Mike Sullivan Would Fix More Than Coaching

In my end of season eulogy—which was met with rousing applause (and those of you here on free plans can't tell me otherwise)—I wrote the following:

The culture has to be changed, from top to bottom. The top being the environment that exists within this organization that Drury has perpetuated—either intentionally or not—and the bottom being getting the right players off this team (not a typo). To maybe everything in between.

I wrote the story before Peter Laviolette was fired, and broad-stroked the idea through the story that one of the things Chris Drury was going to need to change (and more specifically, really get right) was the next head coach.

Well, Mike Sullivan is automatically that guy. (A topic we spent over an hour on during this week's podcast.)

After "mutually agreeing" to part ways with Pittsburgh, Sullivan instantly jolts to the top of Drury's coaching wish list. And if you believe all the speculations and whispers about the two sides being linked, this is all but a foregone conclusion.

Sullivan isn't just a big name in the coaching sphere, he's one of the names. A top-three head coach in the NHL, the former New York Rangers' assistant coach under John Tortorella won back-to-back Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh over a 10-year stint behind the bench. Yeah, 10 years.

He coaches an attractive brand of hockey, forcing his forwards up to forecheck for the push, and pushing opponents along the walls with speed. It's aggressive and it forces turnovers, demanding players jump cuts and try to swarm the puck. It also, believe it or not, opens the team up for pucks to go the other way, which is probably why having the best goaltender in the world would be an attractive idea.

But let's move beyond the blocking and tackling. We can talk about that if (when) he officially signs.

Let's talk about the two things he does change right away if he walks through the door: Team culture, and Chris Drury's unilateral hold on power within the organization.