As a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, it pains me to even ask this question, but is Mike Sullivan in jeopardy of losing his job?
Just the other night, the two-time Stanley Cup champion passed Eddie Johnston for the most games coached in Penguins history. And, after the first week of play, people were talking about Sullivan as a Jack Awards contender after beginning the year on a 4-0-1 streak.
Since then, things have gone downhill quickly for Pittsburgh. The team is 0-5-1 in its last six contests, bringing its overall record to 4-5-2, which ranks near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Losing is one thing, especially this early in the year, but the way that the Penguins have lost is what could make Sullivan start to feel a little uncomfortable.
Could Penguins coach Mike Sullivan be on the hot seat?
The Pens have scored the first goal of the game in each of their last three contests, so they’re getting off to good starts, yet can’t find a way to finish. Speaking of which, Pittsburgh has blown three games in their last six games played in which they held an advantage of at least two goals.
Somehow, the Penguins have managed to play two completely different games each time they take the ice. For the most part, their six-game skid has involved dominating one part of the game and being dominated for the other part.
The nature of their losses is what makes me nervous for Mike Sullivan. He has been an extremely successful coach for Pittsburgh, and he did just sign an extension over the summer, but the last week and a half has been about as ugly as it gets for the Penguins.
Let me be very clear: I am not advocating for the removal of Mike Sullivan. I think he is a great coach, and I feel like this Penguins team has the potential to be competitive when the playoffs roll around. No earl- season struggles should derail that for a veteran team like this.
With that said, things have been genuinely bad for six games now. I’m not the type to invest in overreactions less than one month into the season, but with no recent playoff success and major struggles at times this season, one has to wonder if the Penguins would consider a change.