Over the weekend Elliotte Friedman spoke about Mike Sullivan’s status as Penguins coach during an intermission report. Today he followed it up by putting it in print.

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— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 31, 2021

5. In Pittsburgh, Mike Sullivan will be back. Anytime a team’s had the same voice for six seasons, it’s always fair to wonder if change is necessary. But he’s a great coach with three years left on his contract, and he’s likely to lead the U.S. Olympic hockey team. The organization recognizes that.

I think it is fine bringing back Mike Sullivan. He isn’t a bad coach. I do worry about his in-game player management skills and I think at times it holds the team back. Also, I think Mike Sullivan does a really nice job with how he structures the team and understands that size doesn’t always mean it is an improvement. Size plus skill is great, but it also comes at a high cost. Size sans skill and you end up with players like Ryan Reaves. I beleive Mike Sullivan understands this important difference.

Good news on the roster front as well

6. I’m betting that Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are back, too. The playoff loss is still very fresh, but my sense is the Penguins see themselves as a good team that didn’t get the necessary goaltending. That will be their upgrade, finding either a veteran to play with Tristan Jarry or a new No. 1.

This is a nice change of pace from the last regime who would have left these franchise icons naked in the face of speculation about their futures. Elliotte Friedman is among the best at what he does and I think his Penguins reporting will only be more accurate now. Remember, his former colleague who he has a great relationship with is none other than Brian Burke. I will be keeping that in mind when Friedman is reporting on the Penguins moving forward.

As for the goaltending situation I do think the Penguins need to get some outside help. Tristan Jarry isn’t a prospect. He’ll be 27 next year. He is a wild card closer to being a backup than an “all-star” caliber goalie. I think there will be some mid-tier goalie options the Penguins could go after. I’ll be going over the free agent landscape in the near future to see what makes sense there.

Thanks for reading!

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