in order to be assigned to the AHL.&lt;/p&gt;
  114. &lt;p id="gPhK1L"&gt;At this early stage in the offseason, the Pens will be hoping that AHL assignment isn’t in the cards. Hallander is a pretty decent two-way player and his improved offensive production in Sweden could portend to a more developed player who could be ready to play in the big league. That has to be the hope to bring him back on a two-year contract.&lt;/p&gt;
  115.  
  116. </content>
  117.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/29/24401046/penguins-bringing-back-filip-hallander"/>
  118.    <id>https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/29/24401046/penguins-bringing-back-filip-hallander</id>
  119.    <author>
  120.      <name>Hooks Orpik</name>
  121.    </author>
  122.  </entry>
  123.  <entry>
  124.    <published>2025-04-29T07:00:00-04:00</published>
  125.    <updated>2025-04-29T07:00:00-04:00</updated>
  126.    <title>Potential Penguins head coach candidates after Mike Sullivan split</title>
  127.    <content type="html">  
  128.  
  129.    &lt;figure&gt;
  130.      &lt;img alt="NCAA UNIVERSITY OF DENVER VS UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4YHP4ptgaJtL1ms8HvuEY-phu6I=/466x326:2907x1953/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74055155/1239537584.0.jpg" /&gt;
  131.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Eric Lutzens/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  132.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  133.  
  134.  &lt;p&gt;A first NHL gig for David Carle? A reunion with Rick Tocchet? Both could potentially be on the table as the Penguins search for Sullivan’s replacement.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="PFDFVZ"&gt;The Pittsburgh Penguins are in need of a new head coach.&lt;/p&gt;
  135. &lt;p id="hbvpoA"&gt;The Penguins &lt;a href="https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/penguins-and-head-coach-mike-sullivan-agree-to-part-ways"&gt;said&lt;/a&gt; when general manager Kyle Dubas announced Mike Sullivan’s departure on Monday that the search for a new head coach would “begin immediately.”&lt;/p&gt;
  136. &lt;p id="tDJlKo"&gt;Here’s a look at few of the top candidates the Penguins could consider heading into the 2025-26 campaign.&lt;/p&gt;
  137. &lt;h3 id="VA3tpQ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;David Carle, University of Denver&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  138. &lt;p id="IoUBxW"&gt;Sportsnet’s &lt;a href="https://x.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1916171444515381555"&gt;Elliotte Friedman&lt;/a&gt; reported Saturday that Carle had “withdrawn from consideration” to become the next head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks after the Hawks made an “aggressive” attempt to hire him. &lt;/p&gt;
  139. &lt;p id="zLRsa0"&gt;Friedman then went on to &lt;a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/podcasts/32-thoughts/"&gt;say&lt;/a&gt; on his &lt;em&gt;32 Thoughts&lt;/em&gt; podcast there was “definitely still plenty of interest in Carle across the league,” but that it is “likely” he returns to Denver.&lt;/p&gt;
  140. &lt;p id="RpsUdR"&gt;Carle hasn’t ruled out making the jump to the NHL. If he turned down the Blackhawks because of the franchise’s place in their rebuild, the chance to work with vets like Sidney Crosby could potentially help draw him to Pittsburgh.&lt;/p&gt;
  141. &lt;p id="Kz1j9v"&gt;Carle, who took over the Pioneers program in 2018, has a 179-73-17 overall record and 12-2 NCAA Tournament mark in seven seasons. He led Denver the NCAA titles in 2022 and 2024 and coached Team USA to back-to-back World Juniors gold medals in 2024 and 2025. At 35, he would be the &lt;a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/article781833.html"&gt;youngest coach&lt;/a&gt; in the NHL.&lt;/p&gt;
  142. &lt;h3 id="q5YI2S"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rick Tocchet, Vancouver Canucks&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  143. &lt;p id="Ju52SN"&gt;The Canucks declined a one-year option on Tocchet’s expiring contract and offered him a new, larger deal to stay in Vancouver. Former Penguins general manager and current Canucks president of hockey ops Jim Rutherford &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/44785363/canucks-decline-option-rick-tocchet-offer-new-deal"&gt;told reporters&lt;/a&gt; last Monday that the franchise expected Tocchet’s decision last week, but &lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/another-3rd-period-comeback/id1332150124?i=1000705256993"&gt;Friedman&lt;/a&gt; recently reported there had been no decision made as of Sunday.&lt;/p&gt;
