Penguins GM says HC doesn’t have to worry about job security

Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan. Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Penguins GM says HC Mike Sullivan doesn’t have to worry about job security

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 12/11/23

Despite being one of the worst teams in the NHL in terms of both points accumulated and points scored, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas says that head coach Mike Sullivan isn’t in danger of losing his job anytime soon.

In fact, Dubas seems to believe that of all the things wrong with the Penguins right now that coaching isn’t one of them.

“Do I think that he’s the right person for the job now and far into the future? I absolutely do,” Dubas said, via Pittsburgh Hockey Now. “So, I need to continue to support the coaching staff as best I can and help us get this going in the right direction.”

Pittsburgh is 11-12-3 with 25 points, just ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who occupy last place in the Metropolitan Division.

Defense and goaltending doesn’t seem to be the Penguins’ problem. Goaltenders Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovi and Magnus Hellberg have combined to surrender the fewest goals in their division and the third-fewest goals in the NHL (68). Pittsburgh’s defense also ranks 10th in penalty-kill percentage (83.5).

Kyle Dubas: "I think no one really wants to hear about the underlying stuff about the even-strength play or even the power play and things of that nature. They want to see execution on the ice and see us convert on the ice and deliver wins for the fans in Pittsburgh."
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) December 11, 2023

What’s really plagued the Penguins, however, has been their offense — or lack thereof. They’ve scored the second-fewest goals in the Metro Division (75), which ranks 25th in the league.

They also rank 24th in goals for per game (2.88) and they have the third-worst power play (9.5%). In fact, Pittsburgh is one of just three teams in the NHL not scoring at least 10% of the time on the man-advantage.

Even though the team’s offense has been absent for much of the first one-third of the season, Dubas affirmed his confidence in Sullivan’s ability to right the ship if given enough time to do so.

“When it comes to how we dictate our course, I’m going to give the players and the coaching staff as much time as possible,” Dubas said, via NHL.com. “So just by nature, I’m not going to make any decisions based on how we do this week or next week. When we get through the All-Star break and on the other side of that, we’ll have a better idea of what we are as a group and where we need to go.”

More must-reads: