Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - BREAKING: Mike Sullivan OUT as Pittsburgh Penguins head coach

Starting point is 00:00:00 Today on Locked-on Penguins, the Penguins drop an absolute Monday morning bombshell announcing that they have parted ways with head coach Mike Sullivan. Hunter and I will break down that news as well as some other things right after this. You're Locked-on Penguins, your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Monday edition of Locked-on Penguins. I'm one of your host, Patrick Damp. You can follow me across all social media platforms at Synonym 4Wet. Joined as always by the one and only my co-host Hunter Hodes. You can follow him on Twitter at Hunter Hodes.

Starting point is 00:00:48 You can give our shows Twitter a follow at L.O. underscore Penguins. And of course, we appreciate you making us part of your daily routine. don't forget that we are free and available wherever you get your podcasts as well as YouTube and the Roku channel. Plus, if you're following us on YouTube, go ahead and hit that notification button. That way you can be among the first to know when we drop our daily Monday through Friday episodes, including this one, which brings us an absolute bombshell of a news drop on Monday morning. We will get into that in just a second. but first, today's episode is brought to you by the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K.

Starting point is 00:01:28 Turn any TV into your Xbox. No console needed. Head to Amazon.com slash fire TV locked on to learn more. So Hunter, let's jump right in. The Penguins announce an absolutely shocking news development on Monday morning, saying that they have agreed to part ways with head coach, Mike Sullivan. He has been the Penguins head coach since the 2015-2016 season when he replaced Here's a name from the past Mike Johnston as the Penguins head coach. And from then on, the rest

Starting point is 00:02:08 was history. They win the 2016 Stanley Cup. They repeat as champions in 2017. And it has been a bit of a rocky few years for the Penguins organization. Now, they have not won a playoff series since they beat the Philadelphia Flyers in the opening round of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. They went on to lose to the Washington Capitals in their third consecutive second round meeting in 2018. From then, it's a spotty history. 2019, they're shockingly swept by the New York Islanders. in the opening round. Then in the COVID-19 pandemic bubble playoffs, they lose to the Montreal Canadians,

Starting point is 00:02:55 and then they lose again in 2021 to the New York Islanders in the opening round. Then in their most recent appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2022, they lose to the New York Rangers in game seven overtime, and they have not been to the Stanley Cup playoffs since. Now, that is probably the best. place to begin when it comes to the parting of ways of Mike Sullivan. The thing that I want to say about this is it's ambiguously worded the way they framed this. They made it sound like

Starting point is 00:03:32 we're both going our separate ways. This is what's best for both involved. But if you really read the tea leaves, I got to be honest. My first thought was, Mike Sullivan has been fired. It's interesting because there was a really cool tweet from Adam Crowley this morning. I believe I sent it to you. And some people are going to see the Crowley tweet. They'll be like, oh, you know, I'm not going to believe him. Crowley is a really good dude in Pittsburgh Sports Media. And the tweet was, he says,

Starting point is 00:04:06 I received word yesterday that Sullivan and the Penguins will be parting ways. He reports the team met with Sullivan yesterday. Sullivan had a list of non-negotiable demands. Dubis and ownership said thanks, but no thanks. So if that's true, what are these non-negotiable demands here? No, Aalchari contract extension. I joke, but it's just, I got to have a little bit of fun on this, but like, what are those non-negotiable demands?

Starting point is 00:04:31 Like, have them spend a ton in free agency, something like that? I don't know. It just, it's worded pretty interesting. I'm sure we're going to get word at some point about this a little bit more in depth. If I hear anything from a couple of people, I'll be sure to share if I can on the show. also pat this is what i get for sleeping in on an off day this drops at 9 a.m on monday i sleep in 20 minutes later i wake up with 30 texts on my phone plus a whole bunch of people jamming me being like wake up what the heck just happened and yeah man i'm stunned we both said on this show last week that yeah

Starting point is 00:05:06 we expected him back mike selvin himself said yeah i still expect to be the head coach kyle dubis kind of confirmed it i know some people were reading into that quote quite a bit because some people sounded like, oh, like he didn't really fully commit to him. And I even said at the time, like, it kind of felt like he did. Like he was saying like, yeah, I'm going to meet with him the next day. I think everything is going to go according to plan. Well, obviously everything did not go according to plan because he's been fired or, excuse me, they have parted ways a week later.