  144. &lt;p id="3uHzFN"&gt;Friedman went on to say on the &lt;em&gt;32 Thoughts&lt;/em&gt; podcast that one of Tocchet’s concerns is the Canucks’ lack of a practice facility. As reported by The Province’s &lt;a href="https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/5-years-talk-canucks-not-have-practice-rink"&gt;Patrick Johnston&lt;/a&gt;, the Canucks have been planning building that facility since at least 2010, but have yet to follow through.&lt;/p&gt;
  145. &lt;p id="WotchW"&gt;Tocchet, hired by the Canucks in January 2023 to take over for Bruce Boudreau, led the Canucks to the franchise’s first 50-win season since the Sedin era in 2024. He previously worked as an assistant coach for the Penguins from 2014 to 2017 and earned his first NHL coaching job in Arizona following his second Stanley Cup win with the franchise.&lt;/p&gt;
  146. &lt;p id="R9lkdC"&gt;The connection to Pittsburgh, as well as Tocchet’s reported dissatisfaction with at least one aspect of the Canucks job, could make him a potential fit in Pittsburgh. &lt;/p&gt;
  147. &lt;h3 id="htrGvV"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;David Quinn, Pittsburgh Penguins&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  148. &lt;p id="auS7pD"&gt;The Penguins parted ways with assistants Mike Vellucci, Ty Hennesee and Andy Chiodo alongside Sullivan, Dubas &lt;a href="https://x.com/Real_RobRossi/status/1916886582684012936"&gt;told reporters&lt;/a&gt; Monday. Assistant coach David Quinn remains under contract with the team, Sportsnet’s &lt;a href="https://x.com/JShannonhl/status/1916898226067640463"&gt;John Shannon&lt;/a&gt; reported.&lt;/p&gt;
  149. &lt;p id="v536dI"&gt;Quinn, who previously coached the New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks,&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;was hired to replace Todd Rierden and oversee the Pens’ defense ahead of the 2024-25 season. The Penguins blue line &lt;a href="https://www.nhl.com/stats/teams?reportType=season&amp;amp;seasonFrom=20242025&amp;amp;seasonTo=20242025&amp;amp;gameType=2&amp;amp;sort=goalsAgainstPerGame&amp;amp;page=0&amp;amp;pageSize=50"&gt;ranked&lt;/a&gt; 30th in the league by allowing 3.5 goals against per game last season. &lt;/p&gt;
  150. &lt;p id="iV1LA6"&gt;On the other hand, Quinn coached Rangers teams that ended up with back-to-back No. 1 draft picks after the 2019 and 2020 seasons, which could be an appealing stat for those eyeing WHL phenom Gavin McKenna in 2026.&lt;/p&gt;
  151. &lt;h3 id="yOC5YZ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other potential candidates&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  152. &lt;p id="OTPeqR"&gt;The NHL head coaching carousel has also left &lt;strong&gt;John Tortorella&lt;/strong&gt; (fired by the Philadelphia Flyers after GM Daniel Briere &lt;a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/philadelphia-flyers-relieve-john-tortorella-of-his-duties-as-head-coach"&gt;said&lt;/a&gt; the franchise had hit “rock bottom” in its rebuild in March) and &lt;strong&gt;Peter Laviolette&lt;/strong&gt; (fired by the New York Rangers after the team missed the playoffs one year after winning the President’s Trophy) in need of jobs. &lt;/p&gt;
  153. &lt;p id="87IvCx"&gt;These are two of the most NHL-experienced coaches looking for jobs this offseason. Still, Tortorella expressed disinterest in coaching a rebuilding team toward the end of his tenure with the Flyers, and Laviolette showed a tendency to bench young players in his last season with the Rangers. Those could both serve as concerns as the Penguins look for multiple prospects to potentially make the jump to the NHL next season.&lt;/p&gt;
  154. &lt;p id="8Edwfh"&gt;Former Chicago Blackhawks coach &lt;strong&gt;Joel Quenneville&lt;/strong&gt; has technically been able to seek league employment since the NHL’s ban regarding the franchise’s response to an allegation of sexual assault in 2010 expired &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40476273/nhl-reinstates-bowman-quenneville-macisaac-ban-role-blackhawks-scandal"&gt;last July&lt;/a&gt;. ESPN’s &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/44840560/nhl-2025-head-coach-hiring-firing-buzz-top-candidates-offseason"&gt;Greg Wyshynski&lt;/a&gt; recently reported that some people around the league aren’t sure if he’ll be returning next fall.&lt;/p&gt;
  155. &lt;p id="R1l3K7"&gt;Apparently not in consideration is &lt;strong&gt;Kirk MacDonald of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins&lt;/strong&gt;, according to Dubas. The Pens general manager said he wants MacDonald to continue developing in the AHL, per NHL.com’s &lt;a href="https://x.com/OtherNHLCrosby/status/1916888277115654294"&gt;Wes Crosby&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
  156. &lt;p id="IsDv4r"&gt;MacDonald, formerly a USHL coach, led the WBS Pens to a playoff berth and the program’s first 40-win season since 2018 in his first AHL season. Given his familiarity with some of the top prospects the Penguins want to take a look at during training camp, he would have made sense as a candidate to take over for Sullivan.&lt;/p&gt;
  157.  
  158. </content>
  159.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/29/24419934/potential-penguins-head-coach-candidates-after-mike-sullivan-split"/>
  160.    <id>https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/29/24419934/potential-penguins-head-coach-candidates-after-mike-sullivan-split</id>
  161.    <author>
  162.      <name>Julia Stumbaugh</name>
  163.    </author>
  164.  </entry>
  165.  <entry>
  166.    <published>2025-04-29T06:00:00-04:00</published>
  167.    <updated>2025-04-29T06:00:00-04:00</updated>
  168.    <title>Pens Points: Sully Out</title>
  169.    <content type="html">  
  170.  
  171.    &lt;figure&gt;
  172.      &lt;img alt="Pittsburgh Penguins v Montreal Canadiens" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jSyslWIMMRofFO0Way8phv41mNo=/2x0:4234x2821/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74055114/2190091312.0.jpg" /&gt;
  173.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  174.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  175.  
  176.  &lt;p&gt;Monday began with a shocker and Pens Points has you covered with all you may have missed.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="5P0GNJ"&gt;For nearly a decade, Mike Sullivan loomed large behind the &lt;a href="https://www.pensburgh.com"&gt;Pittsburgh Penguins&lt;/a&gt; bench as head coach, amassing more wins than any coach in franchise history and guiding the team to historic back-to-back &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nhl-playoffs"&gt;Stanley Cup&lt;/a&gt; championships in 2016 and 2017. Having lasted longer in the role than many coaches do with one team, everyone expected his reign to eventually come to an end and Monday was that day.&lt;/p&gt;
  177. &lt;h2 id="AZhIlC"&gt;Pens Points...&lt;/h2&gt;
  178. &lt;p id="v1qqsK"&gt;In perhaps the most shocking news to come out of the Penguins franchise this century, the team announced on Monday it has agreed to mutually part ways with head coach Mike Sullivan after almost a decade at the helm. [&lt;a href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/28/24419365/penguins-mike-sullivan-agree-to-part-ways"&gt;Pensburgh&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  179. &lt;p id="lOdp1G"&gt;The official announcement of Sullivan’s departure was released by the team at around 9 AM local time by Kyle Dubas. In his statement, Dubas thanked Sullivan for his years of service to the Penguins and noted the search for a new head coach will begin immediately. [&lt;a href="https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/penguins-and-head-coach-mike-sullivan-agree-to-part-ways"&gt;Penguins&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  180. &lt;p id="TTTMCr"&gt;Why the Penguins and Sullivan decided to part ways now is not known at the moment nor are the exact reasons for the split. We’ll likely learn more in the coming days, but right now as we have is speculation into what went down. [&lt;a href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/28/24419430/what-happened-between-mike-sullivan-and-the-penguins-nhl-coach"&gt;Pensburgh&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  181. &lt;p id="pukPu8"&gt;In the moments following the news breaking regarding Sullivan’s departure rumors started flying that the coach had made demands to Dubas about the ream. During his press conference, Dubas put those rumors to rest rather quickly. [&lt;a href="https://www.si.com/onsi/breakaway/news-feed-page/pittsburgh-penguins-kyle-dubas-shuts-down-mike-sullivan-demands-rumors"&gt;Sports Illustrated&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  182. &lt;p id="MQOgfr"&gt;There will be plenty written about Sullivan’s exit from Pittsburgh, but it never should be forgotten what he did here. It may have been time for a fresh voice in the room, but the banners he won will hang forever as a tribute to his legacy. [&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6317752/2025/04/28/mike-sullivan-penguins-split-rebuild-time/"&gt;The Athletic&lt;/a&gt; $$]&lt;/p&gt;
