Elements the Penguins Will Never Have as Long as Mike Sullivan’s Our Coach

I was reading articles and comments on other sites yesterday regarding the Penguins’ potential trade-deadline needs. I also took note that we’d sent promising youngsters Drew O’Connor and Radim Zohorna to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Leading to this mish-mash ramble.

Before I begin, I want to be clear. This post sincerely isn’t intended to bash Mike Sullivan, but rather to point out as matter-of-factly as possible elements we’ll never have as long as he’s our coach.

For the record, I think Sully’s a good coach. Perhaps even an excellent one in terms of intelligence, knowledge of the game, competitive fire and his ability to communicate and motivate. Quick to credit his players for the team’s success. A quality individual through and through. The Pens could do far worse for their headmaster and maybe not a whole lot better.

Now for that list.

Number one, a physical defenseman who takes the body, keeps the crease clear and drops the gloves when the situation merits it. We’ve had a few of those during Sullivan’s reign, most notably Ian Cole, Erik Gudbranson and Jamie Oleksiak.

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