Welcome to Screen Shots, a regular THN.com feature in which we tackle a few hockey topics and break them down in a few paragraphs. Let’s get straight to it:
Of all the NHL coaches feeling pressure to produce good things this coming season, Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan might just be the coach most likely to be fired first in 2024-25. Sullivan is the second-longest-tenured coach in the league, with nearly nine years on the job in Pittsburgh. And considering the expectations on the Penguins – and the fact that the Pens have failed to make the playoffs for the past two seasons – Sullivan could quickly be moved on from if Pittsburgh struggles out of the gate.
Sullivan’s current contract runs through the 2026-27 campaign, but as we all know by now, most coaches don’t get to finish out their deals before the team steps in and replaces them with a new voice. We’re not suggesting Sullivan is the reason the Penguins haven’t lived up to expectations, but Pens GM Kyle Dubas can’t trade away his core and leave Sullivan unscathed. Instead, it’s much easier for the Penguins to move on from Sullivan and install a new voice behind their bench.
Winning games will save Sullivan’s job in the short term, but that pressure is going to be there constantly, and if Pittsburgh flames out early in the playoffs, Sullivan will be dismissed next summer instead of during the season. Either way, Sullivan’s best-before date is looming, and he’ll eventually suffer the same fate as virtually every coach ever – sitting on the sidelines, looking for a new team.
Related: NHL’s Top Issues Facing the Pittsburgh Penguins: Dubas, Crosby, Jarry In Spotlight
If you’re looking for something positive on the future of women’s hockey, this CTV story on the surge in registration for girls’ hockey in Saskatoon, Sask. will be right up your alley.
Participation in girls’ hockey is at an all time high in Saskatoon, with more than 800 players between the ages of five to 17 years old signed up across five teams for this coming season – a rise of more than eight percent for a league that began in 1993 with only one team..
Saskatoon Comets commissioner Krispin Zaleschuk told CTV News the registration increase dwarfs the average increase in other leagues across Saskatchewan and Canada itself.
“This is a new all-time high for us,” Zaleschuk said. “It’s awesome to see. I don’t know if I ever thought that it would grow this fast.”
Growth at the grassroots level is crucial for the long-term viability of the sport, and interest in the women’s game continues to grow as the professional side of the sport tries to establish a foothold among casual and hard-core fans. It’s always good to see growth like this, and if other provinces and cities can grow the game similarly, women’s hockey is going to reach new heights across the board soon enough.
'Little girls … big dreams': Saskatoon sees a surge of girls registering for hockey https://t.co/yMDfrCc4Uk
— CTV Saskatoon (@ctvsaskatoon) September 6, 2024
Finally, Tyson Barrie’s agreement to a professional tryout agreement with the Calgary Flames shouldn’t cause Flames fans to develop a long-term attraction to the journeyman defenseman. The 33-year-old has bounced between four NHL teams since 2018-19 – Calgary will be his fifth team – and even if he does impress Flames GM Craig Conroy enough to sign a one-year contract, it’s more likely than not that Calgary will trade Barrie at or before this coming year’s trade deadline.
This is how it has to be for the Flames, who are still in the early days of a full-on rebuild. Barrie could be a good depth acquisition for a playoff-caliber team, and if Calgary can get a decent draft pick for him, Conroy will have manufactured a potential long-term puzzle piece out of thin air, and that’s an important part of his job.
Barrie is an asset who’s in Calgary for a good time, not a long time, and that’s why Flames fans shouldn’t get too accustomed to seeing him in a Flames jersey, even if he does make the team. He’s playing to keep his NHL career alive, and if that means moving him sooner than later, the Flames are prepared to do so.
Related: NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest on the Penguins and Canucks
Related: U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame: Kevin Stevens, Matt Cullen and Brianna Decker Lead Class of 2024
Related: Top Remaining PTO Candidates Ahead of NHL Training Camps
News Summary:
- Screen Shots: Sullivan's Job Security, Growth of Women's Game and Barrie's Future in Calgary
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.