  183. &lt;p id="68Fbkh"&gt;One imagines pulling the trigger on removing Sullivan as head coach was not any easy decision for Dubas or one he took lightly. Sometimes even the hardest decisions on the right one to make so both sides can move forward. [&lt;a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/pittsburgh-penguins-mike-sullivan-breakup-made-sense-both-parties"&gt;Daily Faceoff&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  184. &lt;p id="r6ilWN"&gt;Dubas made it clear that the search for Sullivan’s replacement will begin immediately. There are a few names already in Pittsburgh but non exactly inspire the type of confidence that Dubas seems to be seeking to lead the Penguins into a new era. [&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6318039/2025/04/28/penguins-coaching-candidates-mike-sullivan-replacement/"&gt;The Athletic&lt;/a&gt; $$]&lt;/p&gt;
  185. &lt;p id="ZtBsHO"&gt;After a short time away, Danton Heinen found himself back with the Penguins after being dealt from Vancouver as part of the Marcus Pettersson trade. His latest stint with the Penguins was not up to his standards and has him ready for another shot. [&lt;a href="https://triblive.com/sports/penguins-forward-danton-heinen-i-know-i-can-be-a-lot-better/"&gt;Trib Live&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  186. &lt;h2 id="7nvSlo"&gt;NHL News and Notes...&lt;/h2&gt;
  187. &lt;p id="3muKgs"&gt;There doesn’t appear to be much debate about who will win the Vezina Trophy this season as the NHL’s best goaltender, but the final field is now settled with Connor Hellebuyck, Darcy Kuemper, and Andrei Vasilevskiy named as finalists. [&lt;a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/vezina-trophy-finalists-for-best-goalie-for-2024-25-announced-by-nhl"&gt;NHL&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  188. &lt;p id="1MRhlP"&gt;Young guns from around the league have taken these Stanley Cup playoffs by storm for their respective teams. By the time the Cup is awarded, there are going to be many more household names coming from these payoffs. [&lt;a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-three-youngsters-having-breakout-playoff-performances/"&gt;Sportsnet&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
  189.  
  190. </content>
  191.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/29/24419364/pens-points-penguins-sullivan-dubas-coaching-change-nhl-vezina-trophy-stanley-cup-playoffs"/>
  192.    <id>https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/29/24419364/pens-points-penguins-sullivan-dubas-coaching-change-nhl-vezina-trophy-stanley-cup-playoffs</id>
  193.    <author>
  194.      <name>rjnaugle2</name>
  195.    </author>
  196.  </entry>
  197.  <entry>
  198.    <published>2025-04-28T10:47:34-04:00</published>
  199.    <updated>2025-04-28T10:47:34-04:00</updated>
  200.    <title>What happened between Mike Sullivan and the Penguins?</title>
  201.    <content type="html">  
  202.  
  203.    &lt;figure&gt;
  204.      &lt;img alt="Pittsburgh Penguins v Philadelphia Flyers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LtxPpspSer8Om4qf67b_g7bYeTc=/0x0:3452x2301/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74053457/2202944240.0.jpg" /&gt;
  205.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  206.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  207.  