Starting point is 00:05:34 But with Mike Sullivan, I'm going to praise him in just a second because he deserves all the praise. I will say this is a move that Pat, that probably should have happened over a year ago, just with the way they kept missing the playoffs. Again, Pat, like he was a head coach for 10 seasons. Not many head coaches stay with one team that long, especially one that has missed the playoffs three seasons in a row. I was fine with them moving on at the end of the 23, 24 season.

Starting point is 00:06:03 Heck, you couldn't have made an argument that they could have moved on after the 22, 23 season. There were a ton of people making an argument, and I totally understand why. So I'll say that. However, I will also say that Mike Sullivan completely changed the Penguins play style when he took over from Mike Johnston. Mike Johnston, in my opinion, was kind of leading them down a, I don't want to be like a full. I'm wearing a Star Warser. I don't want to say like a weird Star Wars reference that you're leading him down a path that you can't follow and stuff like that.

Starting point is 00:06:35 But the play style wasn't fun to watch. They were really bad under him. He takes over, Mike Sullivan, that is, immediately ushers in. a very aggressive four check. They play a one-two in their own zone, especially when they're leading. And the rest was history. They win the cup in 16.

Starting point is 00:06:52 That team is a complete buzzsaw. They repeat in 17, have great goal to get a great shooting percentage, but they also really defend well in their own zone. In my opinion, he is the best head coach in this franchise's history. You can debate him against Badger Bob. If you want, you can make an argument for Badger Bob.

Starting point is 00:07:10 There's a very good argument for him, considering how great of a coach he was. in this franchise history. But I look at everything Mike Sullivan accomplished in 10 years, 409 wins in the regular season, back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. He completely changed the way they play. He was so good at those in-game adjustments for most of his tenure

Starting point is 00:07:28 until I would say the last couple years where it really went downhill. They were blowing too many leads. They weren't playing well in the third periods and such. But for most of his tenure, he was so good at those in-game adjustments. and he should be in a sort of ring of honor if the penguins want to do that. He is penguins royalty as far as I'm concerned.

Starting point is 00:07:50 Don't get me wrong people. It was time to move on. It 100% was the end of his tenure was not very good. But when you look at the overall body of work, in my opinion, he is the best head coach in the franchise's history. And he deserves flowers. Like he is going to get, in my opinion, when he gets back, a raucous ovation. I think he's probably going to be the head coach of the Rangers next year. I would not be surprised if he's been on the call with Chris Jury for the last hour talking about that job

Starting point is 00:08:18 because he is immediately the Rangers number one candidate. We'll get into some candidates for the Penguins coming up here in the second segment. But he is Penguins royalty and they do not win those titles without him. So I just want to get him his flowers because they are deserved. I'll say without any hesitation and with my full chest, he is the best coach in the history of the organization. And obviously Badger Bob Johnson made an indelible mark on the franchise. They quite literally use his phrase as the team motto with it's a great day for hockey. And he really changed the course of this franchise's history.

Starting point is 00:08:54 But when you look at the body of work, it has to go to Mike Sullivan with Badger Bob at number two. Now, there was something you said that I do think is a good connective tissue to what I believe happened over. the weekend or whenever this actually came to pass because if you know anything about the business of sports, especially once your team is no longer playing, people like to have weekends again because in season you don't have them. So they might have made this decision on Friday evening and then said, we're going to wait until Monday to come out with this. We'll drop it at the start of business on Monday morning. But the connective tissue that I want to talk about real quick before we had to break and talk about what could come next is you brought up Mike Johnston and why they got

Starting point is 00:09:47 rid of him. Mike Johnston was at odds with the roster that he had when he took over as the Penguins head coach. Jim Rutherford at the time had built a team that had a lot of skill, a lot of speed, and needed to play an up-tempo style. Mike Johnston had them playing a very conservative game. It was defense first. It was sacrificing offense at the sake of defense. And the penguins, not just then, but in the history of their franchise, especially since drafting Mario Lemieux, have never been that franchise. They do not play defense. They will be good at defense because they will defend hard, but they're not going to be a team that is built from the net out. They are going to be built as a team from their top line down. That is how the Pittsburgh Penguins,

Starting point is 00:10:37 operate. They scored in 16 and 17, but they still knew how to defend, especially in the third period when they were defending leads, Pat. Anytime they basically took a lead into the third period under Mike Sullivan and those two cup runs, it was basically game over because of the way the penguins were able to suffocate the opposition. It was, it's still to this day one of my favorite parts about Mike Sullivan's system when it's deployed right, especially during those two cup years. We all know it went away these last few years especially. And again, it was more than time for him to get mutually part ways with the penguins. But when that system was humming man, this scene was electric to watch.

Starting point is 00:11:14 So making that connection to Johnston Rutherford, Johnson Sullivan, now to Dubus Sullivan, we're never going to know unless Sullivan comes out and says it or Dubus comes out and says it or somebody gets the scoop. What those demands were from Mike Sullivan that Adam Crowley has referenced. But I do think this is the connection here. Mike Sullivan, from all accounts, is one of the most intensely competitive human beings on the planet. That's why he gets along and coaches so well with the likes of Crosby, Malkin, and Latang. The Penguins aren't at that moment anymore.

Starting point is 00:11:53 I know it sucks to say, I hate it, you hate it, Penguins fans hate it, but that's the reality. I don't think Mike Sullivan, even though he said he wants to be part of the Penguins once they're a contender once again, This is not going to happen next year, even the year after. They are at the very least three years away from even being a competitive playoff team. They may be able to squeak in sometime in the next two to three years, but being a legitimate Stanley Cup contender is still far off. And if this was that kind of disconnect, that it might give us some hints to what this was.

Starting point is 00:12:33 The disconnect was Kyle Dubus has a long-term plan. for this franchise. His plan is to not just build a team that has a wobbly foundation, but looks very good and can win in the short term. He wants to shore up a foundation that will not collapse once a couple things go wrong. And that takes a while. So for Mike Sullivan, an intensely competitive coach who has seen the top of the mountain with this franchise, I think he probably saw the writing on the wall and realized, listen, I love Sid, I love Gino, I love Tanger. I love the city of Pittsburgh and the Penguins organization.

Starting point is 00:13:11 But the time has come for us to move on. And he probably, and again, this is speculation, don't have any sourcing on this. He probably wanted this team to take another shot, especially after the way Crosby played this year, the way some of the young guys started to mesh in and you mix in the cap space and everything else. And Dubus probably said, listen, it'd be real easy for me to do that. But I'm here to make hard decisions. And the hard decision is I got to get this team back to actual contention

Starting point is 00:13:44 and not just a one-year sugar rush that is going to push this rebuild so much further down the road that it's going to make the dark days even darker. But that is going to do it for our opening segment. When we come back, what's next for the penguins? What's next for Mike Sullivan? Well, it's April 28th. So hard to say, but that's never stopped us from speculation. here on this show.

Starting point is 00:14:08 So we're going to do that when we come back right after this, but we've got to tell you about today's first sponsor, and that is Monarch Money. Ever check your bank account and wondered, where did all my money go? Between dining out, online shopping, and entertainment, it's easy to lose track. That's where Monarch Money comes in,

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Starting point is 00:15:25 I'm Patrick Damp alongside Hunter Hodes. And we're going to continue our conversation here about the shocking Monday morning news drop that the penguins have parted ways with head coach Mike Sullivan and Hunter genuinely it is hard for me to say what comes next here because I did not expect this. You said it in the first segment. We were fully under the impression that Mike Sullivan at the very least, barring a disastrous year next year, would at least play out his contract with the penguins.

Starting point is 00:16:01 And then maybe they just decide, hey, we're not going to retain you after this year. Go on your merry way. Thanks for everything. See you later. Then to find out Monday morning, they part ways with him. He's suddenly probably the best coach on the market right now. And there's no shortage of openings for him right now.