  208.  &lt;p&gt;Sullivan is out after almost 10 years on the job&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="veXyma"&gt;Last week at his end of season press conference, Pittsburgh Penguins President of Hockey Operations/General Manager Kyle Dubas didn’t mince words &lt;a href="https://sportsnetpittsburgh.com/2025/04/22/three-takeaways-from-penguins-end-of-season-press-conference/"&gt;about his coach.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  209. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="0jFVKv"&gt;“I think with a coach like Sully, he’s an elite-level coach as he’s shown through his time here and as well as for Team USA,” Dubas said. “There’s always the point that very few coaches who are in that realm often want to see a team through this, but he’s been very open about this is what he wants to do. So, we’ll just continue to reaffirm that, and as long as he’s on that side of it, then we’ll roll with that.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  210. &lt;p id="OIo0jY"&gt;As it turns out, that roll abruptly ended a week later with the announcement that the Pens and Sullivan had “have agreed to part ways”. Dubas’ statement had this line:&lt;/p&gt;
  211. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="255Etn"&gt;“This was not a decision that was taken lightly, but as we continue to navigate the Penguins through this transitional period, we felt it was the best course forward for all involved.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  212. &lt;p id="GTAvxT"&gt;93.7 The Fan’s Adam Crowley had a little more information:&lt;/p&gt;
  213. &lt;div id="rqwmPs"&gt;
  214. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  215. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Received word yesterday that Sullivan and the &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Penguins?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Penguins&lt;/a&gt; would  be parting ways. &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/scorindorin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@scorindorin&lt;/a&gt; and I were on the same text. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Team met w/ Sullivan yesterday. Sullivan had a list of non-negotiable demands. Dubas and FSG said "thanks, but no thanks."&lt;/p&gt;— Adam Crowley (@_adamcrowley) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/_adamcrowley/status/1916843400998854866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 28, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  216. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  217. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  218.  
  219. &lt;/div&gt;
  220. &lt;p id="s1xUmj"&gt;“Non-negotiable demands” sounds spicy, perhaps more will come of that later on. The Athletic &lt;a href="https://x.com/TheAthletic/status/1916852518232957317"&gt;had a similar angle&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
  221. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="Ukn3pU"&gt;As for why he left, it has become clear in recent days that Dubas’ rebuilding plans are more methodical than Sullivan would have liked. In recent years, Sullivan was frustrated by his roster. Dubas said at a recent news conference that the Penguins weren’t going to simply attempt to make the playoffs next season, but rather are focusing on a slow build that can help them be Stanley Cup contenders annually.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  222. &lt;p id="lcFDBK"&gt;At this point it seems obvious that Sullivan was unhappy that the team has slipped with short chances of being competitive in the near future. Sullivan, 57, only has so many years of NHL coaching ahead of him and ticking off the games and years with a bottom-end team with little ambition or ability to get back towards the top in the near future had to have been a factor of how he ended up walking.&lt;/p&gt;
  223. &lt;p id="WWX7mJ"&gt;In the end, sometimes differences of opinions happen. By all accounts, &lt;a href="https://x.com/JoshYohe_PGH/status/1916865368263475527"&gt;Dubas and Sullivan &lt;/a&gt;have no personal animus or any negative, dark room dealings to explain what happened. Dubas will speak later today but probably won’t have fireworks or give as much palace intrigue like the soap opera of his own dismissal from Toronto. In this instant it’s a classic scenario where a coach prioritizes a short-term perspective and management has to make calls at a broader view and the two visions weren’t aligned to the point where a split became the right call. In the end, that led to Sullivan and the Penguins parting ways after a very successful and long relationship.&lt;/p&gt;
  224.  
  225. </content>
  226.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/28/24419430/what-happened-between-mike-sullivan-and-the-penguins-nhl-coach"/>
  227.    <id>https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/28/24419430/what-happened-between-mike-sullivan-and-the-penguins-nhl-coach</id>
  228.    <author>
  229.      <name>Hooks Orpik</name>
  230.    </author>
  231.  </entry>
  232.  <entry>
  233.    <published>2025-04-28T09:13:09-04:00</published>
  234.    <updated>2025-04-28T09:13:09-04:00</updated>
  235.    <title>Penguins, Mike Sullivan agree to part ways</title>
  236.    <content type="html">  
  237.  
  238.    &lt;figure&gt;
  239.      &lt;img alt="NHL: New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Mz5aJSqTm5MCZf79158JCae-g6A=/62x0:4133x2714/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74053138/usa_today_25495257.0.jpg" /&gt;
  240.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  241.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  242.  
  243.  &lt;p&gt;Sullivan coached the Penguins for nearly a decade and won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2016 and 2017.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="VJFQMJ"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.pensburgh.com"&gt;Pittsburgh Penguins&lt;/a&gt; and head coach Mike Sullivan have agreed to part ways.&lt;/p&gt;
  244. &lt;p id="v0aL6r"&gt;Sullivan coached the Penguins for nearly a decade and won the &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nhl-playoffs"&gt;Stanley Cup&lt;/a&gt; with the team in 2016 and 2017. He was under contract through the end of the 2026-27 season. &lt;/p&gt;
  245. &lt;p id="PY8zr7"&gt;“On behalf of Fenway Sports Group and the Penguins organization, I would like to thank Mike Sullivan for his unwavering commitment and loyalty to the team and City of Pittsburgh over the past decade,” said general manager Kyle Dubas in a release from the team. “Mike is known for his preparation, focus and fierce competitiveness. I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to his dedication to this franchise for the past two seasons. He will forever be an enormous part of Penguins history, not only for the impressive back-to-back Cups, his impact on the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, but more importantly, for his love and loyalty to the organization. This was not a decision that was taken lightly, but as we continue to navigate the Penguins through this transitional period, we felt it was the best course forward for all involved.”&lt;/p&gt;
  246. &lt;p id="h6DrGU"&gt;Sullivan took over as head coach of the Penguins in December 2015 when the team fired head coach Mike Johnston.&lt;/p&gt;
  247. &lt;p id="HqUt5Q"&gt;The Penguins found instant success under Sullivan, winning the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons with Sullivan at the helm. &lt;/p&gt;
  248. &lt;p id="Xt6t6Z"&gt;After four straight years of first-round playoff exits, the team’s lengthy run of qualifying for the postseason came to an end in 2023 and the team has missed the playoffs in each of the last three years.&lt;/p&gt;
  249. &lt;p id="h0bkkH"&gt;Dubas says a thorough search for the next head coach of the team will begin immediately.&lt;/p&gt;
  250. &lt;p id="mgi1gF"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  251.  
  252. </content>
  253.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/28/24419365/penguins-mike-sullivan-agree-to-part-ways"/>
  254.    <id>https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/28/24419365/penguins-mike-sullivan-agree-to-part-ways</id>
  255.    <author>
  256.      <name>Mike Darnay</name>
  257.    </author>
  258.  </entry>
  259.  <entry>
  260.    <published>2025-04-28T08:56:21-04:00</published>
  261.    <updated>2025-04-28T08:56:21-04:00</updated>
  262.    <title>The youth movement for the Penguins could be on the horizon</title>
  263.    <content type="html">  
  264.  
  265.    &lt;figure&gt;
  266.      &lt;img alt="Boston Bruins v Pittsburgh Penguins" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8I90mzZNYFUn968YFnO0xGIMnng=/0x0:2993x1995/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74053073/2210946376.0.jpg" /&gt;
  267.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  268.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  269.  
  270.  &lt;p&gt;...Or, one could say that it has already begun&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="FzFCnD"&gt;About a year ago at this time it was clear the Penguins were going to be in a lengthy process to rebuild/retool/re-whatever you want to call it in their quest to build the team back up.&lt;/p&gt;
  271. &lt;p id="94TK6v"&gt;Usually one thinks of a team like this as what Chicago is — extremely green and young players learning and growing together. That hasn’t really been the case in Pittsburgh. The Pens are an older team - Elite Prospects had their average &lt;a href="https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/nhl/teams-physical-stats/2024-2025"&gt;age at 29.5&lt;/a&gt; and the fourth oldest in the league.&lt;/p&gt;
  272. &lt;p id="tWkkHg"&gt;A team in the NHL can’t decide to turn to youth and have young players instantly start coming out like water from a faucet. The process to acquire and then wait on youngsters to get started can take a while.&lt;/p&gt;
  273. &lt;p id="euYwmC"&gt;GM Kyle Dubas and the Pens did look to take steps to speed up the process. One such move involved trading 2023 first round pick Brayden Yager to Winnipeg for their 2022 first rounder Rutger McGroarty. McGroarty played in the AHL and NHL last season, Yager was back in juniors. Similarly, Dubas sought a return for Jake Guentzel that was more focused on young players, namely Ville Koivunen, instead of prioritizing a first round pick that would have taken more time to develop.&lt;/p&gt;
  274. &lt;p id="9Xs8Bq"&gt;Here’s something we wrote last year about the team’s core and age shakeups:&lt;/p&gt;