Starting point is 00:16:24 The Rangers, the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Anaheim Ducks, and Seattle Crackens. So this is where I want to start with this. I have no idea where the penguins are going to go next. So before we get into that, if I look at that list that I just put out, because there's still a couple other interim head coaches that might not get retained. So some other teams might get added to this list, but let's be real here. It feels like the most obvious fit, but I do have a dark horse fit that I'll say after I say this.

Starting point is 00:16:59 The most obvious fit feels like the New York Rangers. Oh, 100%. I mean, he's probably been on the phone with Rangers general manager, Chris Jury, for the last hour. Honestly, we're recording this a little after 10 o'clock. So he's probably been on the phone with Jury for a while. I would definitely think he is the top option there. And it would kind of surprise me a little bit if he doesn't coach the Rangers next year. That's a team that still, I think, wants to win next year.

Starting point is 00:17:26 They were really disappointed with the way this season went. And when Jury was kind of talking during their end of. season press conference, he was kind of hinting that, yeah, they want to take another swing at this next season and get back to the playoffs. Well, Mike Sullivan can help you do that. And I think the Rangers will very aggressively pursue him. I think Boston makes a little bit of sense if they want to go down that route as well. But I think they should also rebuild slash retool. I don't really like a lot of their team right now. He's also coached the Bruins before. So this would be his second tenure there. But if I had to say, like, what's next for him? The Rangers make a lot of sense.

Starting point is 00:17:58 But going back to your theory, Pat, it actually is a good one because you're right. like this team, they're probably not going to make the playoffs this year. If Kyle Dubus really wanted to, he could spend up to the cap, be aggressive in free agency, and be like, yeah, Mike, let's try to sneak into the playoffs this year. Just using that as an example. But Dubus doesn't want to do that. He literally said this during the press conference at the end of the season. He wants to not only make the playoffs one year and then kind of fizzle out and miss the playoffs for the next few.

Starting point is 00:18:28 He wants to build a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. and it's a good theory where maybe Mike was like, eh, really thinking about it, maybe I don't want to stick around for this season and maybe in the next season because there's no guarantee that they'll make the playoffs two seasons from now, even though we both think that's going to be the year

Starting point is 00:18:47 when they get really, and I mean really aggressive. They're going to get a little bit aggressive this summer, at least with some trades, but I still don't think it's going to get to the point where they're going to make the playoffs this upcoming season. I think the season after that is probably the best case scenario. And even then, if they don't make it at that point, I think the season after that would be the second best case scenario.

Starting point is 00:19:05 So does Mike Sullivan really want to stick around during that time? Again, that's a good theory that you had on the pod here. As for what's next for the Penguins Head coaching search, obviously very early, you're going to hear a lot of names being thrown at us in the comments, in our DMs, all that stuff. I will say this. I think someone like a Jay Woodcroft makes a lot of sense. I think he got screwed with goaltending in Edmonton.

Starting point is 00:19:31 I think he has a very good coach. Kind of surprises me that he hasn't gotten hired yet. I would be a fan of him if he got hired here in Pittsburgh. I also know David Carl is out there, but the biggest thing with David Carl, Pat, he's only going to leave for the right situation. He already pulled out of the Black Hawk's job. We saw that that was reported over the weekend.

Starting point is 00:19:50 Does he really want to come to this iteration of the Penguins? Yes, I know they still have Evgeny Malkin, Chris Letang, Cindy Crosby, but it is a fair question, this team is still going through a pretty big weed tool slash we build on the fly here. Does David Carl want that to be his first initial job? We don't know. But still, you'd probably think, you'd probably lean towards no because he probably wants

Starting point is 00:20:15 to go to a team that is ready to win right now. If they were to hire David Carl, I would love it. I think he is ready to coach in the NHL right now. He would be one of my top candidates. I also know Rick Tockett's name is going to be thrown out there because of this situation in Vancouver. they're offering him a contract, they're trying to make him one of the top paid coaches in the league,

Starting point is 00:20:34 but isn't going to be enough. Now, if he's on the market, I think the Penguins will go after him. But I want to offer up this take. I think this might be a little bit controversial. I think Rick Tockett has a hell of a PR team. You look at his tenure with Vancouver.