  275. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  276. &lt;p id="ixjCUS"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Five Core players:&lt;/strong&gt; Crosby (37), Malkin (38), Letang (37), Karlsson (34), Bryan Rust (32)&lt;/p&gt;
  277. &lt;p id="P7Ii0v"&gt;—These guys are old! But still the backbone of the team.&lt;/p&gt;
  278. &lt;p id="SreQpe"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Also under contract:&lt;/strong&gt; Lars Eller (35), Reilly Smith (33), Noel Acciari (32), Rickard Rakell (31), Matt Nieto (31), Michael Bunting (29), Marcus Pettersson (28), Tristan Jarry (28), Ryan Graves (28), Drew O’Connor (26)&lt;/p&gt;
  279. &lt;p id="rbV4as"&gt;—This will be the area to watch for the Pens in a youth quest and where GM Kyle Dubas can work some magic to get younger. Can a player like Smith be shed? Do they look to bury a player like Nieto in the AHL in favor of a younger option? What could even be done abut Jarry or Graves? This list includes some established and good performers (Bunting, Pettersson and Rakell) but also carries a lot of questions to be answered about how to shape the team.&lt;/p&gt;
  280. &lt;p id="JHigLq"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Youth:&lt;/strong&gt; Valtteri Puustinen (25), Jesse Puljujarvi (25), Emil Bemstrom (25), P.O. Joseph (25), Jack St. Ivany (25), John Ludvig (24)&lt;/p&gt;
  281. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  282. &lt;p id="3j9tdb"&gt;It’s no accident that out of the mid-tier and mid-level players only a few (Noel Acciari, Rickard Rakell, Tristan Jarry, Ryan Graves) are still with the organization and under contract for next season. Those with enough value to be traded (Eller, Smith, Bunting, Pettersson, O’Connor) were all moved along. That is how a team gets younger.&lt;/p&gt;
  283. &lt;p id="AHTzNE"&gt;It is also interesting that every single one of the players in the “youth” category just last year have distanced themselves from future prospects of having a huge role with the NHL team in Pittsburgh. It’s a reminder that circumstances and outlooks can change very quickly for the non-elite type of prospects and young players — not all will pan out and make it and sometimes careers can have very brief peaks in the ultra-competitive world of the NHL.&lt;/p&gt;
  284. &lt;p id="YDCmXl"&gt;We ended up last year with the following:&lt;/p&gt;
  285. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="yzmQKH"&gt;The real test might be the next wave in the 1-2 years to come with future crop of prospects in Yager, Blomqvist, Owen Pickering, Tristan Broz and ones added in the Jake Guentzel trade like Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen. If that group can make it up the ranks in the future, that will be the avenue to turn the team over as the Crosby/Malkin days fade away.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  286. &lt;p id="1Kx7Pp"&gt;It’s no fun going through tough seasons but we might have already seen the next wave in the final days of last season. McGroarty looked great down the stretch before his season ended with a broken foot. Koivunen was even more productive and showed an immense amount of progress. Pickering played 25 NHL games this season. Harrison Brunicke came from relative obscurity as a second round pick and has already been pushing for NHL games as a teenager. The Pens have a ton more draft picks to use in the future where they’ll attempt to find even more young talent.&lt;/p&gt;
  287. &lt;p id="hV6b0n"&gt;Dubas’s offseason decisions will set the course of how much or little youth the Pens will have next season. After all, if the team decides to pick up veterans like Kevin Hayes in exchange for more draft picks, that leaves less space for a Vasily Ponomarev or Tristan Broz to have a spot in the lineup. Pittsburgh management has routinely said they will let the younger players dictate when they are ready to move up to the NHL level, but to a degree it’s all a numbers game. Find a way to move Hayes and/or Acciari this off-season or early into next year (similar to how Lars Eller was sent out) and the team is going to be a lot younger on average. Add more veterans this summer and then it will remain old.&lt;/p&gt;
  288. &lt;p id="Gofzsp"&gt;So while it won’t be an immediate sea change to suddenly become a young team, especially with so many core players who are 35+ and under contract, Pittsburgh can and will be gradually shifting into their next era by loading up with new and inexperienced players. That process is already well under way. As the years tick by and contracts to veterans draw one more year closer to expiring the team is also working on building up their system so that a player like Joel Blomqvist or Sergei Murashov can take over when a veteran goalie is traded or sees a contract expire. That evolution is the natural process of time moving ahead and it will be a key in the months and years ahead for the Pens.&lt;/p&gt;
  289.  
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