Starting point is 00:20:48 You look at his overall head coaching experience. I think he's fine. But the way that people are propping him up, Pat, like people are thinking like he's like a top five, top seven coach in the league. he's not people like he don't get me wrong he's fine but i think like some people are really overrating him and it's like i'm really sure he's all that i guess so yeah those are just a few coaches that could be on the market again already touched on car already touched on j woodcroft

Starting point is 00:21:15 i do not want someone like a peter lobulette his shelf life is like literally two years i will just completely pass on that so this is going to be a very fascinating coaching search here Like what direction do they go towards? I also don't want something like a Gerard Gallant, by the way, don't really think he's that good of a coach. But just wanted to offer up some early takes and some coaches that either A or out there or B could be out there. Woodcroft and Carl are my two votes that I would like to see. And obviously this is very early.

Starting point is 00:21:47 This has just happened in the last two hours. There's also going to be, I think, some other coaches that are let go. There's also going to be some guys who emerge as well, whether it's from the junior ranks or the collegiate ranks. So very curiously with that. One quick thing before I give my dark horse candidate, I agree with you on the talk it thing. I don't think he's bad.

Starting point is 00:22:08 But I think there was a lot of potential there because you look at who he had coached prior to going to Vancouver. It was a lot of teams that were just in disarray, including the coyotes. And so much of their dysfunction could not be played. at the feet of the coach. And he does really well as an assistant with the penguins, big part of those Stanley Cup wins.

Starting point is 00:22:34 And the past couple years in Vancouver, you can shake your head at some of the moves Rutherford and Alvin made. But at the end of the day, he gave Talket, a team that might not be a top tier Stanley Cup contender, but a team that should go on a run. And then you look at all the, dysfunction happening. Now, a lot of that, I can't, again, I can't place all of it on the head coach because sometimes people just do not mesh well. It just, on paper, it looks like this is going to be

Starting point is 00:23:09 great. Everything's going to work. Think, a lot of players who have come into the Penguins organization, included the top tier example, Brassard looked like he was going to help us sleepwalk to a third Stanley Cup and it just didn't fit. But you look, at where Vancouver is right now. That should be a team that's going on runs, but they're not. Now, for talk it. He's made the playoffs only twice during his coaching tenure. And you look at his overall record pat for his coaching career, 286, 265 and 87.

Starting point is 00:23:42 You combine those overtime losses with the regular losses. He's below 500 as a coach. Like, again, I think he's fine. I think he's going to be a candidate in several places if he doesn't work out in Vancouver. but it again comes back to what I said. He has a hell of a PR team because he's only made the playoffs twice during his coaching career. And I just can't get it out of my head that it is going to be the prodigal son returning. And he is going to be the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Starting point is 00:24:11 I can see it. Because as much as we love him from the Penguins, winning the Stanley Cup as a player in 1992, being on the bench for 16 and 17, that man, whether you want to admit it or not, is a Philadelphia Flyer through and through. And with their head coach job open and him and Rutherford kind of at odds right now, it feels like he's going to Philadelphia. Now, last thing before we go to our final segment talking about the minor league teams who, well, their vacations have started early, but we'll get into that later.

Starting point is 00:24:44 My dark horse candidate for Sullivan for a team is Chicago. I think he may not want to be part of this Penguins rebuild because he has seen where this organization is gone. And once you taste that champagne out of the Stanley Cup with those people, it's all you want for them and yourselves ever again. And it's probably not going to happen again. But he's got a little bit of a history with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was their player development coach before he was plucked out from there to be

Starting point is 00:25:19 Wokes Bears head coach before coming the head coach of the Penguins. And then you look at Chicago right now. A lot of cap space. They've got Connor Bedard. They've got some other draft picks on the way. They've got a young general manager in Kyle Davidson who that is a guy that he can work hand in hand with and build a team in the image he helped build one here in Pittsburgh. And you've already got the main piece. And I've said this about Chicago on the show.

Starting point is 00:25:49 They've got their goaltender. They've got Spencer Knight. That's usually one of the hardest things to get. when you rebuild is that franchise number one starting goaltender. And Spencer Knight looks like he can be that guy. So you've got two really good key pieces in the organization. You've got a future superstar in Connor Bedard and a lot of potential. You bring in the hot shot coach who's worked with legends, won the Stanley Cup,

Starting point is 00:26:18 done a lot of really good work. I'd be a big get for the Blackhawks. That's a good one. I actually really like that theory from you. It would be big because you bring that coach around that young core, especially with Bardard, and you kind of just let him loose a little bit. This year,

Starting point is 00:26:35 I don't want to really say that he really fell short of expectations because when you look at the players that he had on his line, it's like, come on, he needs a little bit of help. And I also think this is a Blackhawks team that is ready to start also mobilizing a little bit. They were really bad this year. They want to take that next step. And as of right now, they're not even close to making the playoffs.

Starting point is 00:26:56 So it's a good dark horse, but I still think at the end of the day, the Rangers are by far and clear, the top favorite. And again, I think he's been on the phone with them for well over an hour and probably will be throughout this week here. But yeah, man, completely stunned by this. But just to end this second segment before we get to both Wheeling and Wilkesbury getting eliminated because the vibes with the Penguins organization are just really funny right now in a lot of ways.

Starting point is 00:27:21 I just want to say this. Thank you, Mike Sullivan, for all the good times. Thank you for the back-to-back Stanley Cups. Thank you for making this team so much fun to watch again. And he deserves to be in the ring of honor, Penguins Royalty, as far as I'm concerned. Again, it was very much time to move on. It's been time to move on for over a year for me.

Starting point is 00:27:40 I called for this to happen last year when they missed the playoffs for a second straight year. But I hope this doesn't really, I guess, mess with people's minds and not have them realize how good of a coach he was for so long. for this team. He was the perfect coach at the perfect time for an organization that needed a refresh. And you cannot talk about the legacies of Sidney Crosby, Evgeny Malkin, Chris LaTang, and I'm going to say this name, and I know it's going to be a little polarizing, but, and Mark Andre Fleury, without talking about Mike Sullivan. So thanks to Mike Sullivan for 10 awesome years. He really

Starting point is 00:28:23 helped revitalize the franchise when it needed it brought us two Stanley Cups really seemed to reinvigorate the Corps energy and bring them back to the place we needed them to go so tough to see him go but at this point it feels like it was probably well past time but that is going to do it at least for now in our talk about the parting of ways of Mike Sullivan in the Pittsburgh Penguins when we come back like Hunter said who the vibes They ain't great in the organization right now because over the weekend, both the Wheeling Nailers and the Wilkesbury Scranton Penguins were eliminated

Starting point is 00:29:01 from their respective playoffs. We'll get a little bit into that really quickly to end the show when we come back right after this. But first, we got to tell you about today's last sponsor, and that is Wonderful Pistachios. Looking for a snack that is both delicious and nutritious, crack into a good source of protein with wonderful pistachios. Wonderful Pistachios is one of the highest protein,

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Starting point is 00:30:23 Hunter. Wheeling Naylor's eliminated in five. Wilkesbury Scranton Penguins swept into. It has not been a great few days for the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. But if, if I can bring some good vibes and some optimism in all of this, I have got to, again, as always, we got to get her back on the show at this point. Taylor Haas of D.K. Pittsburgh sports. I don't know where she finds the time, energy, and motivation to do all of this because she covers the penguins and then she'll cover the baby penguins and then she'll cover

Starting point is 00:31:03 the wheeling nailers and bring us great coverage of all of it. I don't think she sleeps. She's probably not human, but she's great at what she does. After the baby penguins get eliminated, she gets a one-on-one interview with goaltending prospect, Sergei Murashov, and dear God, for being 12. He is the most mature 21-year-old I have ever heard of. He essentially says this quote that, just again, how can you say this at 21 years old? I can't imagine me being this profound at age 21.

Starting point is 00:31:36 It is a part of the journey and part of life, Murashov said, and this feeling is the greatest motivation for the future. despite not getting a lot of help both with the Wheeling Nailers and then the baby penguins in that short amount of time, you look at his numbers and you think that's not very good, but then you watch the tape. He got next to no help, whether it was a lack of goal scoring or a lack of defensive play in front of him.

Starting point is 00:32:04 He gave both teams great chances to win and got failed by the teams in front of them. But then you look at the way he talks, and he takes full responsibility for it. But Sergey, I'm sorry, buddy. You can't score the goals too. He has nothing to be sorry for. He just had one heck of a season for both Wheeling and Wilkesbury. Short, short sample, not short sample size as well, short series can be very fickle.

Starting point is 00:32:30 So he really has nothing to apologize for. You saw what happened against Lehigh Valley last year. And I've made those weapons before. I'll say it again. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, the Who, legendary band. I will keep making that reference on the show when it's appropriate. But Leon Valley just has their number in the playoffs. Even though Wilkesbury played them really well during the regular season,

Starting point is 00:32:55 just hasn't been able to translate to the playoffs. I will say, you know, really stood out though during that series? Harrison Brunich, banger of a goal in game two. Yeah, I know they lost a bit later on in that third period. But I thought Harrison Brunich was really good in that series. and I'm excited to see what he can do in another full training camp with the Penguins to see if he can push even closer to a roster spot for next season. I thought he was great.

Starting point is 00:33:22 He was one of the best players in that series, if not their best. I wanted to see a little bit more of the league we've in, but again, you know, only two games. It's not the end of the world. He's going to be on this team next year. I just wanted him to take over a little bit more in that playoff series. Just things that we couldn't get a long run out of this team because it was a special season for Wilkespray. They were a very good team this year, just thinks that they couldn't get past Lee High Valley once again. And then for Wheely Pat, they take game four, but weren't able to take

Starting point is 00:33:49 game five. So really unfortunate for both teams in the ECHL and the HL. We're running a little long today because it obviously is a very big day with a lot to talk about. But I will end on this point. If there is another piece of optimism to take from these shortened runs from the nailers and baby penguins. The players that were focusing the most on for the future of the franchise, you really can't put this loss, these losses on them. Obviously, Miroshov did everything he could with what he had and unfortunately was kind of failed by the team in front of them. But in Wilkes-bear, Tristan Bros played really well in the two games. You brought up Harrison Brunich, gets his first professional goal in a massive moment.

Starting point is 00:34:38 Velae Covenin continued to look like a man against boys. Jack St. Ivany, Owen Pickering. They were fantastic. I want to see a little bit more out of Covenan, just like him taking over. But he still at least, when he went back to end the regular season, it was a man against boys. Two games, though, it's not the end of the world. He's going to shove to training camp totally fine. I think he's going to make this team next year again.

Starting point is 00:34:59 Just wanted to see him take over a little bit more in the playoffs. But I'm nitpicking, if anything. Right. So you look at a lot of the young players, including Avery Hay, is Valtari Pustin, a couple of the others that we want to see become contributors in the future and hopefully even into next season, they did pretty well. So you really can't put the loss on the future. It was kind of everybody else around them. Plus, like you said, especially for Wilkes Bear, extremely small sample size. A best of three is a coin flip series and one wrong

Starting point is 00:35:32 decision ends your season or continues it. So you can't really glean a ton out of it. But, But when the players that you are keeping an eye on that you want to be part of your future show up and give a positive impact on those couple of games, you at least have that to lean on. It sucks that they're not going to get a long run together to really grow and develop together and play in those meaningful games. But you can see that the skill and the potential are there. But that is going to do it for a jam-packed Monday episode of Locked-on Penguins.

Starting point is 00:36:08 is not going to be a boring off season, ladies and gentlemen. We are going to have a ton to talk about, including the coaching search, including the roster building, the draft, trades, and everything else in between. So make sure you're sticking with us, whether it's on your podcast apps or on YouTube or wherever else you tune into Locked on Penguins. And as always, thank you so much for tuning in. Hunter and I will be back with a new episode on Tuesday where we can, and continue our season and review series and cover any other surprising news the penguins

Starting point is 00:36:43 might drop between now and then, but for now, for Hunter Hodes, I'm Patrick Dam. Thank you, as always for tuning in. We'll be back on Tuesday.

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